After the Trump administration lifted federal protections that allowed transgender students to use the school bathrooms that correspond with their gender, thousands rallied to protest the removal.
8-year-old trans boy Joe Maldonado also called out the decision as "ridiculous," appearing on MSNBC with Katy Tur to speak out about transgender bathroom rights. Maldonado told Tur that he doesn't think that protections for trans students should be a state issue, because some states might try to restrict transgender people's rights.
"I think it's wrong," he said. "Because some governors will probably say no. And I don't think any states should be for that rule."
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You may recognize Maldonado as the young boy who sparked a national conversation that eventually led to the Boy Scouts' decision to admit trans children. Last year, Maldonado was kicked out of the Cub Scouts because he was assigned female at birth. Months later, the Scouts announced that they would accept any child who self-identifies as a boy.
Maldonado also opened up in his interview about having had to use girls' restrooms, telling Tur, "It was just weird. It didn't make sense at all."
Maldonado's mother, Kristie, agreed with her son that leaving transgender protections up to states could lead to inequalities when it comes to trans civil rights.
"I don't think it should be up to the state because I feel that one transgender is protected and the other state won't be protected," she said. "I think they should all be equal."
The Trump administration's decision to rescind Obama-era trans bathroom protections has been met with outrage by trans people and their allies, who have denounced the administration's failure to protect LGBTQ rights.
Maldonado, for his part, summed up the situation perfectly, telling Tur, "Because it doesn't matter your gender. It matters how you feel, not your gender."
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