CNN’s LGBTQ town hall in Los Angeles on Thursday became a tense affair when the event featuring a number of 2020 presidential candidates was interrupted by chants of "trans people are dying."
When their attempt to unfurl a trans flag were met with opposition from security who tried to drag them out of the venue, moderator Anderson Cooper tried to ease tensions by acknowledging their efforts to bring about change.
"It’s all right, it’s all right," Cooper said. "There’s a long history in the gay, lesbian and transgender community of protest, and we applaud their protest."
The biggest moment of their efforts came when a black trans woman who identified herself as Blossom Brown took the microphone to speak up about a personal issue that has been ignored for far too long.
"I’m so sorry. I don’t want to take this away from you," Brown said. "But let me tell you something, black trans women are being killed in this country and CNN, you have erased black trans women for the last time. Let me tell you something, black trans women are dying, our lives matter! I am an extraordinary black trans woman, and I deserve to be here."
Moderator Don Lemon humbly responded to Brown, saying, "Let me tell you something. The reason that we are here is to validate people like you. That is why we are here."
Brown's remarks must've struck a chord with Beto O'Rourke, judging from his response vowing to hold a town hall focused on trans women of color.
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