HALLIE JACKSON (HOST): I want to talk about the policy piece of it, but also about the political piece of it as well because whether or not this actually comes to fruition, whether or not this is a memo that will ultimately go nowhere or not. How does this play politically for Donald Trump, just two weeks before the midterms, in your view?

SARAH KATE ELLIS (GLAAD): Well you know, whether or not this comes into play, some damage has already been done because the transgender community is already an incredibly marginalized community within LGBQ community and in America, so, this reinforces the stigma that we're fighting every single day. And I just want to take a moment to say that this puts for debate their humanity and I think that that is already a losing hand. But as the LGBTQ community, we’re fighters and we have been fighting back and yesterday we held a rally for hundreds in a moment's notice in Washington Square Park, and within hours we’ll be in front of the White House today, fighting back. And civil rights lawyers are already readying a lawsuit because this is just egregious. And you know what, also I just want to say that since this administration came into power, it been 640 days, there have been 76 attacks against the LGBTQ community. So I really appreciate you highlighting one of them today.

...

ELLIS: You know, the first move he made was to bring on Pence as his VP candidate and ever since then it's been downhill. And Pence is one of the most anti-LGBTQ people out there, and since then has filled his cabinet, both he -- Trump and Pence have filled their cabinet with anti-LGBTQ people who have long, long track records.

JACKSON: You talked about a moment ago, fighting, and the rally that you held yesterday. There's another one that's set to happen in the next couple of minutes over at the White House and within the last few minutes, we have already heard from, for example, the Human Rights Campaign and others. Here's what the message was.

[BEGIN VIDEO]:

JO DEE WINTERHOF (HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN): Trump, Pence and their political cronies may think that discrimination is a winning issue for them, but we at the Human Rights Campaign and our colleagues are here to tell them, “If you come for LGBTQ people, we're coming for you on Election Day.”

[END VIDEO]

JACKSON: The hashtag #WontBeErased as you know, has gone viral since The New York Times dropped this story. How do you see this rallying Democrats come Election Day?

ELLIS: I think this is absolutely going to rally Democrats. I also think what is really important is that we let the trans community know that we stand with them. This is -- imagine your identity, or who you are being questioned and litigated day after day after day, and now from the highest office trying to erase you. So I think it's really important to show up to vote for pro-equality candidates on November 6 and we’ve been working with kids, the youth all over the country to make sure that we’re getting out the vote this year.

Related:

The New York Times: ‘Transgender’ Could Be Defined Out of Existence Under Trump Administration

Previously:

Transgender activist Raffi Freedman-Gurspan: “We won't be erased. ... We are going to get through this.”

LGBTQ journalist Masha Gessen: Trump administration's attempt to erase transgender people is redefining "who gets to be fully human

The trans military ban is yet another example of the White House's cozy relationships with anti-LGBTQ hate groups

Recent reporting on violence against trans inmates illustrates the dangers of Trump administration rescinding protections