A national campaign to support transgender people has made its way to Oregon State University. Some students and faculty are sporting a button with the phrase “I’ll Go With You.” Someone who wears the button is willing to accompany a transgender person into a potentially uncomfortable space.
#IllGoWithYou was created in response to harassment of transgender people, specifically in places like bathrooms and locker rooms.
OSU student P.J. Harris works at the Pride Center and brought the campaign to the Corvallis campus. Harris says they have distributed more than 100 buttons so far.
Harris: “So this button is essentially a visible sign saying ‘I support trans and gender non-conforming people’—really anywhere, however it does focus specifically on spaces that those people have had a history of being harassed or feeling afraid in.”
The button is the same colors as the transgender pride flag: pastel blue, pink, and white.
Harris says the campaign is not in response to some states passing so-called bathroom bills, but says those legal battles have generated more media coverage of transgender issues.