Transgender people survived Nixon (those of us not killed while serving in Vietnam). We survived Reagan (at least those of us who did not die of AIDS). We survived...even flourished somewhat (which was mostly carryover from the Clinton years) under W.

Of course there were some murders and plenty of suicides. There are unconfirmed rumors of trans youth suicides since Tuesday night.

People are fearing the looming Trump presidency. That is largely because the tremendous strides under Obama means there is much more that can be rolled back.

Transgender advocates vowed on Wednesday to resist any effort to reverse or slow down an expansion of transgender rights made under President Barack Obama, fearing a rollback of his directives once Donald Trump succeeds him in the White House.

Same-sex marriage became legal in 2015, shifting the LGBT discussion to the still-unfinished agenda of transgender rights. Obama has issued regulations prohibiting health insurers from denying coverage based on gender identity and directed public schools to allow transgender students to use the public bathrooms of their choice, among other measures.

We expect that those will disappear. Lambda Legal will hold the line when our rights are under attack. We know how to fight the government in the courts.

--Rachel Tiven, Lambda Legal

We're going to fight them on anything they try to undo. I'm really worried today for trans Muslims and trans immigrants and trans people with disabilities who have been threatened and denigrated by Mr. Trump. Hopefully, that was all part of some sick performance.

--Mara Keisling, National Center for Transgender Equality

Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, called Trump's victory "a huge wake-up call" that placed an onus on transgender people to "explain who we are" to Trump voters who may be intolerant of or ignorant about transgender people.

In a very real sense, our lives, our ability to work, to attend school, to obtain health care, are at the mercy of a new administration.

--Minter

We can never take any rights for granted but I also think it's important to remember how much progress we have made in recent years and decades. It's not easy to repeal that kind of progress.

--Jill Gaulding, Gender Justice