"New Orleans will continue to love and accept ALL"
NEW ORLEANS - Council President Helena Moreno has responded to efforts to remove peaceful protestors from the Louisiana House Chamber during the veto override session of Senate Bill 156, which bans transgender athletes from competing on school sports teams with their identified gender and allows people 21 and older to carry a concealed handgun without a permit or safety training.

“As a former legislator, I have seen many protesters in the House Chamber and never seen any removed like this. I view this as a physical manifestation of what some legislators are doing to the transgender community. It’s horrific and sad.” Moreno stated.

"We will continue to stand up for our New Orleans values of tolerance, love, and acceptance for all against any attacks, whether in Baton Rouge or elsewhere," Moreno continued.

Images shared across social media revealed a chaotic scene in which Sergeants at Arms, who work for the Speaker of the House, aggressively removed transgender advocates from the House Chamber balcony. Among this group were members of Real Name Campaign NOLA, an organization that fights for accessible name and gender marker changes.

The unprecedented veto override session, propelled by the right-wing legislative majority, is focused on overturning Governor Edwards’ vetos of permitless gun carrying and anti-transgender legislation. 

###

Media Contact:
Andrew Tuozzolo
Chief of Staff, Office of Helena Moreno
AVTuozzolo@nola.gov
504.281.9882