The government of Puerto Rico has made a clear decision: to turn its back on part of its own people. There are no technical excuses or legal arguments that can disguise what is really happening.

The temporary suspension of the “X” gender marker on birth certificates is a deliberate act of erasure. It is a modern form of exclusion, masked as a defense of the “rule of law.” But let’s be clear: what is being defended here is not justice — it’s the power of a few to impose their fear on the freedom of many.

The federal court order issued by Judge María Antongiorgi Jordán didn’t force anyone into anything. It didn’t erase existing categories or require anyone to identify as nonbinary. It simply allowed those who have never had a truthful box to check on a government form to finally exist legally. But the moment that option challenged the comfort of binary thinking, the entire state apparatus was mobilized against it.

Pride Society Magazine, Puerto Rico’s only LGBTQ media outlet, covered this development in an article titled “Gobierno de Puerto Rico paraliza la X” or “Puerto Rico’s government paralyzes the X.” More importantly, it echoed the voices of those most affected. The LGBTQ+ Federation of Puerto Rico didn’t mince words: the government is spending public money and resources to block a right that has already been validated by the courts. This is not about process or caution — it’s about obstruction. Federation leaders called it exactly what it is: a political move rooted in prejudice, fear, and a desire to appease the most conservative sectors of society.

This isn’t a technical delay. This is a statement of values. It says if your identity doesn’t fit our categories, you don’t exist. If your truth challenges the status quo, you will be denied.

The “X” on a birth certificate doesn’t impose anything. It doesn’t threaten anyone. What it does is allow people to live with dignity, without being forced to lie every time they’re asked to show their ID. That minimal recognition is now being denied, not by accident, but by design.

And it fits perfectly within a broader, dangerous trend — at both the federal and local level. Across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, we are witnessing a calculated rollback of LGBTQ rights, particularly those affecting trans and nonbinary people. What was once progress is now treated as threat. What was once affirmed is now litigated into oblivion. And while legal teams argue and politicians posture, people are being erased in real time.

This has nothing to do with parties, religions, or ideology. It’s about human dignity. It’s about the right to be seen and named for who you truly are. Those who celebrate this suspension are not protecting society — they are upholding a system of exclusion that punishes anyone who dares to be different.

The Pride Society Magazine article is more than just a news story. It is a record of resistance. It documents the courage of those who speak up when institutions stay silent. It reminds us that dignity cannot be postponed, and existence cannot be debated.

The truth is simple: the “X” is not the problem. The real problem is a system that cannot stand to admit that people come in more than two categories. A system that would rather halt a form than recognize a life.

And if we allow that system to keep winning, soon there won’t be any boxes left to check, because we will have allowed ourselves to be erased completely.

Some dates split a nation’s soul in two. July 16, 2025, will be one of them for Puerto Rico. That day, Gov. Jenniffer González signed Senate Bill 350 into law — now known as Law 63-2025 — and what she signed wasn’t just a piece of legislation. It was abandonment.

Abandonment of trans youth. Abandonment of loving families. Abandonment of medical professionals who offer care with science and compassion. With the law in hand, the state left us utterly alone.

Law 63-2025 bans all gender-affirming medical care for individuals under 21-years-old. But it doesn’t stop there. It criminalizes the very act of accompanying someone with love and professional integrity on their journey to live authentically. Parents, doctors, therapists, social workers — now all face the threat of up to 15 years in prison, a $50,000 fine, and permanent loss of licenses. Medicine is no longer a right. Providing care has become a crime.

This is not an isolated case. Puerto Rico is now part of a growing wave of reactionary policies sweeping across the United States and the world. A crusade against diversity, cloaked in false morality, aimed at controlling bodies and erasing identities through legislation.

Here on the island, this law was passed despite the warnings of the medical community. Despite families begging to be heard. Despite the secretary of health himself stating that there is no medical crisis that justifies such legislation. The government’s response was clear: facts don’t matter. What matters is control.

Perhaps the most painful betrayal of all is the attack on the constitutional right of families to decide what’s best for their children. Parental rights — protected by both national constitutions and international human rights treaties — were trampled without hesitation. The state claimed it knows better than love. Better than science. Better than home.

What does this mean in real life?

A trans teenager can no longer access medical care. A mother could be arrested for supporting her child. A therapist must stay silent or risk everything. Fear, silence, and anguish become the new language of adolescence.

They say this law “protects minors.” But what it truly does is push them toward despair. It denies them access to their identity, to mental health care, to hope. What it protects is not people — but prejudice.

And yet, here we are. Not defeated. Not silenced. But standing tall, knowing that history doesn’t end with a signature. Resistance cannot be outlawed. Dignity cannot be repealed.

Puerto Rico has a memory of struggle that refuses to fade. We’ve raised our voices against colonialism, injustice, and marginalization. This time will be no different. Human rights advocates, compassionate faith communities, courageous families, and ethical professionals will not back down.

The governor may have signed a law, but she did not sign away our voice.

We are not leaving. We will not abandon our youth.

Trans youth are not alone, even if their government tries to make them feel that way.

A prominent activist in Puerto Rico says he is once again unable to access his verified Facebook page.

Pedro Julio Serrano, founder of Puerto Rico Para Todes, a Puerto Rican LGBTQ advocacy group, sent to the Washington Blade a screenshot of an email he sent to Meta, Facebook’s parent company, on July 24 that said he has “been trying to recover my page since July 19 when it was hacked.”

The link to Serrano’s Facebook page has been changed to facebook.com/beonrightpath.

“The Meta Pro Team is telling me that I can no longer recover it,” wrote Serrano. “I have to file this impersonating report in order to close the other page that is impersonating me, but it tells me that the url of the impersonating profile is invalid, even though my friends and family can still see the page. I was verified previous to the Meta Verified program because I am a public figure.”

“I beg you to delete the account whose url is facebook.com/beonrightpath,” he added.

Dev, a Meta Pro Team representative, responded to Serrano’s email on July 25. The representative provided him with his case number, and added “your call has been scheduled and you might receive a call shortly.” 

Hitesh, a Meta Support Pro representative, on July 30 emailed Serrano and asked him to provide a copy of a photo ID and a signed statement. The same Meta Support Pro representative in an email to Serrano on July 23 provided him with steps on how to report the issue to Facebook. 

Arthur, another Meta Pro Team representative, sent a similar email to Serrano on July 19. Joy, yet another Meta Pro Team representative, sent a similar email to Serrano the next day. 

Nick, a second Meta Support Pro representative emailed Serrano on Aug. 11.

“I completely understand that the delay in the response from the dedicated team might be affecting your work,” wrote the representative. “I apologize for the inconvenience. Trust me, I am continuously trying to get in touch with (sic) the regarding the update and I am very positive that we will be getting a revert soon.”

“Now my request to you is that please allow me few more time (sic) so that once I get the update I will myself deliver the message to you,” added the representative. “I really appreciate your patience, I do.”

“One of my main tools for activism is my Facebook page because it connects me to a network of leaders and activists who spread the word and take action on matters related to our struggle,” Serrano told the Blade on Friday. 

“My page was verified before the subscription service because of my public profile nationally and internationally,” he added. “It’s the way that people can know that what is posted comes from me. I need this tool to continue the work against the bigots who want to take us back.”

Serrano said he last spoke with a Meta representative on the telephone two weeks ago. He did acknowledge “they have been writing to me almost every day asking me for more time to resolve the issue.”

“I thank the Meta support group for always responding, even if it takes a few days; but the issue hasn’t been resolved,” Serrano told the Blade on Friday. “They have all my info, copies of my IDs, a signed statement, everything. They know it’s me. They just need to help me recover my page.”

Meta has not responded to the Blade’s requests for comment.

Religious fundamentalists launch ‘campaign of harassment and threats’ against Serrano

Serrano in 2020 was unable to access his Facebook pages for more than two months.

He received an alert in August 2020 that said he violated community guidelines and was “pretending to be a well-known person or public figure.” Serrano on Oct. 21, 2020, received a message from Facebook that said his suspension was a “mistake” and his access had been restored.

Serrano in a complaint he filed with the Puerto Rico Police Department on July 12 said “fundamentalist leaders” in the U.S. commonwealth have launched “a campaign of harassment and threats” against him. Serrano lost access to his verified Facebook page a week later.

Serrano on Friday told the Blade his inability to access his Facebook account is “related” to the complaint he filed.

“The last time that it happened in 2020 I was subjected to a similar public attack from fundamentalist leaders,” he said. “It is not a coincidence.”