Authoritarianism is Spooky — But Collective Power is STRONGER.
Authoritarianism is Spooky — But Collective Power is STRONGER.t’s your friendly neighborhood organization Lavender Rights Project sliding into your inbox with your October Spooky newsletter!
Authoritarianism is Spooky — But Collective Power is STRONGER.
Hello my friend, ally and fellow co-conspirator,
It’s your friendly neighborhood organization Lavender Rights Project sliding into your inbox with your October Spooky newsletter!
It’s that time of year again — the nights get longer, the shadows creep in, and things we’d rather not look at start lurking in the corners.
And while costumes and cobwebs might make October feel spooky, we know the real monsters don’t hide under beds — they sit in legislative chambers, patrol our neighborhoods, and write policies that strip away our rights.
Authoritarianism is scary. It thrives on fear, division, and silence. It grows when people are told to shrink themselves, to disappear, to stop imagining something better. But here’s the truth: no matter how chilling the headlines feel, collective power is always stronger than fear.
This month at Lavender Rights Project, we’re shining a lantern into the darkness. We’re calling out the policies and narratives that try to haunt our communities. From attacks on trans care and bodily autonomy to the criminalization of survival. And we’re lifting up the brilliance, resilience, and resistance of Black and Trans people who keep building toward liberation even when the world tries to scare us into silence.
Authoritarianism is spooky. But we are even more powerful.
Join us in the upcoming seasons as we dig deeper into how gender is weaponized to uphold authoritarian power — and how, together, we can build safety, belonging, and freedom that no ghost of oppression can destroy.
What’s the Vibes w/ LRP:
Introducing Word on the Street — Campaigns Narrative Project
Stories shape the world we live in. They influence how people see each other, what we believe is possible, and ultimately, how policies are made and enforced. At Lavender Rights Project, we understand that narrative is one of the most powerful tools for liberation. Through LRP's Decriminalization department's projects like Word on the Street- campaigns narrative project and How Y’all Feelin, Y’all Alright?community conversation series, we center the lived experiences of those most directly impacted by systems of criminalization — Black, Trans, and marginalized communities who are too often spoken about, but scarcely platformed to tell their own stories.
By creating intentional platforms for storytelling, we transform individual experiences into collective truth. These stories don’t just challenge stereotypes; they disrupt the false narratives that justify policing, incarceration, and state violence. They reveal the real harm caused by systems built on punishment and control, and they remind us that safety cannot exist without care, housing, and community.
Narrative power means using truth as strategy — building a shared vision of safety and justice that comes from the people, not imposed upon them. Every testimony, town hall, and story shared becomes part of a larger cultural shift. Through this work, we’re not only changing hearts and minds; we’re shaping public opinion and influencing policy, ensuring that those most impacted by injustice are leading the conversation about what justice truly looks like.
We Are Louder Than Hate — Thank you all
We’re still buzzing from the power, joy, and collective brilliance that filled Washington Hall for “Louder Than Hate: Trans & Queer Joy as Resistance.” Buzzing because we still need that reminder in these times that joy is the answer to resistance and needed for us to continue this fight for liberation.
“Louder Than Hate” was more than an event — it was a declaration. We will not be silenced, erased, or divided. We honor those who paved the way and those building the path forward. And we know that joy is not a distraction from the struggle — joy is the strategy.
Imagine this: What’s scarier than Black and Trans people laughing and experiencing joy? Oh nothing is scary about that at all (see what we did there) 😉
Louder. Than. Hate
Assata Shakur: “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
Self-Care Tips for the Spooky Season
🕯️ 1. Protect Your Energy Like an Ancestor Would
Not everyone or everything deserves access to you. Say no when you need to. Burn cleansing herbs like sage, rosemary, or Florida water—not out of fear, but as an act of spiritual boundary-setting.
🌑 2. Remember: You Are Not a Costume
This season can bring out cultural appropriation and caricatures. Reaffirm your beauty, your lineage, and your magic. Wear yourself boldly.
🎃 3. Indulge Without Guilt
Bake sweet potato pie, sip tea, wear that robe all day. Treat yourself like royalty because you are. Joy is sacred, and pleasure is part of your birthright.
🔮 4. Unfollow Fear
The world thrives on making marginalized people afraid—of losing, of failing, of existing too loudly. Replace that fear with intention. Journal your affirmations. Speak life into your reflection:
