When I was asked to write a blog about Trans Awareness Week I assumed I knew what I wanted to write about, but for many hours I sat staring at a blank page. There were so many questions that came up for me, such as what is the role of rest this week for trans people? This year has been one of the deadliest for trans people and several state legislators have specifically made it their mission to introduce laws to attempt to stifle and harm trans people out of existence. Our community has been combatting not only the effects of COVID-19, but the systematic oppressions perpetuated by conservative Law Makers and celebrity terfs alike. Should this week center our right to rest from the wars we have been battling? Is it not possible to have rest and reflection live in the same house? What does it mean for this week to be a week of community, and care rather than a week tailored to address the curiosities of cis people.
Read MoreThis time of year and Trans Day of Remembrance can be very difficult for me, as unfortunately like too many other trans people I am a survivor of a hate crime that nearly took my life and derailed my career, sending my existence on a totally different trajectory than I ever planned. From a young age I knew I was trans, and much to the dismay of my mother who attempted to block who I was at every turn, it was quite evident. I knew exactly who I was and what I would become despite regular targeted violence and harassment against me. As a youth, I had it all planned out in a diary I kept, and in opposition to my detractors, my life progressed according to my vision.
Read MoreI’m a Trans Women🏳️🌈 from New York. I'm 75% Puerto Rican🇵🇷 & 25% African American🇿🇦. I've been a Entertainer for over 18 years. I am the current Miss UTOPIA International (2019-20-21) and the first in history La Femme Magnificent Enhance International 2019-20-21 as well.
Read MoreI have seen a lot change since I began my transition about half my life ago now. In my earliest memories, my gender was mine alone. A secret only I knew. It was a place I could come to for peace. It was not the perception of me which I was named for, it was the truth of me when I was uninhibited by those expectations, a truth that I was told without being told must be kept within. It was my yolk, around which I grew a shell of secrecy, though soft the shell was, and deep and strong my yolk grew.
Read MoreTrans Awareness Week is approaching and we are taking this moment to lift the power and magic of all trans people this month. Since November 1999, we have been celebrating the lives and contributions of transgender persons and the lives lost to us annually in November. While we haven’t been shy naming the violence directed at our community and disproportionately at Black Trans women and femmes, our community feels in this moment that it is equally important to appreciate the gifts of those who are still with us.
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