Trans Day of Resilience 2015
[Image Credit: Ethan Parker for BreakOut, as part of the Trans Day of Resilience Art Project]
“At the end of the day it’s about the intersectionalities, the way we understand things. I’m not just trans, I’m a person of color, I’m an immigrant. But, how do I come to terms with those intersectionalities to address our multiple identities and where we come from and at the same time celebrate people or support people who are going through these things?” – Jenna Rapues, interviewed as part of the Dragon Fruit Project
On this year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance, we are spending the day honoring the lives of transgender people who have fought and endured unjust systems that devalue and dehumanize their lives.
In this past year, we’ve seen horrific increases in violence against transgender people, specifically against black trans women and other trans women of color.
In this same year, we’ve seen how climate injustices, xenophobia, police brutality, and U.S. militarism have negatively impacted low-income, black and brown, trans and gender non-conforming, migrant, and indigenous populations, creating further crisis around the world.
In this year, we’ve also seen resilient and powerful leadership from trans women of color, who refuse to be silent in the wake of violence. Fighting systems of incarceration, violence, and deportation, these leaders continue to lead movements of liberation. Just earlier today, members and allies from the Transgender, Gender Variant, & Intersex Justice Project marched in the mission, demanding that shelters provide emergency care and housing to trans people of color.
On this Trans Day of Resilience, and for every other day, we want to honor the stories of our trans siblings that have fallen, and uplift the work of those trans and gender non-conforming people who continue to resist and live.