In 2020, Black trans women have a life expectancy of 35 years. 35 years. This is devastating and unacceptable. In 2019, at least 28 transgender and gender non-conforming people lost their lives to fatal violence. We cannot talk about how all lives matter, without first centering and talking about Black lives, and we cannot talk about how Black lives matter, without declaring that Black trans lives matter. When we declare that #BlackTransLivesMatter we must simultaneously invest in education, action, and resource distribution in support of Black trans folks.
In honor of Pride this month, NMW.O is sharing the following resources, as opportunities to actively support Black trans women right now and year-round.
- Learn: Watch Disclosure, a new documentary featured on Netflix that reviews the history of transgender misrepresentation in film and media, which has played a huge role in dictating false and violent public narratives about Transgender individuals in the US and nationwide. If we don’t understand the narratives that have shaped our own implicit biases towards this community, we will not be able to recognize the harmful behaviors in ourselves and others, that contribute to violence against this community.
- Act: This article by the Transgender Gender-Variant & Intersex Justice Project (TGIJP) details several ways to act in support of Black trans women.
- Support: Make a gift to our community partners at the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico today, and check out this article for a list of Black-Trans led organizations to support nationally.