Organisations Helping Black Trans People
Today, June 19th, marks Juneteenth in the USA, when African Americans were freed from slavery. Since 1865 however, the African American community has faced barriers and difficulties in their struggle for equality, culminating in the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests in the US, sparked last month by the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Police Officers in an act condemned as another example of senseless police brutality against the African American community. With the deaths of two black trans women in America last week, it is clear that there is a very present danger to the lives of Black trans people. Recently, we wrote about the various organisations supporting Black LGBT+ people around the world. Today, we’re exploring the organisations specifically helping Black trans people.
The Marsha P Johnson Institute - https://marshap.org/
Named for the pioneering LGBT+ activist, Marsha P Johnson, the Institute, according to its mission statement, “protects and defends the human rights of Black transgender people. [The Institute] does this by organizing, advocating, creating an intentional community to heal, developing transformative leadership, and promoting our collective power.” Marsha is an icon of the movement, and the Institute rightly points to her response when asked about her gender - “Pay it no mind”, now a quote synonymous with what Marsha stood for.
Black Trans Men - https://blacktransmen.org/
Black Trans Men is an organisation that seeks to examine how Black trans men are often marginalised in the fight for social equality and work to combat the overlap between the struggle for equality between different identities such as race, class, sexuality and gender. Through bringing Black trans men together, the organisation fosters community, support, and a platform to campaign for things that genuinely matter to a community that often isn’t represented as well as it ought to be.
For the Gworls - https://linktr.ee/FORTHEGWORLSPARTY
For the Gworls is an initiative by Black non-binary and trans people to support one another both socially, financially, and medically. Through the platform, individuals can access a vast support network or contribute to helping to support Black non-binary and trans people manage things such as the cost of medical bills, rent, and social media channels to be signposted to other ways to provide help.
Colours Gendered Intelligence - http://genderedintelligence.co.uk/trans-youth/BAME
Colours is a youth group for BME 13-25 year olds run by Gendered Intelligence, that seeks to provide a safe space for BAME young people who have disabilities, religious beliefs, who are trans men or women, or who are gender non-conforming or nonbinary. Meeting monthly (suspended currently during lockdown), the group provides a place for BME young people to meet like-minded people and explore their gender, as well as access things such as changing facilities to experiment or wear different clothes to attend the group. More details, including how to support Gendered Intelligence, can be found on their website.
The Okra Project - https://www.theokraproject.com/
Drawing on the cultural and historic significance of the Okra plant to African Americans, as a symbol of community and prosperity, the Okra Project seeks to provide free meals to Black trans people facing food insecurity. Either through visiting the homes of Black trans and non-binary people, or community centres if unable to do so, the Okra project uses donations to allow Black trans cooks to prepare nutritious, tasty meals to provide to Black trans people facing food insecurity, free of charge. Your donations help support Black trans people in one of the most basic, yet vital, ways.
GLITS (Gay and Lesbians Living in a Transgende Society) - https://www.glitsinc.org/about
With a focus on the Black trans community in general, and Black trans sex workers in particular, GLITS was founded by Black trans activist Ceyenne Doroshow to support the community and use principles founded in human rights, care, and non-harm approaches to provide the necessary tools for Black trans people to thrive despite the circumstances they face. Especially, the organisation is currently using finances to help house Black trans people, which is incredibly important during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Sylvia Rivera Law Project - https://srlp.org/
Named after LGBT activist Sylvia Rivera, the Law Project has a simple mission: to ensure that, regardless of circumstance, background, or position, trans and non-binary people have the right to self-identify their gender. By particularly focusing on elevating the voices of low income, and Black trans and non binary people SRLP helps others to understand the difficult challenges facing these communities as it lobbies for better conditions and access to rights such as healthcare and other services.
The Trans Justice Funding Project - https://www.transjusticefundingproject.org/
The Trans Justice Funding Project (TJFP) is an organisation that seeks to collate funds to support grassroots organisations that support trans people and seek justice for them. With a simple mantra of trusting trans people to know how to best make decisions for themselves, the organisation collects funds and issues grants to trans organisations, particularly those seeking to tackle issues around racism.
The Black Trans Travel Fund - https://www.blacktranstravelfund.com/
The Black Trans Travel Fund seeks to make a simple connection: Black trans people need to be able to access the necessary services to help them self-identify their gender. In this pursuit, they will inevitably need the travel, in some cases great distances due to discrimination in services such as healthcare. To that end, the Black Trans Travel Fund seeks to pool resources and donations to help Black trans people access safe travel to these services, so as to access them in a manner which is beneficial to their health and wellbeing.
The Transgender Law Center - https://transgenderlawcenter.org/
The aim of the Transgender Law Center is a comprehensive challenge to laws that seek to prevent trans people from accessing legal equality in services, protections, and rights to live equally so as to enable the community to flourish. Through utilising local initiatives, the organisation helps keep “transgender and gender non-conforming people alive, thriving, and fighting for liberation”. Its efforts include mounting cases examining prison reform, education, immigration, and so many other areas of law that have laws which negatively impact Black trans people.
Black Trans Femmes in The Arts - https://linktr.ee/btfacollective
Black Trans Femmes in the Arts (BTFA) is an organisation that seeks to celebrate the works of Black trans femmes through a collective which raises money to redistribute to Black trans femmes. Particularly at the moment, the collective is supporting those protesting with Black Lives Matter, as well as hosting virtual meetups to bring together creatives and explore and celebrate their work, as well as themes and issues pertinent to the community.
Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative - https://www.snap4freedom.org/home
The premise of the Collaborative is to agitate for a world where Black trans people can live without facing the same barriers and discrimination that currently prevents them from accessing equality. Grassroots-led, this movement seeks to particularly address issues in the criminal justice system which disproportionately affects Black trans people who are put through it.
TGI Justice - http://www.tgijp.org/
TGI Justice is a movement of trans, gender non-conforming and intersex people fighting for human rights. Per their mission statement: “We work in collaboration with others to forge a culture of resistance and resilience to strengthen us for the fight against human rights abuses, imprisonment, police violence, racism, poverty, and societal pressures.” This movement is wholly grassroots and promote unity between trans, gender non-conforming and intersex people.
The Homeless Black Trans Women Fund - https://www.gofundme.com/f/homeless-black-trans-women-fund
The Homeless Black Trans Women Fund is a goFundMe fundraiser which has to date raised almost 2.5 million dollars to help buy services for homeless black trans women and help support them through the incredibly difficult ordeal of being homeless. Through donations, the fund supports those who need it, as well as explores the lives and realities of the Black trans women it helps and their struggles.
