The Audre Lorde Project sends condolences to the family and friends of Sam Nordquist. Sam, a 24-year-old Black Trans Man from Minnesota, was tortured and killed in upstate NY. Sam and all the lives of our TGNC people are sacred. All of the Trans People of Color that we’ve lost to violence across New York deserve justice and to have their lives honored through radical, concrete change.
Mayor Eric Adams, the New York City Council, and Governor Hochul need to invest in the lives of Trans New Yorkers. There’s a disproportionate gap in resources provided by the city’s annual budget, with the Trans Equity fund only receiving $3 million out of $112 billion. We need more than words and pride flags; we need a city that prioritizes economic and housing stability, gender-affirming affordable and accessible care, and a reinvestment in community resources for the well-being of all New Yorkers.
Despite notions of being a politically progressive state, at least nine trans people of color were killed between 2017-2020 across New York state. This violence is rooted in settler colonialism and perpetuated at the intersections of transphobia, white supremacy, and misogyny. State-based violence enacted by policing and imprisonment disproportionately targets TGNC communities. Layleen Cubilette-Polanco died in solitary confinement at Rikers Island prison due to medical neglect. The crisis of housing, healthcare, and economic instability that affects trans people in particular is another form of state-based violence. In New York City, about 40% of homeless youth identify as queer and or trans, with trans people struggling to enter shelters or find housing.
As a community organizing center, we are vehemently against the incessant legislative targeting of TGNC communities. This creates the conditions for ongoing institutional, cultural, and interpersonal violence. This moment is calling all of us to intervene and address the abuse of power from our government head-on. Each of us is an agent of change.
The Audre Lorde Project will continue our commitment to promoting multi-racial coalition-building, advocacy, and community organizing among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two-Spirit, Transgender, and Gender Non-Conforming people of color and our allies in the struggle to build a world in which all systemic oppression has ended, and everyone has enough to survive and to thrive.
Sam Nordquist's life is precious. Lorena Xtravaganza’s life is precious. Honee Daniels' life is precious. Islan Nettles life is precious. Layleen Cubilette Polanco’s life is precious. Alexandria Winchester’s life is precious. Tiffany Harris’s life is precious. Deshauna Smith’s life is precious. We honor the life of Sam Nordquist and every trans life taken. We are responsible for each other's precious lives.