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Trans Organizers - March to Continue the Legacy of Stonewall Resistance at the 12th Annual Trans Day of Action
(New York, June 24, 2016, 3-6PM)– Today, TransJustice, a program of the Audre Lorde Project, created by and for Trans and Gender Non Conforming People of Color, will be gathering Trans, Gender Non Conforming, Lesbian, Gay, & Bi organizations and allies at Washington Square Park for the 12th Annual Trans Day of Action to commemorate the 47th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion and draw attention to the continuing conditions faced by Transgender and Gender Non Conforming people (TGNC) of Color.
“In the wake of Orlando, we understand that existing as Trans and Gender Non Conforming People of Color is revolutionary. We are part of a long and ancestral history of loving and holding each other despite continued violence against our communities,” said Nico Fonseca, TransJustice (TJ) Co-Coordinator.
Olympia Perez, TJ Co-Coordinator says, “We are fighting the erasure of our Trans and Gender Non-Conforming community from Stonewall until today. We are fighting the erasure of Muslim Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people. Our movement is intersectional!”
Despite the increasing visibility of Trans and Gender Non Conforming people in popular culture, we are still seeing unprecedented levels of violence against our communities. Visibility has not yet translated into meaningful systematic change. According to a recent report by the NY Anti-Violence Project, in 2015, there was a 20% increase in reports of homicides against LGBT people, 62% of LGBT homicide victims were people of color and 67% were Trans and Gender Non Conforming.
The 2016 Trans Day of Action calls for the end of such hate violence and highlights other issues facing the Trans and Gender Non Conforming community including discriminatory policing, criminalization and incarceration, healthcare access, economic justice, and affordable housing. The event will include performances and speeches from local community members including Sheneeneh Smith, LaLa Zannell, Kim Watson, Lady Jasmine, and Marlow White.
The Audre Lorde Project is a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans and Gender Non Conforming People of Color center for community organizing, focusing on the New York City area. Through mobilization, education and capacity-building, we work for community wellness and progressive social and economic justice. Committed to struggling across difference, we seek to responsibly reflect, represent and serve our various communities.