Transgender Awareness Week is an annual commemoration from November 13 through November 17 to increase visibility for trans people that’s not predicated upon pain, loss, or death. For far too long trans stories have been limited to those told from a cisgender perspective. From slam poets to academics, these 16 trans creators are changing the way their stories are told. Let them lead the way.
1. Angelica Ross
Founder of TransTech and Miss Ross, Inc., actress
With @HerStoryShow crew @SmartAssJen @la_wa & @speed_of_joy #Winning on @TheEmmys @TelevisionAcad red carpet! pic.twitter.com/rSvPpBwV8T
— Angelica Ross (@angelicaross) September 13, 2016
Key quote: “I feel like the last few weeks/month(s) have been pushing me to my limits, only to find out I’m limitless.”
2. Lourdes Ashley Hunter
Executive Director of Trans Women of Color Collective, academic
How many of my sisters have to be murdered before our life matters? #SayHerName #IndiaClarke #BlackTransLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/eMJJmjwh1v
— Goddess Queen Sister (@HunterLourdes) July 22, 2015
Key quote: “Liberation work is not an asking or negotiating my freedom… BITCH IM TAKING IT!”
3. Kai Cheng Thom
Author of Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars, performer, cultural worker
Key quote: “The key to revolution is you. And you, and you. It’s community. It’s us.”
4. Janet Mock
Author of Redefining Realness, recipient of Sylvia Rivera Activist Award
#SurpassingCertainty is finally here! Order your copy. Take a selfie. Leave a review! https://t.co/8ytISUFeVo pic.twitter.com/jhX6LHY0ge
— Janet Mock (@janetmock) June 13, 2017
Key quote: “I believe that telling our stories, first to ourselves and then to one another and the world, is a revolutionary act.” -Redefining Realness
5. Juliana Huxtable
Artist, performer, DJ, model
“THE THIRD PARTY IN THE IDENTITY PARADE”
From new poetry by Juliana Huxtable https://t.co/jfh5oMpGf8 pic.twitter.com/iULFbOUXqE— Literary Hub (@lithub) October 27, 2017
Key quote: “I was really fascinated by the idea of club culture, the idea of a liminal, almost surreal space where people can cross paths in a way that can have a direct impact on music, on art, on writing, on fashion.”
6. Laverne Cox
Actress on Orange is the New Black, LGBTQ activist
It's about being free. Listening and moving without any judgment or limitation@weareivypark #IVYPARK #ad pic.twitter.com/TgqSfiu0d6
— Laverne Cox (@Lavernecox) September 6, 2017
Key quote: “For me, the transgender thing is the reality of my life. It’s the reality of my existence and it’s something that I’ve come to believe is beautiful about me.”
7. Ashlee Marie Preston
Activist, writer
I'm not interested in Kevin Spacey being gay. I'm curious as to why we're conflating sexuality w/ the molestation of a minor. Stay on topic
— Ashlee Marie Preston (@AshleeMPreston) October 30, 2017
Key quote: “Change doesn’t always readily greet you at the door. Sometimes you have to access through the backdoor, basement, side windows, or the chimney.”
8. Raquel Willis
National organizer for the Transgender Law Center, host of BDG Podcast
Grateful to be on #TheRoot100 list with other brilliant folks! I salute the many, many unnamed leaders also doing the work every day! https://t.co/qImwjemYcp
— Raquel Willis (@RaquelWillis_) September 18, 2017
Key quote: “I think we’re in a moment where everyone is having to grapple with what their privileges look like, even the most marginalized people.”
9. Amos Mac
Writer, editor-in-chief of Original Plumbing
Amos Mac’s Fresh Lens for the Trans Community https://t.co/g7ggjRNgz6 via @thedailybeast
— Amos Mac (@amosmacphotos) March 6, 2017
Key quote: “There is something to say about collaborating with other trans people on an artistic level that I’ve experienced throughout my career - an instant connection and understanding - yet with more conversation, less explanation and a whole bunch of feelings.”
10. J Mase III
Slam poet, educator, founder of AwQward Talent Agency
Spoiler Alert: If the only Black activist you approve of is one that was killed by the state at 39, you're probably not fond of Black folks.
— J Mase III (@JMaseIII) January 17, 2017
Key quote: “Whether I’m making people laugh, or I’m doing something serious, we as Black and Brown people, as trans people, have a right not just to our pain but to our joyous liberation.”
11. Silas Howard
Writer, director
YES!! Virginia is for ‘er & for trans women defeating bigots!! https://t.co/Ln2H0aKALz
— silas howard (@silasio) November 8, 2017
Key quote: “For too long the white cis male gaze has dominated. But we are in this necessary and exciting moment, where we are giving diverse voices access—to a camera, the director’s chair, the script—and helping to pass that privilege on.”
12. Reina Gossett
Activist, writer, artist
THANK YOU for supporting & believing me, it literally meant everything Today I shared my story w @Them & @TeenVogue https://t.co/ECu5pudkYS
— Reina Gossett (@reinagossett) October 11, 2017
Key quote: “Historical erasure of black trans life means so many of us are disconnected from the legacies of trans women before us, denied access to stories about ourselves, in our own voices. So it became increasingly important for me to not just find out more about Marsha but to share every bit of what I learned through my blog, writing and community organizing work so that we could reclaim and be nourished by our history.”
13. Jennifer Boylan
Author, GLAAD board member, professor of English
Prof. @JennyBoylan's latest op-ed in @nytopinion reveals Army veteran @ssgtravismills's “Never Quit” philosophy, and how his foundation supports fellow veterans with hope and community-building. https://t.co/En8VcFhFda
— Barnard College (@BarnardCollege) November 13, 2017
Key quote: “There are enough transgender writers out there certainly that we don’t always have to be talking about the experience of being trans and the cliche of transition in particular. It does seem like that’s a lot of where our stories go to. On the other hand, they’re interesting stories, and they all deserve to be told. I think people need to learn that our community is really diverse and that there’s no unanimity of opinion about anything, actually, other than that things are too hard right now and they need to be made easier.”
14. Kortney Ryan Ziegler
Filmmaker, visual artist, writer
Hey Twitter we are two black tech founders raising a seed round of half a million. A simple RT might introduce us to our next angel investor pic.twitter.com/18RZIo0Oyt
— King Kortney (@fakerapper) September 25, 2017
Key quote: “The work that trans people of color are doing needs to be recognized by organizations. Not necessarily inclusion, but recognition. We use the word inclusion a lot, but why do we need to include? Include is not the right word. We need to recognize people for doing work. Trans people of color are doing work without the money and resources, with the drive or promoting visibility and showing our humanity.”
15. Kay Ulanday Barrett
Poet, performer, educator, activist
Key quote: “I grew up with a parched existence, and I am trying to fill that hunger with others with whom I share the same kinds of breath.”
16. Jen Richards
Activist, writer, actress, producer
I rarely meet men in real life as extraordinary as ones on film, and rarely see women on film as extraordinary as ones I know in real life.
— Jen Richards (@SmartAssJen) September 2, 2016
Key quote: “That’s the most definitive aspect of my life, my relationships with trans people. It’s what allows me to continue working, and what keeps me engaged, and affirmed, and loved. They’re the ones who hold me through really dark times, and who have kept me alive through hard times, and who are my biggest cheerleaders.”
Mia Burcham is a senior at Reed College, graduating with a degree in English literature. She was born in Arizona and grew up in Texas, but has called Portland home for 12 years. Mia writes really long analytical essays on politics and really short prose poems on anything, ruins all her shoes on long walks, and cooks more than she can eat. She is writing her undergraduate thesis on American political theology in the works of Walt Whitman, and is generally interested in the foundation of American politics and literature, creative nonfiction writing, food writing, and speechwriting.
Sabrina Nelson is a senior at Reed College, studying for a degree in Sociology. She is interested in the disparity in access to healthcare, food security, and education, and is writing her senior thesis on menstrual inequality and the emerging menstrual movement. When not immersed in those worlds, she spends her time laughing really loudly, writing poetry and reading books about witches. Sabrina loves the ocean, really long walks and baking without a recipe.
