Today, activists and organizers across the country will be taking action to celebrate and protect the lives of Black trans women and all trans women of color. This day of action [ www.getequal.org/take-action.html ] is intended to encourage cis and trans people to work in collaboration to develop strategies to protect trans women in the face of escalated violence from the state, to uplift Black trans women's leadership, and to address transphobia and transmisogyny within our communities.
If you're snowed in, or stuck at your computer all day for work, you can still participate in this day of action. Every hour, for the next 7 hours, we will amplify an action item from this list below. Plan your day out. Get organized. Get free. #ProtectTransWomen.
9AM CST | 10AM ET
1. DONATE to the Marsha P. Johnson Institute
Fund Black trans women's leadership. Donate to the Marsha P. Johnson Institute [www.youcaring.com/themarshapjohnsoninstitute-767071 ] , a new organization born out of #BlackTransLiberationTuesday, the first-ever National Day of Action for Black trans women.
10AM CST | 11AM ET
2. READ and SHARE Raquel Willis' piece Trans Women are Women. This is Not a Debate.
Raquel Willis is a writer, activist, and media maven focusing on gender, race, LGBTQ issues, social justice and intersectionality. Commit to reading her critical piece in response to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's recent comments on transwomen. Then, share on social media, and tag 2 people you want to also read it.
11AM CST | 12PM ET
3. JOIN the Twitter Chat!
Join GetEQUAL, SPARK! Reproductive Justice Now, Southerners on New Ground, Queer Detainee Empowerment Project, BLM Memphis, and more on Twitter for a 1-hour chat on how our organizations are standing up and fighting back against transphobic, racist, anti-woman, anti-femme forces in our ranks and in our neighborhoods. How do we actually #ProtectTransWomen? Follow @GetEQUAL and the hashtag#ProtectTransWomen. We encourage you to chime in, too!
12PM CST | 1PM ET
4. COMMIT to #ProtectTransWomen.
Nothing is more permanent than a selfie. Tell the world how you will commit to protecting and celebrating Black trans women and trans women of color not just today, but everyday. Post a selfie holding a sign ( for example, the sign could read, "I commit to #ProtectTransWomen by actively following the leadership of Black Trans Women and Trans Women of Color" ), OR post a selfie with a video. Use the hashtag #ProtectTransWomen and post!
1PM CST | 2PM ET
5. READ and SHARE TGIJP's new statement on Expanding Black Trans Safety
The TGI Justice Project is a group of transgender, gender variant, and intersex people—inside and outside of prisons, jails and detention centers—creating a united family in the struggle for survival and freedom. They recently wrote this piece, Expanding Black Trans Safety: An Open Letter to Our Beloved Community [ www.tgijp.org/blog/blacktranssafety ] , a powerful piece on how we can all challenge transphobia, specifically against Black trans people, in our communities.
2PM CST | 3PM ET
6. UPLIFT Black Trans Women's Labor
Is there an individual, or organization, that you want to uplift and recognize for their work in fighting for trans liberation? Use the hashtag #ProtectTransWomen and give them a shoutout! Celebrate them! Give them roses while they're still here!
3PM CST | 4PM ET
7. GET Organized. GET Free. Plug in locally.
This work is not new. We are not the first to make this call. We are amplifying the call from Black trans women and trans women of color to take action now for our trans sisters. Take action to #ProtectTransWomeneveryday. Plug into an organization near you today. We've created a list of LGBTQ organizations across the country to get in touch with.
Now, there are actions and events getting ready to begin in Charlottesville, Greensboro, D.C., Pensacola,Boston, Omaha, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and more! Follow the hashtag #ProtectTransWomen on Facebook and Twitter tonight to follow along with live-streams and live-tweets! Amplify!
GetEQUAL is building a grassroots movement to make lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Americans equal under the law. Connect with us and with others in this movement viaFacebook and Twitter. You can help power our work by getting involved locally and by donatingto support the work of activists across the country.
