WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, a group of organizations led by trans, gender non-conforming, lesbian, gay, bisexual, two-spirit, and queer ( TGNCLGBTSQ ) people of color issued a call to action to celebrate and protect trans women and femmes on March 15, one week after today's "A Day Without Women" general strike. The call to action comes on the heels of a deadly and terrifying first few months of 2017, with reports of at least seven trans women of color being murdered in January and February.
Angela Peoples, Director of GetEQUAL, said, "In addition to attacks from the Trump Administration and religious extremists in our schools and in the media, seven of our trans sisters have been brutally snatched from their communities. It is on all of us, but especially cisgender folks, to sound the alarm about these threats and take action to disrupt transphobia and racism in all areas of our society."
The statement and call to action, which was issued to coincide with International Women's Day, also addresses the shortcomings of recent efforts to advance women's rights.
Peoples added, "This year, Women's History Month began with a historic number of reported deaths for trans women — and history tells us that without intentional intervention and action, this violence will escalate and these women's stories will continue to be erased. Black trans women are disappearing from our neighborhoods at alarming rates. The conversation around today's #ADayWithoutWomen strike seem to ignore the painful realities of the lived experience for trans women of color and femmes in our community."
The organizations issuing this call to action include: GetEQUAL, The Marsha P Johnson Institute, Southerners on New Ground ( SONG ), National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance ( NQAPIA ), Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network ( GSA Network ), BYP 100, Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, National Black Justice Coalition, and Transgender Law Center.
These groups work with and are led by people the Trump administration has named as targets for his backwards, oppressive political agenda. The call to action is said to be a first step toward living the value that "None of us are Free until we all are Free."
More information about the statement and the day of action can be found online at www.getequal.org/take-action.html and at the hashtag #ProtectTransWomen on Twitter and Facebook.
