Today we remember the lives and legacies of our trans and gender non-conforming family who we’ve lost this year.
Let us honor all our trans and GNC ancestors who have come before us, who fought tirelessly, and paved the way for us to shine brilliantly. Today and everyday, we are reminded of the strength and beauty of our trans communities.
There are so many ways we can honor our ancestors, and we hope that today you can devote a moment and hold the lives and histories of our trans communities in your heart.
A horrible pattern has emerged where each year over the past few years, has been the deadliest year on record for the trans community in the U.S. In 2017 there has been over 26 reported transgender and GNC people killed by violence. If you are looking for a place to be with community tonight, here’s a map of grassroots trans-led groups organizing across the country that you can support all year round or may be able help you locate a local vigil for the 18th annual Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR).
TJFP stands in struggle and solidarity with our trans communities fighting for justice and liberation, and we hope one day we’ll be able to shine brilliantly without fear, and that our communities can breathe and live freely.
Hey y’all! If you’re at the Philly Trans Health Conference over the next few days, come visit Trans Justice Funding Project’s booth and pick up an annual report and one of TJFP’s gold edition tote bags ($10-$25 sliding scale)! #pthc2017 #transjustice
Bags not yet available online but stay tuned!
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We encourage you to honor the legacy of Marsha P. Johnson’s work by supporting trans leadership!
Power to the People: Exploring Marsha P. Johnson’s Queer Liberation
Marsha P. Johnson (August 24, 1945 – July 6, 1992) was an American activist, artist, sex worker, and liberation embodied. She lived and fought against the discriminations and abuses experienced by trans people. Along with fellow trans activist Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) to house and support drag queens, femmes, and trans women who were living on the street in NYC.
And congratulations to the TJFP’s grantee’s who have been mentioned in this article and to all of the amazing trans woman of color who are on the front lines fighting for justice and liberation for our communities.
On this day especially, we encourage you to check out our grantees using the TJFP digital map and consider supporting these groups in any way you can!
#HappyBirthdayMarsha
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“As a native of Selma, Bell felt that his connection with his hometown was what called him to open the relief center.
“I felt like I had a responsibility to Selma to come back and do the work here,” he said. “This center is important because this is the only place that is a safe space where LGBTQ folks can come to be educated. They can come here and have a sense of belonging with people who understand personally what they are going through.”
Another example of the importance of supporting grassroots, trans justice organizing in places and communities like Selma.
Right now in Brooklyn, a very sweet event is happening featuring amazing queer country artists! Music, delicious food and after the artists get paid, remaining proceeds will be donated to TJFP. Please come stop by if you can!
This is the anti-July-4th, all-day, all-out extravaganza you’ve been waiting for! 13 amazing queer, trans, and/or poc bands. A giant bake sale to benefit the Trans Justice Funding Project. DJ Nath Ann Carrera. Host Heather María Ács. Tacos from the Kimchi Taco Truck. What is country music? Who is it for? Come envision another country with us on Sunday, July 2nd!
Bake sale sweets donated by 4 & 20 Blackbirds, Baked, Betty Bakery, and Colson Patisserie!
Tickets are $10-$20 sliding scale* for the day-long festival. Please pay what you can to support our musicians! No one ever turned away for lack of cash! Any profits from the day, after all the musicians get paid, will also be donated to TJFP.
***Littlefield has an accessible front entrance and all-gender, single stall, accessible bathrooms***
Schedule:
(Here’s what time you should plan to be there if you want to make sure to catch these performers)
2:00
Nath Ann Carrera
Lindsey Wilson & Michael Buckley
DK & the Joy Machine
4:00
Audrey Zee Whitesides
AJ Lewis & Friends
Yva Las Vegass
6:00
The Paisley Fields
Elias Krell
Viva
Starting at 7:00, DJ Nath Ann Carrera will keep us dancing between sets!
8:00
Ganessa James
Karen & the Sorrows
Cactus Rose
10:00
My Gay Banjo
More about the performers:
Our host for the evening portion of the show, Heather María Ács www.heatheracs.com
Trans Justice Funding Project www.transjusticefundingproject.org
TJFP is a community-led funding initiative that supports grassroots, trans justice groups run by and for trans people. TJFP centers the leadership of trans people organizing around their experiences with racism, economic injustice, transmisogyny, ableism, immigration, incarceration, and other intersecting oppressions.
“I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.”
—James Baldwin, Another Country
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Just two weeks ago the 2017 TJFP Fellowship team made their way to New York city to meet for the very first time in person. Since March, each of them have dedicated their days, nights and weekends to carefully review all 175 applications received. For three days the devoted grant making panelists gave their everything-as they selected grantees and award amounts.
Because of this team, the amazing projects and organizations that applied for funding and our dedicated donors, this year we were not only able to DOUBLE our grant amounts, we also distributed half a million dollars to grassroots, trans-led, trans justice organizing! As we celebrate our 5th anniversary, we can’t think of anything more celebratory then being able to fund 153 groups!
Congratulations TJFP friends and family and to everyone who’s kept trans justice close to your heart!
***Please check out this year’s list of grantees below***
The 2017 TJFP Grantees
Allgo, Austin, TX
API Equality – Northern California (APIENC), San Francisco, CA
Area 425, Minneapolis, MN
Arianna’s Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Arkansas Transgender Equality Coalition, Little Rock, AR
Beyond These Walls, Portland, OR
bklyn boihood, Brooklyn, NY
Black Excellence Collective, Philadelphia
Black Trans Media, Brooklyn, NY
Black Transmen Inc, Dallas, TX
Black Transwomen Inc, Dallas, TX
Bois of the SIppi, Corinth, MS
Bold & Beautiful, Memphis, TN
Brave Space Alliance, Chicago, IL
Bridgewalkers Alliance, Portland, OR
Brutha’s Rising,Inc., Pittsburgh, CA
Camp Born This Way, Tucson, AZ
Center for Community Healing, Madison, WI
Central Texas Transgender Health Coalition, Austin, TX
Cicada Collective, Austin, TX
Colectivo intercultural TRANSgrediendo / CITG, Jackson Heights, NY
Collective of Geniuses, Seattle, WA
Community Ele’te, Richmond, VA
Community Kinship Life (CK Life), Bronx, NY
Comunidad Estrella, Brookhaven/Atlanta, GA
CVille Peer Group, Troy, VA
Detroit REPRESENT!, Detroit, MI
Durham Gender Alliance, Durham, NC
East Coast Two Spirit Society, Lewes, DE
Four Direction Fire Keeper – Eagle Evolution, Long Beach, CA
FTM Foundation, Atlanta, GA
Fuerza y Union Multiple, Henderson, NC
Garden of Peace Project, Pittsburgh, PA
Gender Benders, Piedmont, SC
Gender Infinity, Houston, TX
Gender Justice LA, Los Angeles, CA
Gender Justice League, Seattle, WA
Gender Justice Nevada, Las Vegas, NV
GenderNexus, Indianapolis, IN
Good Sense Farm & Apiary, Washington, DC
Green Mountain Crossroads, Brattleboro, VT
Greensboro Community Care Collective, Greensboro, NC
Heartland Trans Wellness Group, Cincinnati, OH
Hearts on a Wire, Philadelphia, PA
Idaho Transgender Healthcare Advocacy Coalition, Boise, ID
We are so excited to welcome Que to the 2017 TJFP community grantmaking panel!
Quentin “Que” Bell is a Black Trans activist, entrepreneur, and mentor born and raised in historic Selma, Alabama. Que received his Bachelor’s degree from Alabama State University in Business Administration with an Entrepreneurial Concentration. In the fall, Que, will be attending Auburn University pursuing a Master’s of Public Administration focusing on Non-Profit Management. While at ASU Que found a way to combine his entrepreneurial spirit with his passion for advocacy and founded The Knights & Orchids Society. TKO is a southern centered grassroots startup led by black, queer, transgender, and gender non-conforming people fighting at the intersections of racial and gender justice. Since 2012 Quentin’s goal remains unchanged, to improve the quality of life within the LGBTQ+ community by creating safe spaces that empower, educate, and unite Trans, GNC, & Queer role models of color. Que has dedicated his adult life to actively serving in leadership positions to help advance the fight for LGBTQ equality and inclusion while increasing visibility for Trans men of color.
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We are so excited to welcome Drew Jones to the TJFP team!
Drew is a white trans queer parent who started engaging in community advocacy work 15 years ago, starting with founding the first trans youth support group in Dallas. He received his BA in Anthropology with a minor in Ethnic Studies from the University of North Texas. At Gallaudet University he completed his MA in Deaf Cultural Studies with an award winning ASL based documentary made with a young Black Deaf trans girl about her experiences at her Deaf school in DC (A Brutal Awakening, 2007). After 8 years in DC and Philadelphia, sudden illness brought him back to Texas, where he is focusing on raising his young kids and supporting social justice work and community through Dharma teaching.
Looking forward to your brilliance!
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Can we count on you to dream big with us this year?
It’s TJFP’s 5th year and our community grant making fellowship team is finishing up reading ALL 176 applications before arriving in New York to make final decisions by the end of this month.
We’re so close to the $10,000 mark and we still believe that with your help, we can make our $50k by 5/25 goal.
No donation is too big or too small-so even if you can donate $1, it really does make a difference.
Let’s show these groups what support looks like, especially in 2017. Together, we got this. Trans justice NOW!
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