For Us By Us
It’s hard to shake the reality that Black Trans folk are under attack, but it’s the truth. After losing 32 beautiful humans in 2022, we are also facing a wave of policy makers that aim to block affirming health care, criminalize drag as a concept, and label "non-cis presenting" wear as deviant behavior further implicating the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole. On top of this, our own nightlife spaces are still unprotected.
Trans awareness is about being open to understanding what it is we need to feel empowered in those spaces. It is about equity. It is about acknowledgement. And considering that the BIPOC Trans community deserves more than a month or a sole day to be celebrated.
For Trans Day of Visibility this year, photographer Casey Wendel captured LA-based icons Diallo & Zepkins in their ultimate glory, embodying Black Trans joy and the self-love that stems from living authentically. Today, we celebrate them and the Black Trans pioneers that paved the way for the LGBTQIA+ community since the start. The impact that Black Trans Women have had on culture from music to fashion and cinema is a reality that is often overlooked, but Black Transness is a legacy, and to do this work, we must give the Dolls their flowers whenever we can.
This last year Beyonce drew inspiration from the ballroom scene – a culture historically brought up in Harlem by Black Trans Women – for her Renaissance album. In Television, shows like "Pose" and "Legendary" were the first network depictions of Trans and Non-Binary POC narratives, blossoming superstars in the mainstream industry such as Mj Rodriguez and Dominique Jackson. Looking back even a couple decades ago, at Connie Flemming walking for Mugler, a staple of what a fierce catwalk should look like. Trans Awareness Day is an opportunity to remember those that have come before and to uplift the pioneers that still walk among us like Diallo and Zephkins.
It is a gift to see us shine and thrive, especially into our elder years. This shoot embodies the idea of living radically and finding moments of happiness in the everyday. As Transhumans pushing daily for visibility, a day of appreciation of the decades of culture-making is a minor step forward for these pioneers of our generation. However, our job is not to teach the world to love us. Hate often stems from a lack of understanding. And besides, we are already loved in the spaces we create for ourselves.
Love looks like many things, and even in a world full of hate, we Trans folk get to make our own reality with a love specific to us. Love can be that lipstick shade that makes you feel like a supermodel. Love can be that button-up that fits perfectly over your binder. Love can be a club where you feel yourself authentically. Love is internal and shines through us when we allow our inner royalty to lead us forward. We, as trans folx, cannot fix the brokenness of our world, but instead, learn to love ourselves and allow us to have the life we know is real. That's realness. This Trans Awareness Day, think of us not as a statistic but as a community of people who will live long and loud no matter the odds.
