By Trey Phillips
Being transgender in a society you are not welcome in is very difficult, especially if you are at a crossroads of intersections. There are many groups that an individual can be apart of that would make them more likely to be discriminated against, as well as violently chastised by other members of a community they may be affiliated with.
For transgender women, they fit into so many “not-A” categories that life and navigating in society can be very difficult, especially if one takes into account the resources allotted to them. Not-A categories are individuals who are not white, heterosexual, able-bodied, men; anyone who is not this type of person is considered ‘not-A” (Lorber 1991). Everyone’s story is different, but background can make a huge difference in navigating within America.
For example, if a trans woman is of a low income background, transitioning, black, and a woman there are many systems working against everything that she is. These systems such as capitalism, transphobia, racism and so many more are put into place to work against her in every way possible, and she can’t be split into pieces to fight them one at a time.
Taking this into consideration, it would only be right if our society was more understanding, especially the black community to offer some kind of support to aid in this already difficult process. Our narratives are dismissed when our people make it more about their own lives changing, rather than the pain felt by their trans family member or friend. Trans women are no different than anyone else, and they shouldn’t be treated any differently than we’d treat someone we already respected and loved. Our black and brown trans sisters are no different than our cis-sisters.
The lack of support and resources from the black community for black transgender women is concerning and a true epidemic. Why is it so difficult for members of the black community to accept black transgender women or men for that matter? Why are they subjected to violence and deemed disposable when a cis-gender man finds them attractive?
As a black man of trans experience, I am all too familiar with how many of my trans sisters feel about the lack of support within their families and the black community at large. Resources are scarce, even for me as a black trans man. The black community seems so determined to push for racial equality and to assimilate to heteronormative norms of our society, and are not willing to open arms and doors for their transgender counterparts. It is only when the numbers of black deaths rise, that we come together and say that ALL black lives matter.
Any woman, especially black trans women are killed for making any rise in the spotlight, or even just by walking down the street minding their own business. Women like Sandra Bland, CeCe McDonald, Chyna Gibson, Yvette Smith and many others were killed by police violence for being black women.
Yes, a few of the names listed previously were of cisgender black women, but the black transgender women listed were no different. They were all women, they are all women and they deserved to live full lives but they were unfortunately cut short.
Why don’t we know these women’s names, and why aren’t the perpetrators being imprisoned for their wrongdoings? As a community, and as a society as a whole, we need to do better. I will not sit by and watch my sisters die in vain. The time is and has always been now, how will you contribute to this change?
Lorber, J., & Farrell, S. A. (Eds.). (1991). The social construction of gender (pp. 309-321).
Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
