Liz Achanta
Trans visibility is important. It’s important for Trans people, it’s important for allies, and it’s also important for people who might not yet understand what being Trans means.
Trans people deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion. They deserve to be seen as individuals with rich and varied lives and stories. They deserve to be able to live freely without fear of discrimination or violence.
As a company that supports LGBTQ+ communities, we believe in creating content showcasing the beauty of the rainbow spectrum. We also believe that everyone has a story to tell. For Trans Awareness Week, we want to celebrate these incredible Trans creators and artists because they provide accurate and personal accounts of what it is like to be Transgender, the importance of visibility, Trans activism, and their message to Trans Youth.
So without further ado, here are their three stories.
Tell us a little about yourself and the work you do for Trans rights.
My name is Blossom (they/them), I am a nonbinary Trans woman who works in Social Media and used to be a High School Teacher. My work advocating for Trans youth started while I was teaching, creating affinity spaces for queer kids, and then as I started to grow a community on TikTok and IG my aim was to create a space to celebrate, uplift, and support queer and Trans youth. Now you can find me making content sharing my experiences, doing my makeup, throwing on a look, and advocating to break down all systems of oppression.
Why is Trans Awareness Week important to you?
Trans Awareness Week is important because it really highlights the violence that our community faces, and when we talk about that violence it is actually Black Trans women and femmes who experience violence disproportionately. This year it is especially important because of the increase in legislative attacks on the Trans community, which is going to result in the death of many Trans people. We need everyone to be advocating for Trans rights, young Trans people deserve to live, they deserve healthcare, they deserve jobs, and housing. We all deserve to be a part of society.
How can people get involved in supporting this work and the Trans community?
Listen to the voices of Trans people, especially those of us within the community who hold additional marginalized identities. Center Black Trans women and femmes in your learning, listen to disabled Trans people, fat Trans people, indigenous two spirit people, Trans sex workers, make sure to listen to the voices of Trans people that you do not share identities with. It is also important to advocate for Trans inclusive policies in schools and in the workplace, hire Trans people, educate your family members, and hold your communities accountable for unlearning transphobia. Mutual aid networks are also wonderful resources, and there are plenty of community organizations that help to house and provide resources for Trans people, so open your wallets cis people!
What is your message for Trans youth?
My message for Trans youth is that we are powerful. Our existence is a threat to the very structures that uphold all systems of oppression. We are brave for being ourselves despite the violence that we face, but we don’t need to face that burden alone, we must support each other and be in solidarity with all other marginalized people. Trying to adhere to cisheteronormative understandings of who we should be does not serve us, find people IRL or online who you can organize with, support each other, stay safe, and know that there will be a young Trans kid looking up to you one day. Be the adult you wish was there for you when you realized you were Trans.
Anything else you would like us to include here about the need for Trans Awareness and visibility?
Any work regarding Trans rights needs to center Black trans women and femmes, make sure to keep this in mind as you learn more about the community and our needs. Go out to support and uplift Trans people this week and every week to come, we deserve to live and we want to thrive.
Tell us a little about yourself and the work you do for Trans rights
Hi, I'm Jamie K. Brown (they/he) an actor and voice-over artist based in Los Angeles, CA. My most direct activism is on social media through content creation and community collaboration. It started with the beginning of my transition, I began realizing that almost none of the research I was doing was by or for people like me. I was finding myself/my communities continually excluded from spaces I knew we should've had a voice in like studies/YouTube Videos/post-op photos/legislation. None of the influencers or doctors or diagrams represented me or what I've come from. I wanted to make sure that the communities I hold dear could find someone out there that knows them ANY better. So they can see themselves too. I am a proud biracial, queer, and disabled creator, actor, and activist!
Why is Trans Awareness Week important to you?
Trans Awareness Week grants our blossoming community the opportunity to push our voices to the forefront. So we can give ourselves and each other the space to enjoy all of the progress we have made, knowing that better days are on the way. While also reminding ourselves and the world that there is much to be done in terms of justice and equality.
How can people get involved in supporting this work and the Trans community?
Firstly by being open-minded, then by being kind. Holding those two practices close, you can’t do much wrong. Listen to the people around you when they tell you what they want and need. Don’t let people in your life spew hate or joke on others' behalf. The smallest things have can have the biggest impact….also VOTE!
What is your message for Trans youth?
You are loved. Being young can be lonely, and being queer can be scary. But there are so many bright and beautiful things to enjoy about being young AND being queer - today, tomorrow, and in the not-so-distant future. Try to find the joy wherever you might be in your journey: finding a new name, testing out new pronouns (even just in your head), or your first crush on a favorite movie/book character. Your whole life is ahead of you, and you get to choose what you want to do with it.
Mehkhi Hardy (he/him)
@theuncannycandidate - Army Veteran and Firefighter
Tell us a little about yourself and the work you do for Trans rights
My name is Mehkhi Hardy (he/him) I am an African American man of Trans experience. I am 31 years of age. I am a U.S. Army Veteran and now a firefighter. Most of my time is spent in community. Should it be outreach through social media and my personal videos on my Trans experiences using a comedic approach or through talks in person from all different walks of life throughout LGBTQIA+ communities.
Why is Trans Awareness Week important to you?
Is a week really enough? This is where I would like to begin….but it’s important because it really gives the community a chance to highlight themselves and bring awareness. Bring awareness to the reality we live outside of the elected week.
How can people get involved in supporting this work and the Trans community?
I believe people can get involved by being just that - involved. Taking the time to do research for themselves instead of being fed answers. I think education starts with ourselves, and it starts at home. Community outreach.. reaching out to family and friends that resonate within the spectrum. Having personal conversations with those close to them. Or as simple as a reshape of a story to raise awareness. Being an ally doesn’t necessarily mean being “balls to the wall.” It’s having a better understanding than you did and using your voice on any platform.
What is your message for Trans youth?
My message to Trans youth and to my younger self is to SLOW DOWN. Take a second to take it all in. The world moves so very fast, but sometimes to really see it, we just need to stand still. Live for you and only you. Think about what makes you smile…and smile through it all with Grace. From the highs to the lows and the in-betweens.
Anything else you would like us to include here about the need for Trans Awareness and visibility?
Visibility also changes the attitudes of society. It can help to destigmatize Transgender identities and open people’s minds. However, what the Transgender community needs now is more than visibility; we need rights, protection, justice, and acceptance. We need to have issues intermittently looked over and not just once a week because as the world evolves, so are its problems.
Liz Achanta
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