by Mahkyra Gaines (they/them or no pronouns)
Community Engagement Manager

Happy Halloween to our beloved trans community! The Gender-Based Violence Prevention department is following back up with another blog post aimed with transparency and connection. We value showing folks like you an inside glimpse into what we have been working on these past few months. 

A Deeper Cross-Collaboration

After a careful review of capacity, it is with great excitement to let you all know that GBVP is deepening its domestic partnership with our Legal Team at Lavender Rights Project. We are going to continue prioritizing the safety of Black Trans Women & Femmes and strategically use legal tools as an asset. More updates are to come as this relationship continues to grows and solidify. 

Advocacy Team

Our 2022 advocacy team has been working diligently to envision a future that keeps folks in our community safe and protected. Taking in the experience and interests of our members, we are exploring a world of new possibilities for our community. This advocacy team has been researching how the Black Trans Community is unjustly targeted by carceral systems. We are expanding our sights on what support and advocacy could look like for Black Trans Women & Femmes who are currently incarcerated, and building systems that would make access to resources and support groups easier. 

We are still looking to add one more member to our team! if this work sounds interesting to you or if you have experience with carceral systems, please reach out to Mahkyra to learn more about ways to get involved. 

Bystander Training

Consultant nikkita oliver and Community Engagement Manager Mahkyra Gaines continue to work on public education for community safety, housing justice, and Black Trans Liberation. We will teach at organizations like the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) so that administrative and shetler staff can build capacity on trans-specific protections. After our training models are completed, GBVP will transition this curriculum into an accessible toolkit that folks who are advocating for our rights in community can use to further their own education. 

In the upcoming months, we hope to continue working with Legal to produce great outcomes in building up protections for our community, add more individuals towards our advocacy in decriminalization, and finalize our training with KCRHA. October is only a few months away from the new year, and we would love to continue taking you all with us as we map out our plans for the future. We want to hear from y’all about your plans for 2023 and how we can vision together a path towards liberation. 

Again, if you would like to get involved or if your organization has a similar interest in work, please feel free to contact us to get connected.