"We must center Black Trans Women & Femmes. Period."

by Nico Quintana, he/they
Lead Attorney

As an Indigenous, Latinx, trans masc person who came out in the 90's, I have been fortunate to be a part of more than two decades of BIPOC trans liberation work. Raised in Black and Indigenous trans movements, I know that who does the work matters and I deeply understand that how the work is done is essential to our collective liberation. I have unfortunately seen, over and over again, white and cisgender people take over our movements and silence our leaders. It is time for everyone with power to understand, definitively, that it is unacceptable to not center Black trans women and femmes in trans movement work, period.

At LRP, I am helping lead an all-BIPOC abolitionist-focused criminal law legal team to end gender-based violence and push for systemic change in harmful legal systems. I am so proud to be here because we work to center Black trans femme leadership and Black trans feminist abolitionist values in all that we do. Every day, we fight to ensure that the voices and leadership of our communities are listened to and prioritized in the halls of power. We also offer our communities by-and-for representation from skilled BIPOC legal staff, which is something that most legal organizations just cannot offer.

Through a combination of direct case representation, advocacy, and impact movement lawyering, we are working to ensure our communities have the advocacy and legal support they need to thrive.

If you are a Black trans person in need of legal services, please reach out to us. Learn more about our pro-bono services at lavenderrightsproject.org/getsupport.