Year-Round Giving for Black Trans Organizing is Crucial for Liberation
by Randy Ford • she/her/Goddess
Director of Development
Randy Ford (she/her/Goddess), Director of Development, receiving a hug of appreciation from Jaelynn Scott, Executive Director (she/her)
Black Trans Femme organizing has always been rooted in grassroots community support, with consistent giving from our friends, families, allies, and accomplices. Our work is often highlighted during PRIDE month and Trans Awareness Week as critical and life-saving, but what folks may not know is that we rely on monthly donations year-round to ensure that our communities get the care they need when they need it. The community-at-large sometimes believes that giving us room to make a speech or parading us around in front of their loved ones are the tools for liberation, but it really does not come close to addressing the issue at hand. As a result, we rely on dedicated givers who are deeply invested in making Trans Liberation a reality for years to come.
Gender-Based Violence Prevention
A major part of our work that isn’t frequently talked about is our multi-faceted gender-based violence prevention program. It’s a less of a program and more of a strategy to disrupt systemic transmisogynoir; our GBVP and legal teams collaborate daily to protect Black Trans Women & Femmes through radical solutions that are rooted in Black trans feminism, abolition, and community care. For example, in 2022 we opened our new BIPOC-led criminal law practice that supports Black communities with wraparound care while navigating policing and carceral violence. Simultaneously, our community engagement manager, Mahkyra Gaines, launched a peer-led advocacy team laser focused on the unilateral protection of Black Trans Women & Femmes across the Puget Sound. This work will be significantly expanding in 2023, and your monthly gift can ensure that we have the resources to support communities most impacted by white supremacy and misogynoir.
Nicole Perry (she/her), Mitigation Specialist, collaborating with Paralegal Sabrina Rodriguez (she/they) on a legal case for Black trans communities in WA
Economic Justice
At Lavender Rights Project, we believe that economic justice is crucial for the long-term safety of Black gender diverse communities across Washington State. in June 2022, we launched a minimum basic income study for Black trans families throughout the Puget Sound. For twelve months, a handful of Black gender diverse people are receiving $1,000 for housing, utilities, food—whatever they need to take care of both themselves and their loved ones.
Recently, our sister city, San Francisco, announced a guaranteed income of $1200 per month for transgender people. Our own program has confirmed the research that a guaranteed income for transgender people protects them from violence, ensures economic security, and combats the disproportionate impact of social injustice, especially for transgender people of color. We are calling for a similar program as the San Francisco guaranteed income program to be explored and adopted in the City of Seattle. Reoccuring giving in 2023 will support us in this fight for a better future for Black trans communities in Seattle and across Washington State—a future where economic justice is no longer a theory, but a principle being put into action that is taking care of those who are most vulnerable.
Executive Director Jaelynn Scott (she/her) with Director of Housing Services, Ebo Barton (they/he), and Ellison Jennings (she/her), Housing Community Liaison
Housing Justice
We are one of three Trans Housing Justice Initiatives currently active in Washington State, and the only one that explicitly prioritizes Black gender diverse people at risk of houselessness. In 2023, we are planning to open our permanent supportive housing facility that will invest in the overall wellness and health of our community, with services for physical, mental and spiritual wellness as well as a safe space for rest, work, and connection. Starting your monthly donation today will make a huge difference in ensuring that our tenants have all of the culturally competent by-and-for community care that they need and deserve.
How You Can Get Involved
Getting involved is easy. Think about what you can give every month to Black trans organizing in Washington State, and start you monthly donation today. Your financial support will support Lavender Rights Project’s advocacy for the transgender community in Seattle, Tacoma, and across the Puget Sound. A gift to Lavender Rights Project is a gift to Black trans communities fighting for our collective liberation. Will you join us today in creating pathways to safe, secure, and healthy lives for Black gender diverse people?
To give now, please visit our donation page or contact us at development@lavenderrightsproject.org. Our team is excited to help you get started.
Randy Ford is a Seattle-born dancer, choreographer, actor, curator, director and activist. She created and co-produced her first full-length evening show QUEEN STREET at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute with CD Forum in September of 2019. She is one half of the dance duo DANDY with David Rue and is also a member of Au Collective, an organization dedicated to centering womxn, queer folx, and people of color in all the work that they do.