Executive Summary 2022: "We believe that a comprehensive approach to Black community issues necessitates an intersectional Black transgender lens for effective organizing."
by Jaelynn Scott, she/her
Executive Director
To our beloved LRP extended family,
I would like to take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude for your unwavering commitment and support throughout 2022. This year, many, including our dedicated staff, have been wrestling with hope and fear, stemming from the persistent pandemic and a rising wave of hate and anti-trans proto-fascist movements in our nation. Despite these daunting challenges, you and our staff have been unwavering in your commitment to our community, crafting innovative solutions, and tirelessly working towards creating a world that not only acknowledges but celebrates transgender joy. Your continued choice of love, joy, and connection, in the face of societal pressures to conform or disappear, leaves me inspired. During these trying times, I have found wisdom in the speeches of Fannie Lou Hamer, who reminds us that "your freedom is shackled and chained to mine, and until I am free you are not free either.” Lavender Rights Project stands in solidarity with all Black people, all gender-diverse individuals, and all members of the queer community. You are our family.
In these circumstances, it is easy to be reactionary and defensive; however, I firmly believe that this approach is counterproductive. We must persist in reminding our community that the American promise has never been fully realized for the Black and specifically, Black trans communities. While certain gender equity gains have been made for some, they have not been experienced by visible communities of color. Our proactive response has been to strengthen community ties, extend mutual aid, and cultivate inclusive family structures that counter the ongoing onslaught of attacks, violence, state oppression, and hatred. This strategy, adopted in 2019, continued to guide our work throughout 2022.
In 2022, we embraced the realization that our identity as a Black and trans organization often situates us as Black first. While Black trans feminism and gender equity remain at the heart of our mission, we broadened our perspective to acknowledge that all Black issues are our concern. We believe that a comprehensive approach to Black community issues necessitates an intersectional Black transgender lens for effective organizing. I am immensely proud of our staff's unwavering commitment to Black liberation, gender justice, and broader LGBTQ+ liberation. Please join me in celebrating the exceptional community organizing and direct support facilitated by our staff. They are excited to share some of our key achievements:
Establishing a Black and Native criminal legal services program.
Launching statewide Black and Indigenous legal clinics.
Activating a peer-led advocacy team focused on freeing all trans people from state control.
Educating the public on the deadly conditions within King County Jail.
Building national partnerships and relationships with Black trans-led collectives.
Advocating for housing justice and providing direct support.
Implementing a guaranteed income program for trans individuals, while advocating for government-funded guaranteed income for trans individuals.
Promoting ethical fundraising rooted in community organizing.
Working to codify the Bostock Supreme Court decision (which includes transgender identity as a protected class on the basis of sex) through the amendment of the Civil Rights Act.
Collaborating with local, state, and federal lawmakers to develop a comprehensive agenda for trans liberation.
Our organization holds a unique position within the Pacific Northwest. We are building models of progressive trans policy and practices that will benefit our communities nationwide, especially those in highly impacted southern states. We ask that you continue supporting our organization, stay connected with us via social media, and take action when we need you. While there currently may be little to take pride in at a national level, please share our pride in being one of the most influential Black trans-led organizations in the country—located right here in Washington state.
Jaelynn Scott, M.Div., serves as the Executive Director of LRP. Jaelynn offers guidance to community groups, nonprofits, and politicians, promoting the importance of centering Black lives through the lens of Black trans feminism. In her movement-building efforts, Jaelynn aims to increase access to power and decision-making opportunities for Black trans leaders. She has assisted religious organizations and nonprofits in radically reimagining their policies and procedures, as well as expanding and refocusing their work towards racial and gender equity. As an ordained minister, Jaelynn regularly preaches and facilitates workshops.