Today we discuss transphobia and homophobia in the Black community. Specifically, as it pertains to anti-Black racism in policing and the movement for Black Lives. We cover the murder of a Black trans man Tony McDade by Tallahassee police (2 days after the murder of George Floyd and the third fatal officer-involved shooting in the Florida capital in two months.) Sadly, his death has received relatively little media interest and sparked limited outcry for accountability and action like we saw in Floyd’s case.
There’s also the unsolved homicides of 3 Black trans women, 28-year-old Nina Pop, who was stabbed to death in Missouri, Dominique “Rem’Mie” Fells, 27, of Philadelphia, and Riah Milton, 25, of Cincinnati, Ohio. They are among the 16 documented murders this year alone of trans and gender-nonconforming people, according to the Human Rights Campaign’s latest report. And to add insult to injury, last week, the Trump administration announced that it is eliminating an Obama-era regulation prohibiting “sex discrimination” in health care against patients who are transgender.
We’ll use this as an opportunity to discuss transphobia in the Black community and how “toxic masculinity” fuels transgender victimization. And look at intersectionality as a method in addressing the current movement against anti-Black racism in policing, as an effective way to bring about inclusion for all Black people.
Guests: Links are included in the descriptions
Sean “Saifa” Wall an Intersex activist based in Atlanta, Georgia. Co-founder of the Intersex Justice Project.
Ebony Ava Harper, the director of California TRANScends in Sacramento, California. Ebony Ava Harper is a Sacramento-based award-winning nationally recognized activist, philanthropist, writer, creator, life and world-changer, advocate for marginalized communities, and a tremendous inspiration to many.
