The 11th Annual NYC Trans Day of Action for Social and Economic Justice

Points of Unity

Initiated by TransJustice of the Audre Lorde Project, a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two-Spirit, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Center for Community Organizing.

Friday, June 26, 2015

On Friday, June 26, 2015, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) People of Color (POC) and allies will take the streets of New York City once again and demand ‪#‎justice4allofus‬! To endorse the Trans Day of Action 2015, send an email to endorsetdoa@alp.org. For more information about the march send an email to Elliott at efukui@alp.org or contact TransJustice at 212-463-0342 x 13.

This year we are excited to celebrate our victory with the Sylvia Rivera Law Project and Make The Road New York in the Medicaid Campaign, as well as rise up to show our solidarity and strength together. We will also honor and continue the struggle for justice, liberation, and recognition for all oppressed people across the globe.

We as TGNC People of Color (POC), recognize the importance of working together alongside other movements to create the world we want to see. We live in a time when oppressed peoples including people of color, people who are currently and formerly incarcerated, immigrants, youth and elders, people with disabilities, women, TGNC people, and poor people are underserved, face higher levels of discrimination, heightened surveillance and experience increased violence at the hands of the state. Let’s come together to let the world know that TGNC rights will not be undermined and we will not be silenced!

These are the points of unity, which hold together the purpose of this important march:

1. We demand an end to profiling, harassment and brutality at the hands of the police. Like many other oppressed communities, TGNC people are targeted, profiled and brutalized by the police. We oppose increased policing because the presence of police and the use of policing tactics do not end violence against all LGBTSTGNC POC. As members of Communities United for Police Reform, we demand an end to “Broken Windows” and other discriminatory practices of the NYPD and demand that they make reparations.

2. We demand justice for the many TGNC POC who have been beaten, assaulted, raped, and murdered - These incidents continue to be silenced and misclassified. We demand an end to non-physical acts of violence such as verbal harassment and gender policing. Instead of disrespecting the identities of TGNC POC, we call for media to address individuals by their preferred names and pronouns. Hate crime laws will not solve these problems - instead, they will give increased power to the state to put more people in jail. In striving for social justice, we recognize complacency to be an act of violence and we seek to find ways to hold people accountable. We work to come to a collective understanding about how we can make our communities safer.

3. We demand access to both public and private spaces without fear of harassment or brutality. Far too many TGNC POC have faced harassment, violence, and have been denied use of restrooms across New York City. We call for access and agency to choose which restrooms match our gender identities and gender expressions. We call for the development of gender neutral restrooms, and for staff and patrons in both public and private spaces to be held accountable when discrimination and abuse happens. We are in opposition to gentrification and the displacement of our communities, and call for safe, affordable housing FOR our communities IN our communities!

4. We demand the full legalization of all immigrants. We are in solidarity with Indigenous-identified Two-Spirit people and the sovereignty of the First Nations, on whose land the US has enforced arbitrary borders. TGNC POC deserve the right to access respectful immigration services. We demand that the consulates of all countries respect and honor our identities and provide passports and other documentation that accurately reflects who we are. We are in solidarity with the more than 3 million people who have been deported and we demand an end to this displacement.

5. We are in solidarity with all prisoners, especially the many TGNC POC people behind the walls. We oppose the growth of the prison industrial complex which targets and does violence to our communities, and we call attention to the criminal injustice system that increasingly puts POC, immigrants, people with disabilities, TGNC POC and poor people behind bars. We call attention to the under-reported accounts of violence and rape that our community faces at the hands of correction officers and other prisoners in psychiatric facilities, detention centers, and group homes. We demand an end to the torture and discrimination that TGNC POC prisoners face, and we demand that all TGNC POC prisoners receive appropriate and respectful health care. We demand an end to the criminalization of our communities and our lives.

6. We oppose the US “War on Terrorism” as it is an excuse to legitimize the expansion of the U.S. as an imperial superpower and to separate our communities by fostering feelings of hate, xenophobia, and violence. We demand the immediate removal of all U.S. troops from all countries under occupation and demand an end of use of U.S. dollars to cultivate and sponsor wars against people in the U.S. and abroad.

7. We demand accessible, respectful and comprehensive health care. TGNC POC deserve the right to access emergency health care and to be treated with dignity and respect when receiving care. We demand that health care and insurance providers acknowledge this right and provide these services without bias and without discrimination. We celebrate the success of our work on the Medicaid Campaign, led by the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, which resulted in the removal of the State's ban on trans healthcare. However, we recognize that the new regulations do not cover all of our needs and more work must be done to make healthcare more competent and trans inclusive, particularly for youth under 21. We demand an end to naming our healthcare needs as “cosmetic”!

8. We demand safety while using public transportation. We celebrate the court ruling that protects TGNC POC by giving us the right to take action against the MTA (NYC’s public transportation system) if their employees use discriminatory language against us. TGNC POC should be addressed by their preferred pronouns, and should not be targeted by employees or harassed by other customers. We call on the MTA to ensure the safety not only of TGNC POC but of women, children and all riders. We demand the immediate end to criminalizing people performing, dancing, and getting their lives on the Trains! Stop criminalizing our survival!

9. We demand that all people who receive public assistance be treated with respect and dignity. We are in solidarity with all people living on public assistance. We celebrate our 2011 campaign that resulted in the development of proper procedures for serving TGNC clients as well as a community-developed training curriculum - we demand that the Human Resources Administration and the NYC welfare agency fully implement this procedure and employ cultural competency training for all employees. The burden of education should not fall on the TGNC POC community.

10. We demand access to respectful and safe housing. A disproportionate number of TGNC POC have been or are currently homeless. Homeless members of our community experience violence and discrimination when attempting to access shelters and housing programs. We lift up the legacy of Queers for Economic Justice, an organization that was forced to close its doors due to the lack of support and funding for the TGNC POC community. We demand that all Department of Homeless Services shelters provide adequate Trans sensitivity trainings for all personnel and that they enforce clear non-discrimination policies that respect the dignity and safety of all homeless people.

11. We demand that TGNC POC have equal access to employment and education opportunities. We are outraged by the high numbers of TGNC POC who are unemployed. Few TGNC POC have access to opportunities for learning in a safe school environment. We demand that all employers and educational institutions implement non-discrimination policies that respect the rights of all workers and students. We deserve to be treated with dignity and respect in all spaces we work, learn and play in!

We lift up and celebrate the lives of our fallen comrades, Mya Hall, Penny Proud, Kristina Gomez Reinwald, Bri Golec, Yasmin Vash Payne, Ty Underwood, Taja DeJesus, Lamia Beard, and London Chanel. May you rest in power!