TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY
Advocates Lead Panel on Trans Day of Visibility
Activists discuss safety, trans representation, and reform
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
For many transgender people,
heightened visibility
can put them at greater
risk of discrimination.
“I always let someone know
where I’m at and who I’m with,”
said Chanel Lopez, a transgender
community liaison for the New
York City Commission on Human
Rights who shares her location
with her best friend at all times.
Chanel was one of many transgender
advocates who discussed
safety, policing, and more during a
Zoom panel on March 31 for Trans
Day of Visibility, a worldwide holiday
commemorating the accomplishments
of transgender people.
The event was led by the New York
City Council’s Women’s Caucus
and LGBTQ Caucus.
TS Candii, a Black transgender
activist and leader of Black Trans
Nation, moderated the panel discussion,
which featured Cecilia
Gentili, the founder of Trans Equity
Consulting; Grace Detrevarah,
an LGBTQ liaison at the Osborne
Association; and Elana Redfi eld,
the director of LGBTQI Affairs at
the New York City Department of
Social Services.
While the event focused on the
importance of representation and
the discriminatory policing of
trans bodies, advocates also celebrated
their most recent gains.
Advocates led a successful effort
to repeal a loitering law known as
a ban on “Walking While Trans”
Advocates hosted their Transgender Day of Visibility panel via Zoom.
due to the way in which the nowgutted
law was used by police offi
cers to disproportionately target
transgender women of color. That
legislation, which was signed into
law this year, also seals all prior
convictions and records under the
statute.
“This was a win driven by trans
people,” Gentili said. “We did it.”
Gentili praised TS Candii, one
of the lead organizers in the movement
to reverse the archaic policy.
“You do not get enough glory as
you should,” Gentili said tearfully
to TS Candii. “I’m taking this opportunity
to celebrate you.”
For others, the repeal of the law
was long overdue.
“It’s about time,” Lopez said.
“We’ve been fi ghting this for
years.”
Detrevarah recalled how frequently
law enforcement offi cers
used the law to harass transgender
people for unsubstantiated reasons,
such as carrying condoms in
their purses.
“It was like they were playing eenie,
meenie, miny mo,” Detrevarah
said. “This gives us an opportunity
to address the other things that
are on our agenda.”
Others on hand for the event included
out gay City Councilmember
Daniel Dromm of Queens and
Councilmembers Darma Diaz of
Brooklyn, Vanessa L. Gibson of the
Bronx, and Helen Rosenthal and
Carlina Rivera of Manhattan. The
hour-long panel also featured a
ZOOM
performance from the drag queen
Egyptt.
With LGBTQ rights and progress
at the forefront, activists are
calling for lawmakers to take notice
of other issues facing trans
people, including poverty, a lack of
quality medical care, and employment
insecurity.
“Those people happen to be
trans,” Gentili said of the fi nancial
burdens that affect the community.
“Many of us don’t have an
opportunity to fi nish school…we
have to do whatever we have to do
to make money.”
According to Gentili, it is time for
lawmakers to build more opportunities
for trans, gender non-conforming,
and non-binary people.
“What we have to do as a city
that loves calling ourselves progressive
is we have to bridge the
gap of poverty,” she added. “It’s
outrageous that we have people
who are homeless on the same
streets with multi-millionaires
and billionaires that live the
grand life.”
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