BY REYNA IWAMOTO
Thousands gathered in
front of the Brooklyn Museum
on June 13 in support of
transgender youth, as part of
Brooklyn Liberation’s second
annual demonstration outside
the cultural institution.
The group — a QTPOC
(queer and/or trans people of
color) grassroots collective
“that organizes in the name
of Black transgender liberation”
— held its fi rst rally and
march last June, following the
killing of George Floyd, which
saw more than 10,000 protesters.
Fran Tirado, one of the
event’s co-organizers, said
that last year’s march was
held because many felt that
transgender people were being
left out of the Black Lives
Matter movement. This year,
Tirado told Brooklyn Paper
there’s a “different energy” in
Brooklyn Liberation’s work.
“Because there has been
such a massive wave of antitrans
legislation throughout
the country, specifi cally targeting
COURIER L 18 IFE, JUNE 18-24, 2021
trans kids and their access
to healthcare and sports,
we decided to create this year’s
action centering trans youth
specifi cally,” Tirado said.
According to the Human
Rights Campaign, the nation’s
largest LGBTQ advocacy
group, 2021 has surpassed 2015
as the worst year for LGBTQ
state legislative attacks. So
far, 17 anti-LGBTQ bills have
been enacted into law.
Joshua Allen, one of Sunday’s
organizers and emcees,
said he hoped another massive
showing would help raise
awareness of the legislation
that’s been passed against the
rights of transgender youth.
“For those in New York
City and Brooklyn, there’s a
level of isolation — those living
in metropolitan cities are
not aware of what is happening
across the country,” Allen
said. “We want to make
sure young trans people have
a voice and can speak against
the issues they face.”
The guest speakers at the
rally, all of whom were transgender
and 25 or younger, included
18-year-old social justice
advocate Shear Avory, the
director of the organization
Xchange for Change.
In Avory’s speech, they emphasized
that this march was
not a Pride event, but a protest
for trans lives and rights.
“From the Compton Cafeteria
uprising, to the Black Cat
Tavern demonstration and
the Stonewall riots, we are
here today,” Avory said. “The
movement for all Black lives,
young people leading the way
for disability and environmental
justice and last year’s
historic Brooklyn Liberation
march — we’ve been here, we
did that and we’re going to
keep doing it.”
Following the rally, the
group of several thousand
marched over a mile to Fort
Greene Park.
Although the turnout
wasn’t as great as in 2020, coorganizer
Tirado emphasized
Demonstrators held signs at Brooklyn Liberation’s rally for trans youth
rights outside of Brooklyn Museum on June 13. Photo by Reyna Iwamoto
that “crowd size isn’t as important
as everyone here feeling
like space was held for
them.”
“Trans youth need to know
that their lives matter and they
need to know that this movement
is theirs — this movement
is ours,” Avory said.
Allen told Brooklyn Paper
that they want this movement
to not only bring awareness to
anti-LGBTQ attacks, but also
to inspire change within the
community.
“We need lasting and intersectional
change,” Allen said.
“Structural change that allows
for people to not only survive,
but to thrive.”
PRIDE & POWER
Thousands rally for rights of trans youth
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