black trans lives matter Tag

Black is beautiful (2017) 8- Miss Major

I learned about Miss Major first through the incredible artist Micah Bizant. He drew Miss Major and I wrote down her name thinking I need to know something about her too. Miss Major is a trans woman and activist originally from the south side of Chicago who came out when there were no terms like “trans” for who she was yet. She was born in 1940 and after dealing with bullying and abuse by community members found a small community of fellow trans folks in Manhattan. She was there the night of the Stonewall uprising and participated in fighting back alongside vets like Marsha P and Sylvia Rivera. Later she moved around, eventually settling in the Bay Area. She has over the years been a constant voice and role model for young trans black women because she has spoken out against mistreatment, neglect, and ignorance. She spent time in prison and also advocates for trans prisoners locked in a system that does not understand them. Recently a documentary about her life was made by Annalise Ophelian and Storm Miguel. I am just learning as I go, but as a straight man of color wanted to give some props to Black trans folks who should be an integral part of Black history month! Miss Major is still kicking ass and is the former Executive director of the “Transgender GenderVariant Intersex Justice Project”. 
Sources: Wikipedia, Major! (doc),  tgijp.org

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Blake Brockington- Black is Beautiful 16

“When you’re trans it just means that your sex assigned at birth doesn’t match the gender you identify with”. -Blake 
I just came to know who Blake was, and from what I can tell he was a very strong young man, he came out to his family and friends about who he was as a teenager in North Carolina. He was also the first trans boy ever in the state to be crowned home coming king, which is no small achievement. I didn’t know him and won’t pretend to know his whole story, but I know that he championed trans rights and was a role model for other youth who were trans, lesbian, gay, etc. And I know that living with the ignorance, stupidity, and hate of others that simply being himself was hard and it shouldn’t have to be. 
“Nobody should be scared to be themselves, and everybody should have an equal opportunity to have an enjoyable high school experience”. -Blake
Blake committed suicide. I don’t know why, but I suspect it had something to do with a lack of support and positive encouragement. I salute you Blake by painting your image in the hopes that someone who is not aware of trans youth struggles will be a tiny bit more aware, or that someone questioning their gender or sexuality will know they are not alone. Please read more at http://www.advocate.com/obituaries/2015/03/24/trans-teen-activist-homecoming-king-dies