NCAVP mourns the death of Ashanti Carmon, a 27-year-old black trans woman in Washington D.C. According to media reports, Ashanti was died of gun shot wounds last Saturday on the eve of Transgender Day of Visibility. Carmon’s fiancé, Phillip Williams, told NBC News that they had been on a movie date the day before she was found dead.
“Until I leave this Earth, I’m going to continue on loving her in my heart, body, and soul,” Williams said. “She did not deserve to leave this Earth so early, especially in the way that she went out. She did not deserve that.”
NCAVP’s latest report, issued earlier this year, Hate Violence and Intimate Partner Violence in LGBTQ and HIV-affected Communities highlights the disproportionate risk for severe and fatal violence faced by trans women of color, like Ashanti. Local community held a vigil on April 2 to honor Ashanti’s memory
It can be hard to read these reports of violence against our communities. If you need support in these difficult times, you can always reach out to your local NCAVP member. If you or someone you know is experiencing violence, you can reach our free bilingual national hotline at 212-714-1141or report onlinefor support.
NCAVP works to prevent, respond to, and end all forms of violence against and within lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and HIV-affected communities. NCAVP is a national coalition of local member programs and affiliate organizations who create systemic and social change. NCAVP is a program of the New York City Anti-Violence Project.
Southerners on new ground (SONG) is hiring to help support their ever growing work and our membership across the South. SONG is looking for looking for a Communications Fellow, Development Fellow, Operations Support and Facilities Support to join the team!
Southerners On New Ground (SONG) is a regional Queer Liberation organization made up of Black people, people of color, immigrants, undocumented people, people with disabilities, working class and rural and small town, LGBTQ people in the South.
You can find job descriptions and more information about how to apply in links below:
The following piece was written by a good friend who wants to remain anonymous for the time being. You may remember that a couple years back he wrote Young, Muslim, & Halfway Out of the Closet
Stop and think for a second about how many gay people you know. Now, of those people count on your hands how many would also call themselves Muslim? I would be surprised If you could hold more than one finger up. I am a gay cisgender man who comes from a Muslim background and I’m here to try to explain why we almost cease to exist in society.
I was born and
raised in a fairly moderate Muslim household in the UK. I went to Arabic school
every Saturday for the best part of a decade in an attempt to learn the
language and hear the whimsical fables of the many prophets. As a child, I
developed an irrational fear of death after hearing stories of heaven and hell
foretold by my mother. This fear and the fact that I hadn’t yet developed critical
thinking skills to question what I was doing meant I continued to keep up
appearances of being faithful. Praying tended to feel more like a chore and I
would rarely complete my ‘5 a day’. With
the hormones of puberty came my sexual awakening. Pornography was bittersweet
at first as it came with a lot of guilt. However, as I began to tepidly explore
my sexuality further through chatting to likeminded people on social media, the
guilt waned whilst the questions arose.
In the summer
before I started university I came out to my sisters and friends who all took
it well and with the dawn of university came a number of different ‘sinful’ experiences
including drinking – even if it was very weak cider. I had held out until university
to be free and I didn’t even feel guilty anymore. I mean why should I feel
guilty about being myself? At the freshers’ fair I remember sheepishly signing
up to the LGBT+ society after the guy on the stand spotted that glimmer in my
eye and I’m proud to say that 2 years on I have represented my society as the BAME
representative, despite not being out to my parents!
Homosexuality in
Islam is very much still a taboo subject, we are elephants in the room, seen
but not heard. This is why I wanted to take on the role to provide us, and
other queer people of colour with a voice – think ‘The Little Mermaid’. Since, the
subject is rarely discussed, many backwards beliefs remain. For example, many
including my father still believe it is a ‘choice’ and you are allowed to be
gay as long as you’re essentially celibate your whole life – because we all
want to be monks right? In some Muslim countries you can be killed for ‘practising’
your sexuality and honour killings within British Asian communities are not uncommon.
This fear has driven an increase in marriages of convenience between gay men
and women or arranged marriages where the spouse is being deceived in plain
sight.
Our university
recently had its annual ‘Islam awareness week’ where the Islamic society held a
marquee on campus containing a myriad of information about the religion,
beautiful Arabic calligraphy and free samosas. Anyone would be a fool not to at
least be curious. The more I have discovered my sexuality, the more I have lost
touch with my faith so stepping into this space felt strange yet familiar.
After exchanging my coupon for some free food I sat down and began chatting
with some friendly hijabi girls. I surprised myself as I began to open up to
them about why I had lost faith. None of them reacted badly to my confession
and I left questioning whether I was doing the right thing again. However,
ultimately they retorted the same celibacy spiel that airs from the mouths of
the majority of imams (mosque leaders) in this country.
There is also a
severe lack of media representation when it comes to queer Muslims. Once in a
blue moon there will be a low-profile documentary putting us under the
microscope but this can lead people to believe that we are just that, a
microscopic problem that is hidden away. Putting us side by side with major
characters in films, books and television is how we can truly become visible as
invisibility in popular culture means invisibility in real life.
At the start of
the year the roles reversed and I became the guy on the LGBT stand at the
freshers fair seeking out shy baby gays. One of them being a wee Scottish girl
who told me she, ‘can either be a proud, out lesbian or a happy Pakistani
Muslim girl but cannot ever be both’. Over the year I have watched this once
timid girl disprove her own beliefs by discovering the pride in her sexuality
whilst maintaining her religious sobriety in gay clubs and she has now
succeeded my role as BAME and Faith
and Belief rep for the LGBT+ society. If a girl who struggles to make 5 foot
can make herself seen, so can you! If you ever want to see you parents smile
rather than tut when a gay couple comes on ‘First Dates’ you have to show
yourself. It will not be easy but change in them will only come from a change
within you…
Joanna Cifredo has a dream for the youth of Puerto Rico. Not just the youth currently living in Puerto Rico but also the youth that have had to leave the country. She knows well what their experience is like. Her family migrated following the destruction of Hurricane Hugo. Thousands of youth have followed this path, relocating stateside and attending schools that might not have the resources to adequately support the needs of displaced children of color who are overwhelmingly poor, traumatized, and with limited English proficiency. This exodus is happening as Puerto Rico itself struggles to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria.
“As the island struggles to recover, we must ask ourselves where do the voices of Puerto Rico’s youth fit in shaping the future of Puerto Rico? How does this displacement affect the sustainability of Puerto Rico and what is the impact on us as a people?” – Joanna Cifredo
Joanna’s vision is called Camp Albizu, named after union organizer and independence activist Don Pedro Albizu Campos. Joanna is working to bring a group 30 Puerto Rican youth leaders from Puerto Rico and our five largest diasporas in the US (Chicago, Philly, Greater Boston, NYC, and Central Florida) for a week-long celebration of Puerto Rican heritage, culture, and organizing.
“As Puerto Rico is in desperate need of young people who are proud of where they come from, who are politically and socially engaged and are passionate about creating a stronger, more sustainable Puerto Rico.” – Joanna Cifredo
You can help make this dream a reality. Joanna has launched a gofundme campaign to fund the initial stage of this project.
I have the honor of knowing Joanna for many years as colleagues and as friends. I am proud to support this campaign and I hope you will join me by making a donation using the link below:
According to a 2017 report by the DC Department of Health (DOH) HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD and TB Administration (HAHSTA), 12,964 people residing in Washington D. C. live with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
For that reason, HAHSTA is launching the “Pledge to be PrEPared” campaign this month to educate the transgender community living in Washington D. C. about the importance of taking Preexposure Prophylaxis or PrEP.
PrEP is a pill taken once a day, and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that can prevent the HIV infection. Taken daily, PrEP is safe and over 90% effective at preventing HIV.
This unique campaign was created with the close participation of the Latin transgender community in Washington D. C. and Alexa Rodriguez, the Director of Trans-Latin@ DMV. It was developed based on HAHSTA’s ability to recognize the way the transgender community has been perceived in the past. The transgender representation is important to allow this community to communicate their values, their role in society, as well as their needs.
The transgender community participation in the campaign took place from the strategic planning and focus groups to the inclusion of real transgender Latina women in the promotional materials. This resulted in trusted messages in hopes of building trust among this community when deciding to take PrEP, as well as understanding its benefits.
“It’s important to educate the transgender community, as well as to break barriers and taboos about taking PrEP, and understand the real benefits of taking it, especially to prevent HIV,” Alexa said. She added that “the DC Department of Health’s efforts to benefit the transgender community are a big step, but there is still a lot to be done.”
Michael Kharfen, HAHSTA’s Senior Deputy Director, agreed with Alexa’s statement, adding: “At DOH we are pleased to introduce this campaign created in collaboration with the transgender community, but we understand these are just the first steps, and that there is more to do in order to fulfill our commitment and dedication to supporting this significant community residing in Washington D. C.”
In 2017, Philly activists and the Philadelphia Office of LGBT Affairs added black and brown stripes to the classic rainbow flag to center LGBTQ+ People of Color. The More Color More Pride flag flew in Philadelphia for the first time on June 8th, 2017 More Color, More Pride new LGBTQ flag In support of racial diversity, equality and inclusion in the LGBTQ neighborhoods of the city.
Washington, DC—The leadership of the National Black Justice Coalition announced today that David J. Johns has assumed the role of Executive Director as of September 1, 2017. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is a civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people, including people living with HIV/AIDS. NBJC’s mission is to end racism, homophobia, and LGBTQ bias and stigma.
“Growing up as a little Black boy in Inglewood, California, I did not meet or see people who showed up in the world like me—strong Black men who are equally proud about their Blackness as they are about being same gender loving (SGL),” stated David J. Johns. “I want people to see me, to know that I exist—that we, as a community, refuse to hide or check parts of who we are at the door, shrink or otherwise fail to show up in our fullness—knowing who we are and whose we are. I assume this responsibility, in part, because it’s important for me to show up for younger people the way I wish adults had shown up for me—fully, honestly and without apology.”
In 2013, Johns was appointed as the first executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans by President Barack H. Obama and served until the last day of the Obama Administration in January, 2017. The Initiative worked across federal agencies, and with partners and communities nationwide, to produce a more effective continuum of education and workforce development programs for African American students of all ages.
Prior to his White House appointment, Johns was a senior education and workforce development policy advisor to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) under the leadership of U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). Before working for the Senate HELP Committee, under the leadership of Tom Harkin, Johns served under the leadership of the late U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA). In addition, Johns has been a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Fellow in the office of Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY). Johns has worked on issues affecting low-income and minority students, neglected youth, early childhood and k-12 education, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) among others. His research as an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow served as a catalyst to identify, disrupt and supplant negative perceptions of black males—both within academia and society.
Johns has been featured as an influential politico and advocate by several publications and outlets, including TheRoot.com, CNN, NBC, BET, EBONY and The Washington Post.
“During my tenure, I plan to focus deeply on the empowerment of the Black family, which includes the families we are born into as well as those we create—while honoring the opportunity to remain a central repository for advocating for and responding to the needs of Black LGBTQ/SGL individuals and communities. Critical to this work is engaging all Black people in transformative dialogues that honor the diversity of Black families and the roles that Black LGBTQ/SGL people continue to play—in both family and community—and advancing policies that ensure civil rights for Black LGBTQ/SGL people,” Johns continued.
Johns succeeds Sharon J. Lettman-Hicks, who led NBJC for eight years. Lettman-Hicks will continue her role as the Chief Executive Officer of NBJC and focus on board development, infrastructure and long-term sustainability.
“I had the pleasure of working directly with David Johns when I was appointed to serve on the Commission of the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for African Americans, where David served as the Executive Director,” Lettman-Hicks said. “David’s mere presence fills a room. His intellectual prowess, compassionate heart, and deeply-rooted knowledge of public policy and the plight of underserved and marginalized communities—especially the African American experience—gives me more than hope for our work and future leadership in Black America. He defines excellence and leaves no challenge unanswered. Johns is exactly the right person to articulate our needs and understand our connectedness to our families.”
Johns added, “As the Executive Director of NBJC, I will lead aggressive campaigns that disrupt and supplant deleterious stereotypes about Black LGBTQ and same gender loving people. These campaigns and related activations will, among other things, highlight more of the diversity that exists within and makes our community strong.
David J. Johns Named Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition
Over the last few months, GetEQUAL’s Board of Directors and Staff have gone through a process of self-reflections, strategic evaluation, and connecting with leaders across intersecting movements. The goal was to identify individuals with the talent, vision, passion, and skill to lead GetEQUAL into the future of this current political moment. With the culmination of this process, the GetEQUAL family is excited to announce that Gaby Garcia-Vera has been selected to serve as Executive Director, and Aaryn Lang as our Movement Building and Campaigns Manager.
Aaryn hails from Columbus, Ohio and got her start organizing with the Transwomen of Color Collective in the spring of 2014. She has been working to build power for Black and LGBTQIA liberation, and to uplift the leadership of Black trans women ever since. Aaryn said, “I am honored and excited to add my vision to GetEQUAL’s legacy of intentional action for the most marginalized bodies within our LGBTQIA movement. The road has been long, and struggle shall persist, but we will not be bought or swayed. Our goal is liberation, and I have nothing but confidence in the work our team and community partners will continue to do to combat the violence we are facing in this moment of intense political and ideological difference.”
Gaby Garcia-Vera has been a part of the GetEQUAL family since 2012 and brings a wealth of experience fighting for immigrant rights, reproductive justice and Queer & Trans liberation across the state of Florida and around the country. In 2016 he cofounded the Coqui Language Collective a Florida based collective working to create language justice in Florida through interpretation and translation services. Before joining the staff of GetEQUAL Gaby served as the Field and Advocacy Manager at the Florida Latina Advocacy Network an extension of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health where he oversaw organizing LatinX communities around Reproductive Justice. Formerly he’s served as Programs and Development Coordinator at Pridelines, and served on the Trevor Project’s National Youth Advisory Council in 2013 to combat stigma surrounding mental health and suicide prevention amongst LGBTQ youth.
Vera Garcia said, “I am excited and honored to have been selected to steward the organizing and vision of this amazing organization. The road that lay before us with the current political climate is one filled with violence, hatred, and fascism but in the wake of those things I know that our community is resilient, strong, and unwavering in its commitment to liberation. My dream is that together we can create sustainable communities where we are all free to create and construct our families in the way we see fit, free of violence and policing.”
Outgoing Executive Director, Angela Peoples, said “this transition marks the beginning of an important and exciting time for GetEQUAL and our movements’ collective fight for liberation. Our community needs strong leadership that can fight the threat of fascist, racist, and political ideology while also carrying a bold, aspirational vision for liberation. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Gaby and Aaryn over the last few years and I’m confident that they will unite our movement and continue GetEQUAL’s work to build a grassroots movement toward liberation that reflects the values, experiences and needs of community.”
In an effort to strengthen a community and build up a new generation of achievers; the Black, Gifted and Whole Foundation aims to inspire social change with the launch of their HBCU Scholarship Ambassador Program, where selected students will receive financial support and mentoring throughout their college matriculation.
The goal of this program is to create a structure equipped with strategies that assist with the elimination of systematic barriers for the Black gay/ queer men in their pursuit of obtaining life skills before entering the workforce. Thus creating ambassadors who will, in turn, pay it forward and uplift their fellow brethren, completing the vision of what it means to be Black, Gifted & Whole.
“I wish that I had a mentor that was like me so that I didn’t have to struggle through that journey alone,” says Johnson. Similarly, Anthony tells NewsOne, “The reason we started BGW was to celebrate Black Gay and Queer men by affirming their whole selves. Not often do we see ourselves as whole people in media, in relationships, at work, or in family life. Black, Gifted & Whole is the organization I wish was around when I was learning how to love myself as a young man.”
The foundation will award $10K to 5 students (Ramon Johnson, Derrell Richardson, Torres Savage, Michael Moore, Denzel Cammon) across the United States, who have been accepted to a Historically Black College or University, with their Presidential Scholarship. This payment will be made directly to the university/institution to help offset the tuition cost, money for books, and a yearly stipend for food. The 2017-2018 scholarship recipients will be announced at the 2nd Annual Scholarship Gala to be held this summer.
“This generation of students regardless of sexual orientation deserves the same opportunities, a chance to learn, to explore, and to know what’s at their reach. In the end, the passions and skills they develop through higher education will only serve us all for years to come.”
Interested in learning more about the Scholarship Ambassador Program and how to get involved please visit BlackGiftedWhole.Org.
Coming out. Diana Ross, emotional YouTube videos and dusty old closets are just some of the things that spring to mind, but the truth is everybody’s definition is unique. For me the process began long before I opened the closet door. Coming from a Muslim background I used to pray to God to straighten me out and so naturally I avoided pornography and all the sin that comes with it for longer than most horny teens. When I finally had my sexual awakening I felt guilty at first, but the more exposure I had to this strange yet familiar gay world and the more people I spoke to, the more I began to accept myself and think maybe I don’t have to marry a woman and have kids in a dark closet. The first step is coming out to yourself because if you can’t come out to yourself, how in the hell you gonna come out to anyone else?!
My sisters were always going to be the first people I told – at the ripe old age of 19 in a Wahaca restaurant. I was fairly certain they would take it well but you always have that doubt in the back of your mind. Everyone always talks about the feeling of a weight being lifted off your shoulders but I felt more nervous and weirded out by the whole situation. Like I said everyone’s experience is different and you should never compare yourself to others. Nevertheless, it has allowed us to grow closer and I hope this continues. Meeting up with my oblivious parents the next day, after deep chats with my sister was bizarre to say the least, but having someone to talk to is always better than no one.
Over that summer I told everyone close to me who I thought would take it well and thankfully they all did. At first it all seems very serious and formal so it can be difficult to know how to approach the reveal. However, I found that the more open I was the easier it became to casually drop the bombshell, or not feel the need to make a point of it because it’s already obvious and they clearly don’t give two shits. It’s 2017, I’ve told more than one person over Snapchat for God’s sake.
University is liberating for everyone but it can be especially important for LGBT+ people to grow their often-suppressed personality, away from potential pressures and glaring eyes at home. This was undoubtedly the case for me. For the first time, I could meet people and be realer than I ever had before. I’m still working on finding my authentic self but that is what coming out is all about. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I would be attending drag shows with gay friends, becoming the BAME representative for the LGBT+ society or marching in a pride parade, but this and so much more is what you have to look forward to. All you have to do is turn that key.
I am speaking to you a year on from first opening that closet door, with one foot in and one foot out. Primarily due to unanswered questions about how my religion can reconcile with my sexuality and the fact that my parents are still in the dark. It’s not easy for me to enlighten them because they are practicing Muslims who are against homosexuality. This has created a barrier which prevents us from growing close as I have to act straight in front of them, or rather just exist. For this reason I have considered switching that light on as early as the end of this summer. I know it will not be easy at first and it may even drive us further apart, but I live for the chance that we could have a better relationship. I can’t see them die having lived a lie.
Being stuck in the closet for so long has forced me to suppress my personality to the extent that I don’t even know who the real me is. But I like to think that a year from now I could be finding myself to the tune of RuPaul’s latest gay anthem, as far away as possible from that dark closet I used to call home, along with many of you.
Peace and love,
Someone like you x
Support is available. The Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity (MASGD) works to support, empower and connect LGBTQ Muslims. Find out more at www.muslimalliance.org.
