With Women’s History Month coming to the close and Black History Month concluding the month before, I thought I would share what it means (to me) to be BLACK and a WOMAN and….. TRANS.  


Image courtesy of Save Our Sisters United, INC - SOSU

Image courtesy of Save Our Sisters United, INC – SOSU

 

Being a black trans woman is existing on several, intersectional plains at once. 

Being a black trans woman is being a real, live mix of unicorn, mermaid, and just about every other fantastical creature you can dream of.  

Being a black trans woman is knowing that you wake up in more of your truth than 90 percent of the world.  

Being a black trans woman is the ability to be able to stand in confidence, strength, and grace against the wrongs of the world. 

We continue to be at the forefront of trends and slang; able to take our lemons and make them into effortless lemonade.  

Being a black, trans woman is fun, fabulous, and free…

Until it’s not, of course. 

Being a black trans woman is hard, to say the least. 

While we exist on different, intersectional plains, none of them seem to accept us.  We are ridiculed in the black community, ostracized and vilified with women, and all but erased from our LGBT community. 

Being a black trans woman is being made to feel like you are not a real person; being looked at and treated like you are less than and undeserving.  

Being a black trans woman is never being able to have a normal day; having to be on-edge, on standby, and on pause.

Being a black trans woman is waking up and knowing that my safety, my livelihood and my life are all at risk by simply walking out the door.  

Being a black trans woman is knowing that I have to work three times as hard to get less than 50 cents to the dollar than a white man, and even less than the 63 cents cisgender black women earn.  

Being a black trans woman is being discredited, dismissed, overlooked, questioned, and criticized before I even speak (and even moreso afterwards).  

Being a black trans woman is realizing that I will never get the love, support, respect, and recognition I command and deserve.  

Being a black trans woman is…

It just is.