Trans Family Day took place on Saturday, September 21 at Southside Park. To commemorate the event, the Center’s PrEP Navigator and founder of Melanin Movement, Elizah Claborne Crosby, wrote about her experience at Trans Family Day and the planning process that went on behind it.
“Trans Family Day is and was very important to me because so many times trans people don’t get to show our part of pride and the fact that we live our lives just as” normal” as everyone else. We are wives, mothers, fathers, etc. so I wanted to showcase that and allow trans folks a chance to feel that we have a place at the LGB table. All in all, Trans Family Day turned out to be a success and showed me that I was on the right track of creating an event that was much needed. So many people came up to me that day just to say ”thank you” for giving them a safe space to feel important and to feel acknowledged, those “thank yous” meant everything to me.
Some of the highlights of the day for me was seeing the young people enjoying themselves. We had a kids corner with a jump house and all kinds of fun things for them to enjoy. Another highlight for me was the names of OUR fallen sister’s was displayed – that helped us acknowledge their existence with strength and power. As a Black transwomen, that was very important to me to showcase because our lives are always important! The food, performers, and vibe of the day was very memorable. I’m so thankful that I was able to make this happen. Thank you to all my co-workers who helped bring this event together, all the organizations that tabled, everyone who donated gifts, and everyone who came out to enjoy the day as a family – I’ll never forget this.
When I first started working at the LGBT center, I wanted to use this platform to help inspire and encourage Black TransWomen so I created Melanin Movement – a safe space for WOC to come and have community, sisterhood and to be empowered. The year 2018 was a very scary year for TWOC, 26 deaths with little to no media coverage and when there was coverage these ladies were misgendered and deadnamed. The 2019 Pride season was full of back to back murders, and at the same time there was a lot of controversy going on with Pride, which to me overshadowed the fact that these murders were happening. It didn’t feel prideful to me, so that’s when I started planning Trans Family Day. In the beginning it was just going be the girls who came to Melanin Movement and our families, then it got bigger, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait for what next year will bring.”