Outside Gainesville City Hall, over 30 people from Alachua County, other parts of Florida, and even Georgia gathered in the damp evening air to rally in support of the transgender minority community.
Many wore shirts that said “We are still important” or “Stop killing my black trans” [sisters]“While others wore bold accessories in pink, white and light blue that show off the colors of the Transgender Pride flag.
Chants, mantras and affirmations such as “all trans lifes matter today, tomorrow and always” could be heard over the inner courtyard and in the streets of the city center and attracted a larger crowd during the event on Tuesday evening.
It was Gainesville’s second annual Black Lives Matter Trans Inclusivity rally, held by Regina Livingston and her nonprofit, Unspoken Treasure Society. In addition to celebrating the city’s Black Lives Matter Trans Inclusive Movement Day, the event highlighted the need for action, education, allies and better resources to support the local transgender population.
“You all know we’ve been fighting for it for a long time, and I don’t think the mission will be completed tomorrow,” Livingston told the crowd. “But we will do it.”
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A number of speakers from across the state touched on issues such as depression, anxiety, exclusion, Florida’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which bans transgender athletes from playing women’s and girls’ sports (enacted this year by Governor Ron DeSantis) on first day of Pride Month), historical transgender representation, equitable representation, funding and unity.
They also discussed gun violence and the murder of black transgender people, especially women. In 2021 alone, according to the city’s proclamation, over 20 have died so far.
Livingston told The Sun at the end of the night that Tuesday’s rally had fewer people than last year, likely because of the rain earlier in the day. But those who came made the night even more meaningful to them because they showed real commitment and weren’t deterred by bad weather.
“I just hope to see more unity,” she said. “We’re the most marginalized … it’s a plan at the end of the day to help us all.”
Kimberly Puryear, a 33-year-old black transgender woman from Tampa, was a singer Tuesday night. She repeated all the chants and read an original poem, “Trans Expression”, to the audience.
Puryear said she was inspired to write the poem about six months ago by the injustice and inequality that LGBTQ + people face. Livingston, her gay mother – a term for a non-biologically related woman in the LGBTQ + community who takes another like a child under her wing, guides and supports her – asked her to recite it at the rally.
So she did it to the delight of the audience, who cheered and snapped their fingers to support her verse.
Puryear said she also competed in last year’s rally and showed similar camaraderie on Tuesday. She was especially excited to have Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe join the crowd.
“I think it’s a great event where everyone comes together to express how we are feeling,” said Puryear. “It’s great to see the community come up and support the cause.”
The post Local rally honors black transgender lives and calls for action first appeared on Daily Florida Press.
from Daily Florida Press https://dailyfloridapress.com/local-rally-honors-black-transgender-lives-and-calls-for-action/
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