whatsupwithat
06-15-2007, 04:33 AM
Good, got your attention. :)
This is a followup to all our threads (yes, even Miriam is mentioned below)...
We call on our Trans and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) community and on all of our allies of many movements to join us for the 3rd Annual Trans Day of Action for Social and Economic Justice.
Initiated by TransJustice of The Audre Lorde Project, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two-Spirit, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Center for Community Organizing, focusing on the NYC area. New York City, June 22, 2007
These are the points of unity, which hold together the purpose of this important march;
• We demand that Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people have equal access to opportunities of employment and education. We are outraged by the high numbers of Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people who are unemployed and homeless. Many Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people continue to face blatant discrimination and harassment from employers because of the systemic transphobia that plagues their lives from an early age. Few TGNC people have access to opportunities for learning in a safe school environment. TGNC people demand that all employers and educational institutions implement non-discrimination policies that respect the rights of all workers and students and that they comply with the New York City Human Rights Law that prohibits discrimination against gender identity and expression!
• We demand the full legalization of all immigrants. TGNC people deserve the same rights as anyone else to access competent and respectful immigration services. We also demand that the consulates of all countries respect and honor our identities and issue passports and other documentation that accurately reflects who we are. We oppose the guest worker program, the Real ID Act, enforcement provisions to build more walls and give greater powers to the department of homeland security, increased barriers for asylum seekers, the HIV ban and other anti-immigrant policies that continue to divide our communities. We stand in opposition to the STRIVE Act and any other reform proposals which would result in the mass deportation of our community.
• We stand in solidarity with all prisoners and especially with the many Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people behind the walls who are often invisible even within prisoner’s rights movements. We call attention to the severe and under-reported accounts of severe violence and rape that our community faces at the hands of correction officers and other prisoners. We demand an end to the torture and high level of discrimination TGNC prisoners face. We demand that all TGNC prisoners receive competent and respectful healthcare to avoid the severe health problems they experience due to lack of care. We oppose the steadfast and continued growth of the prison industrial complex that continues to target our communities. We also recognize that in the mean time our community needs to have access to services and facilities that lessen their vulnerability to violence within the present jails and prisons. Therefore we are opposed the closing of the “gay and Trans housing” unit on Rikers Island which compromises the safety of the TGNC community that is taken to this facility. We call attention to the criminal injustice system that increasingly continues to put people of color, immigrants, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people and the poor behind bars - further criminalizing our communities and our lives. We must stand together and fight back!
• We demand that Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people have access to respectful and safe living spaces. Many Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people face severe discrimination from landlords and other housing administrators that displace them from their homes only because of their gender identity or expression. There are a disproportionate number of Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people who have been or who are currently homeless. In addition, to being thrown out on the streets many homeless Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people continue to face discrimination when trying to access the shelters and other assisted living programs. The NYC law and the Department of Homeless Services state that transgender people will be placed in the shelters according to that person’s gender identity and that discrimination based on gender identity will not be tolerated. We demand that all Department of Homeless Service shelter administrators continue to provide adequate Trans awareness and sensitivity trainings for all of their personnel and enforce clear non-discrimination policies that respect the dignity of all homeless people, offering a safe and respectful living space.
• We demand that all people receiving public assistance entitlements including Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color, be treated with respect and dignity. We stand in solidarity with all people living on public assistance in New York and across the country. As time passes, the NYC agencies responsible for the administration of public welfare, the Human Resources Administration (HRA), continue to ignore our demands to address the systemic problems that exist internally and perpetuate the transphobia and harassment faced by TGNC people of color when applying for benefits such as; welfare (Food Stamps, Medicaid, etc.), access to shelters, access to culturally competent and sensitive healthcare, drug treatment programs, adult protective services, eviction prevention, and other essential services from their agencies. We demand that there be an internal investigation of these incidents and an establishment of clear guidelines as to where to submit complaints to the entity responsible to responding to these complaints.
• We demand that the Administration of Children Services (ACS) and Private Foster Care Agencies recognize that they deal with children and youth of color from economically disadvantaged families and children and youth who have been torn away from their families and home environments. We demand that all children and youth, under the jurisdiction of ACS, have the right to the freedom of gender expression and identity. In the 2002-landmark case Jean Doe v. Bell, it was established that children in NYC’s foster care system cannot be discriminated against for being transgender and cannot be forced to wear only clothing associated with their birth gender. Government institutions like ACS and private foster care agencies must be accountable for the health of people under their care, and recognize that this responsibility must include Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people and Trans related heath care. We demand that ACS initiates a full investigation of all the incidents of misallocation of personal funds and the violations of confidentiality issues that have negatively affected the lives of children and youth under their care.
• We oppose the Bush Administration’s so called “War on Terrorism” fabricated as an excuse to legitimize the expansion of the U.S. as a imperial super power and to justify a national security strategy that is really meant to militarize our boarders and heighten surveillance and control over people living in the U.S., separating our communities by fostering feelings of hate, xenophobia, and violence. Everyday we see more and more our basic human rights like healthcare, jobs, education, housing, privacy, self-determination and the right of dissent slipping away from all of us. We must stand up now to demand the immediate removal of all U.S. troops from all countries under occupation and demand an end of use of U.S. dollars to cultivate and sponsor wars against people in the U.S. and abroad.
• We demand justice for the many trans and gender non-conforming people who have been beaten, assaulted, raped, and murdered yet these incidents continue to be silenced, misclassified or blamed on the victim as if this was their fault. The police and the media continue to criminalize us even when we try to defend ourselves. An increase in hate crime laws will not solve the problem but will give increase power to the state to put more people in jail. Instead we are calling for a unified effort for all of us to look deeper into the root causes of why these incidents happen and as a society that seeks social justice find ways of holding people accountable and come to a joint understanding of how we can make our communities safer for all of us. Like many other oppressed communities like communities of color, immigrants and the poor, TGNC people are also targeted, profiled and brutalized by the police. We demand an end to the profiling, harassment, arrest, brutality and murder that occurs at the hands of the police! These incidents of violence do not occur in isolation, and are aggravated by racism, sexism, classism, xenophobia, misogyny, ageism and damaging strict heterosexist values.
We stand in solidarity with the 7 Lesbian women arrested in the West Village for defending themselves from a man that assaulted them, we stand in solidarity with Miriam, a transgender woman who was pushed out the window of her 4th floor apt. and left for dead just a few months ago, we commemorate the memory of Ruby Ordeńana, Sakia Gunn, Gwen Aruajo, Amanda Milan and the many other brave souls we have lost, who struggled and lived their lives fearlessly day in and day out, being true to who they were. They keep the fire of struggle burning within all of us.
On June 22, 2007, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color and allies will take on the streets of New York City once again and demand justice to let the world know that the Stonewall rebellion is not over and that we will continue fighting for social and economic justice, raising our voices until we are heard. We call on all social justice activists from communities of color, the LGBT movement, immigrant rights movement, the anti-war movement, the reproductive rights movement, youth and student groups, trade unions and worker organizations, religious communities and HIV/AIDS and social service agencies, both local and organizations around the country to endorse this call to action and to build contingents to march in solidarity together on June 22nd, 2007.
Yours in Struggle,
TransJustice, a working group of the Audre Lorde Project
This is a followup to all our threads (yes, even Miriam is mentioned below)...
We call on our Trans and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) community and on all of our allies of many movements to join us for the 3rd Annual Trans Day of Action for Social and Economic Justice.
Initiated by TransJustice of The Audre Lorde Project, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two-Spirit, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Center for Community Organizing, focusing on the NYC area. New York City, June 22, 2007
These are the points of unity, which hold together the purpose of this important march;
• We demand that Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people have equal access to opportunities of employment and education. We are outraged by the high numbers of Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people who are unemployed and homeless. Many Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people continue to face blatant discrimination and harassment from employers because of the systemic transphobia that plagues their lives from an early age. Few TGNC people have access to opportunities for learning in a safe school environment. TGNC people demand that all employers and educational institutions implement non-discrimination policies that respect the rights of all workers and students and that they comply with the New York City Human Rights Law that prohibits discrimination against gender identity and expression!
• We demand the full legalization of all immigrants. TGNC people deserve the same rights as anyone else to access competent and respectful immigration services. We also demand that the consulates of all countries respect and honor our identities and issue passports and other documentation that accurately reflects who we are. We oppose the guest worker program, the Real ID Act, enforcement provisions to build more walls and give greater powers to the department of homeland security, increased barriers for asylum seekers, the HIV ban and other anti-immigrant policies that continue to divide our communities. We stand in opposition to the STRIVE Act and any other reform proposals which would result in the mass deportation of our community.
• We stand in solidarity with all prisoners and especially with the many Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people behind the walls who are often invisible even within prisoner’s rights movements. We call attention to the severe and under-reported accounts of severe violence and rape that our community faces at the hands of correction officers and other prisoners. We demand an end to the torture and high level of discrimination TGNC prisoners face. We demand that all TGNC prisoners receive competent and respectful healthcare to avoid the severe health problems they experience due to lack of care. We oppose the steadfast and continued growth of the prison industrial complex that continues to target our communities. We also recognize that in the mean time our community needs to have access to services and facilities that lessen their vulnerability to violence within the present jails and prisons. Therefore we are opposed the closing of the “gay and Trans housing” unit on Rikers Island which compromises the safety of the TGNC community that is taken to this facility. We call attention to the criminal injustice system that increasingly continues to put people of color, immigrants, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people and the poor behind bars - further criminalizing our communities and our lives. We must stand together and fight back!
• We demand that Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people have access to respectful and safe living spaces. Many Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people face severe discrimination from landlords and other housing administrators that displace them from their homes only because of their gender identity or expression. There are a disproportionate number of Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people who have been or who are currently homeless. In addition, to being thrown out on the streets many homeless Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people continue to face discrimination when trying to access the shelters and other assisted living programs. The NYC law and the Department of Homeless Services state that transgender people will be placed in the shelters according to that person’s gender identity and that discrimination based on gender identity will not be tolerated. We demand that all Department of Homeless Service shelter administrators continue to provide adequate Trans awareness and sensitivity trainings for all of their personnel and enforce clear non-discrimination policies that respect the dignity of all homeless people, offering a safe and respectful living space.
• We demand that all people receiving public assistance entitlements including Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color, be treated with respect and dignity. We stand in solidarity with all people living on public assistance in New York and across the country. As time passes, the NYC agencies responsible for the administration of public welfare, the Human Resources Administration (HRA), continue to ignore our demands to address the systemic problems that exist internally and perpetuate the transphobia and harassment faced by TGNC people of color when applying for benefits such as; welfare (Food Stamps, Medicaid, etc.), access to shelters, access to culturally competent and sensitive healthcare, drug treatment programs, adult protective services, eviction prevention, and other essential services from their agencies. We demand that there be an internal investigation of these incidents and an establishment of clear guidelines as to where to submit complaints to the entity responsible to responding to these complaints.
• We demand that the Administration of Children Services (ACS) and Private Foster Care Agencies recognize that they deal with children and youth of color from economically disadvantaged families and children and youth who have been torn away from their families and home environments. We demand that all children and youth, under the jurisdiction of ACS, have the right to the freedom of gender expression and identity. In the 2002-landmark case Jean Doe v. Bell, it was established that children in NYC’s foster care system cannot be discriminated against for being transgender and cannot be forced to wear only clothing associated with their birth gender. Government institutions like ACS and private foster care agencies must be accountable for the health of people under their care, and recognize that this responsibility must include Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people and Trans related heath care. We demand that ACS initiates a full investigation of all the incidents of misallocation of personal funds and the violations of confidentiality issues that have negatively affected the lives of children and youth under their care.
• We oppose the Bush Administration’s so called “War on Terrorism” fabricated as an excuse to legitimize the expansion of the U.S. as a imperial super power and to justify a national security strategy that is really meant to militarize our boarders and heighten surveillance and control over people living in the U.S., separating our communities by fostering feelings of hate, xenophobia, and violence. Everyday we see more and more our basic human rights like healthcare, jobs, education, housing, privacy, self-determination and the right of dissent slipping away from all of us. We must stand up now to demand the immediate removal of all U.S. troops from all countries under occupation and demand an end of use of U.S. dollars to cultivate and sponsor wars against people in the U.S. and abroad.
• We demand justice for the many trans and gender non-conforming people who have been beaten, assaulted, raped, and murdered yet these incidents continue to be silenced, misclassified or blamed on the victim as if this was their fault. The police and the media continue to criminalize us even when we try to defend ourselves. An increase in hate crime laws will not solve the problem but will give increase power to the state to put more people in jail. Instead we are calling for a unified effort for all of us to look deeper into the root causes of why these incidents happen and as a society that seeks social justice find ways of holding people accountable and come to a joint understanding of how we can make our communities safer for all of us. Like many other oppressed communities like communities of color, immigrants and the poor, TGNC people are also targeted, profiled and brutalized by the police. We demand an end to the profiling, harassment, arrest, brutality and murder that occurs at the hands of the police! These incidents of violence do not occur in isolation, and are aggravated by racism, sexism, classism, xenophobia, misogyny, ageism and damaging strict heterosexist values.
We stand in solidarity with the 7 Lesbian women arrested in the West Village for defending themselves from a man that assaulted them, we stand in solidarity with Miriam, a transgender woman who was pushed out the window of her 4th floor apt. and left for dead just a few months ago, we commemorate the memory of Ruby Ordeńana, Sakia Gunn, Gwen Aruajo, Amanda Milan and the many other brave souls we have lost, who struggled and lived their lives fearlessly day in and day out, being true to who they were. They keep the fire of struggle burning within all of us.
On June 22, 2007, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color and allies will take on the streets of New York City once again and demand justice to let the world know that the Stonewall rebellion is not over and that we will continue fighting for social and economic justice, raising our voices until we are heard. We call on all social justice activists from communities of color, the LGBT movement, immigrant rights movement, the anti-war movement, the reproductive rights movement, youth and student groups, trade unions and worker organizations, religious communities and HIV/AIDS and social service agencies, both local and organizations around the country to endorse this call to action and to build contingents to march in solidarity together on June 22nd, 2007.
Yours in Struggle,
TransJustice, a working group of the Audre Lorde Project