The Tea vol. 15

Peace, family! Welcome back to The Tea! We hope you are taking care of yourself amid all the pain in the world. In a moment of transparency to our loyal readers (or if it’s your first time reading, welcome to the table!), we try to approach The Tea each month with a real perspective on what’s happening in the world, while staying hopeful and inspired. This month, shit felt heavy. Bigoted elected officials have introduced more horrid anti-trans rhetoric and legislation, youth suicide rates have increased, violence against Black trans, gender-nonconforming, and intersex (TGNCI) folks continues, and Black cishet folks are still split on issues facing the TGNCI community. Those who wield transphobia and white supremacy have tried to make our lives painful. As Black queer and trans folks fighting for liberation, we recognize how complex it is to simultaneously preserve our collective joy and contend with our pain.

We hope this issue and others serve as a source of inspiration and a reminder that we are resilient and special. We thank you for being down to ebb and flow with us as we shapeshift through the wild world we’ve inherited. Thank you for sharing this space with us.

We explore what it means to “find home” in this world. So many of our Black queer and trans youth have been displaced because of their identities. “Research has shown that those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ+) have a 120% higher risk of experiencing some form of (houselessness). These statistics are even worse for Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) LGBTQ+ populations (dealing with) racial inequities and discrimination.”

Read on to learn about the life and legacy of Ali Forney, a houseless teen who grew up in New York City in the 90s and whose life was taken too soon. Check out our affirmational mantra in honor of Trans Day of Visibility, and peep the queer cultural icons and allies whom we are inspired by in our What We Are Vibin’ To section.

Thank you for reading!