In this special issue of The Tea, we will highlight the issues impacting young Black trans folks. The future of our communities is intertwined with their resilience and strength. Even as hostile politicians push anti-trans legislation and institutions deny crucial support, young Black trans people are standing firm in their identities, advocating for their rights, and leading movements with unapologetic courage.
As we celebrate Pride Month, let’s reflect and draw inspiration from its radical and rebellious origins. Pride started as a riot, and the fight continues today. Black trans people are under attack globally, making it crucial for us to unite our struggles, share our stories, and support each other through sharing resources, learning and unlearning, healing our transphobia, and practicing self-care. This Pride, we are reflecting on the current state of Black TGNCIQ (transgender, gender-nonconforming, intersex, and queer) folks nationwide and calling each other and our allies to action. In the spirit of Marsha P. Johnson, remember: “No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.”
On this Trans Day of Visibility, we unite in envisioning the world we’re striving for—one that embraces, safeguards, and exalts the existence of Black trans, gender-nonconforming, and nonbinary individuals with boundless love and affirmation. The journey of recent years has been marked by the powerful essence of “Black Transcendence” (shout out to Jay-Marie Hill), the pursuit of queer liberation, a profound self-care movement, an unprecedented surge in visibility for Black trans, gender-nonconforming, intersex, and queer (TGNCIQ) folks, the recognition of Black trans movement pioneers, and a revolutionary wave of creativity.
Peace, family! Welcome to the last issue of The Tea for the year! For this special edition, we celebrate and uplift our young and thriving Black LGBTQIA+ sibs. We truly believe the future is in great hands: Black queer and trans kids are changing the world for the better. Even in the face of hostile politicians taking away their right to play sports, school systems denying the celebration of queer history, and their loss of access to gender-affirming care and support—young folks are staying grounded in their identities, prioritizing their self-care, telling their own stories, and organizing to fight back. Young queer and trans Black folks have always been at the forefront of political movements, presented new ideologies and beliefs, and fought for the futures of everyone.
Read on to learn more about what Queer Black August means and how we’re honoring our Black queer political prisoners; watch a short documentary about an anti-racist activist and Afro-Latine Non-Binary Queer feminist writer, organizer, and performer who works for the liberation of all Black lives; meet a Black trans woman who is creating safe spaces for Black TGNCIQ gun survivors; and lastly, check out our What We’re Vibing To section – one of our previous guest writers released a life-changing book(!), plus we are sharing the music and visuals of a super-talented non-binary artist. We hope you enjoy this issue. Thank you for reading!
Each year, we put out a call to our community to Submit Your Brilliance. We receive an overwhelming response, which is further proof that our community is full of talent, authentic expression, and the desire to be an inspiration to others.
