2011 Winter Update

Today, the Trans Youth Support Network is thrilled to write you at the end of our first full year in the Exchange, our community space on Chicago Avenue. The space we created here with MN Trans Health Coalition, RARE Productions, and your support has grown into a crucial site in our collective struggle to guarantee a bright future for today's trans and gender non-conforming youth.

A month ago, at the Exchange, TYSN Youth Members gathered to share a meal on Trans Day of Remembrance. On this day, when our community mourns the loss of the many trans people killed each year, we were comforted and strengthened by the warmth and feeling of family we've created at TYSN. When we remember the community members taken from us, sitting down together to share a meal becomes invaluable. In these moments, we truly feel the enormous power of our community. Together, we challenge the isolation so many of us experience as people who transgress expectations of sexuality and gender. Together, we make it safer for us to express and celebrate each of our diverse identities and expressions. Together, we expand each other's circles of family. This is the powerful simplicity of what TYSN does: TYSN strengthens community ties, and in doing so, makes each member of the community stronger. While this reminder is especially poignant on Trans Day of Remembrance, this is what TYSN does every day, all year.

Last year, with your support, TYSN radically impacted the lives of trans youth and shifted the culture of youth-serving organizations. Our Youth Members’ relationships to local clinics, shelters, schools, and non-profits are transforming the service sector in Minnesota, so that transgender youth no longer fall through the cracks. TYSN’s Community Hormones Access Project has introduced new protocols for healthcare providers with the result of increased access to respectful, safe hormone prescriptions for trans youth. And we’ve stood with CeCe McDonald, a young African American transgender woman, as she has led a powerful fight for her own freedom in the face of racist, transphobic criminal charges. Together, TYSN is gathering, training, organizing, connecting, making media, dancing, creating art, paneling, storytelling, rallying, court-watching, and struggling to make systemic change by and for trans youth. We invite you to join us. Will you celebrate TYSN’s accomplishments this year with a $100 donation, or join us as a sustaining member at $5, $10, or $30/month?

In solidarity and celebration,

the Trans Youth Support Network

p.s. We can’t wait for the next time we see you at the Exchange. Keep an eye out for upcoming events by following the Trans Youth Support Network on Facebook.

and/or Become a Monthly Sustainer

Glitter Giver : $5.00 - monthly Unicorn Liberator : $10.00 - monthly Rainbow Warrior : $15.00 - monthly Double Rainbow Warrior : $30.00 - monthly

You Gave to the Maximum

On November 16th, the beautiful fierce TYSN community came together and gave for Give to the Max Day 2011. Over $3,000 was raised in a single day to support TYSN's mission to promote racial, social, and economic justice for trans youth. You didn't Give to the Max. You gave to the Glitter All-Star Super Ultra MAXIMUM.

With this kind of support, we have been able to develop new leadership in the trans community. Our active Youth Membership has birthed campaigns such as Free CeCe!, Fight Bathroom Discrimination, and Occupy Victoria's Secret this past year. Youth Members have been leading Public Education (panels, discussions, trainings, evaluations, etc) amongst our 13 Network Members and at over 20 other organizations this past year. We have seen a drastic shift in the accessibility and sensitivity of services in the Twin Cities for trans youth. We have seen trans youth stand up and fight back against racism, transphobia, and economic injustices.

The work we do could not continue without the support of community members like you. Your support allows TYSN to keep developing the political analysis and community organizing skills of trans youth who are the leaders our movements need. Thank you for your thoughtful contributions. We truly appreciate this show of support and are grateful to share this struggle with so many Glitter Giving Unicorn Liberating Double Rainbow Maximum Warriors.

Give to the Glittery Ultra Unicorn MAXIMUM

On November 16th, people all over Minnesota will be giving to the non-profit organizations they support through GiveMN's Give to the Max Day. When you donate to TYSN on Give to the Max Day, TYSN has a chance to win Give to the Max incentives, like prizes for small non-profit organizations and hourly $1000 prize grants. But more importantly, by giving to TYSN--at whatever level you're able to donate--you're demonstrating that you're invested in our work towards systemic change and justice for transgender youth, especially young transgender women of color. TYSN is truly a community organization: on Give to the Max Day, like every other day, we rely on our community of supporters to sustain our organizing. Please give what you can, and ask your friends, family members, and co-workers to do the same.

TYSN Advisory Board Letter to Quorum Board of Directors regarding Katie Burgess' NCOD Luncheon Speech

Dear Kirk Gryder and the Quorum Board of Directors,

Thank you for writing us with your reactions, thoughts, and concerns related to Katie Burgess’ speech at the NCOD luncheon event.

We have received an outpouring of responses following the speech, and the vast majority of them have been overwhelmingly positive. These responses confirmed that Katie tapped into feelings and beliefs that are shared by many within the community, and was energizing and inspiring for those individuals and organizations. That said, we recognize that you and your organization did not share that experience of the speech, and found it offensive and contrary to your hopes for the event.

In her speech, Katie responded directly to the words provided to her by Julie Watson, the Executive Director of Quorum, intended to offer inspiration about the goals of the event. Ms. Watson wrote:

This year we are focused on our place not only within our GLBT and Allied Community, but also within the broader definition of community as a whole. The reality is that all of our identities are multi-faceted, multi-layered and complex. True authenticity is when all of these layers can be fully expressed, and hopefully embraced by those like us as well those who are different. … Think of all definitions of community: geographic, faith, racial, ethnic, socio economic class, cultural... this goes on forever.

The Advisory Board of TYSN feels that in linking the work of those fighting for workplace inclusion to broader struggles for social justice, Katie was both directly responding to this call as well as fulfilling the mission of TYSN to fight for racial, social, and economic justice. The issues that Katie addressed are legitimate and crucial to the creation of a better world.

In her speech, Katie cited publicly available information about Cargill.1 This information is not manufactured, it is not secret, and her choice to bring that information to an audience who was likely unfamiliar with it was an intentional choice. She did so to raise awareness of the complexities of fighting for the "rights" of some people – some LGBT people, some people in the U.S., some workers – at the expense of the safety and wellbeing of other people. We hope that our communities – LGBT communities, Twin Cities communities, the group of people who came together at Quorum – will examine closely what it is about this truth-telling that was so alarming, so threatening.

Fighting for workplace inclusion is incredibly important, but as Julie Watson noted in her invitation, it is not enough. The trans youth in TYSN’s community need more than workplace inclusion, they are working – and we are working alongside them – to fight their over-representation in jails and prisons and maltreatment by the police, poverty and homelessness, and an economic system which continues to prioritize the health and wealth of those of us who assimilate most easily into dominant, mainstream communities.

Because of the lack of accountable, accessible, and culturally sensitive resources for trans youth, people often ask TYSN to step forward and provide direct services, such as shelter, mental health support, legal aid, or case management for trans and gender non-conforming youth. And in recognition of those disparities, and out of the tokenizing assumption that trans people speak with one voice, TYSN is often asked to speak at events representing “transgender people.” Although both of these tasks are necessary, they are not TYSN’s work. TYSN does not provide direct services; instead we are working to challenge the root causes that make those services necessary – economic disparities, racism, transphobia, and other systems. Similarly, TYSN does not represent all “transgender voices;” it can only represent itself and its work fighting for justice. Therefore, when Katie was asked to speak, she did so on behalf of TYSN, and its mission to fight for racial, social and economic justice. The Advisory Board recognizes that while we were very grateful for the invitation for TYSN to speak at the NCOD luncheon, and wanted to do so in support of the work that Quorum does, it is now clear that we should have declined the invitation, as it was not an appropriate forum in which to speak about TYSN’s work.

TYSN’s Advisory Board sees this letter as a first step in response to your concerns. We encourage you to stay connected to TYSN as we grow, evolve, challenge, and engage our communities. We also ask that you keep in mind the economic power that the corporations present at the event hold in comparison to TYSN, and the entitlement that often comes from such power. TYSN is vastly under-resourced. Some members of this Advisory Board have in the past, through other associations, written letters challenging representatives of big organizations – never to get a response. We can and will respond.

We have one staff person, share a tiny office space with two other organizations, and are barely able to sustain an annual budget less than $50,000. We desperately need the resources of our economically privileged community, but we also feel an obligation to speak truthfully about the oppression many of our youth members and other trans people are facing – as well as in solidarity with others with whom our liberation is bound up. We hope this response clarifies the TYSN Advisory Board’s position on this and Katie’s intentions in bringing these issues to the community assembled at the NCOD luncheon. If you would like to meet with representatives of the Advisory Board so we can address more specific concerns you may have, please don’t hesitate to contact the Advisory Board at tysnadvisoryboard@gmail.com

Sincerely,

The TYSN Advisory Board

Roxanne Anderson
Myrl Beam
Kelly Brazil
Lex Horan

Julian Siwek
NeeCee Taylor
Riley Neshiem-Case
Adrienne Pabst
Rehema Caitlin
Jesse Francis Valentin
Jay Masika
Raquel (Rocki) Simões
Enzi Urimba Odongo Tanner
Owen Marciano

COMMUNITY DEMANDS: “DROP THE CHARGES AGAINST CHRISHAUN MCDONALD”
RALLY CALLS FOR AN END TO VIOLENCE AGAINST TRANSGENDER WOMEN OF COLOR

Minneapolis, MN – Community members rallied outside the Hennepin County District Court this morning after packing the courtroom at Chrishaun McDonald’s court appearance. After a powerful rally at McDonald's last pre-trial hearing on June 28, family, friends and community supporters have continued to spread the word about her case. Today’s crowd included more than 50 of Ms. McDonald’s close family and friends, members of local LGBTQ organizations and many new supporters who have heard about her case through community meetings and fundraisers.

Chrishaun McDonald is a young African American transgender woman who was attacked by a group of white adults while walking by the Schooner Tavern on Lake Street in South Minneapolis, early on the morning of June 5. Patrons of the bar attacked Ms. McDonald and her friends with transphobic and racist slurs and bashed Ms. McDonald’s face with a glass beer mug. Although Ms. McDonald was the target of a hate crime, she was singled out and charged with second degree murder after one of the attackers was killed. After her arrest, she was held for a month in solitary confinement for her “protection,” despite her requests to be moved to another part of the jail.

Speakers at today’s rally emphasized that Ms. McDonald’s case takes place in a broader atmosphere of violence against transgender women of color. “The painful reality is that the expectation of violence is constant for many transgender women of color. That violence takes place within families, on the streets, in the workplace, in schools and in jails and prisons,” noted Katie Burgess, Executive Director of the Trans Youth Support Network. In a national survey of trans people, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force found that 38% of African American respondents experienced police harassment, 15% reported being physically assaulted by the police, and 7% reported being sexually assaulted by the police.

McDonald's supporters have demanded that the charges against her be dropped immediately. Burgess explained, “We know that Chrishaun cannot receive a fair trial by a jury of her peers: because of transphobia and racism, the deck is stacked against her. Given the discrimination, harassment, abuse and violence that Chrishaun and so many other transgender women of color face every day, we see that the only resolution to this case is to release her back to her family and friends. It is clear that she can never be safe while housed in a prison or jail. Her family wants her back home.”
In a recent communication to her supporters, Ms. McDonald said, “This kind of love gives me inspiration and keeps me motivated to fight for myself and those who have been in my shoes, and for future generations. I believe this one incident is going to open the eyes of many and show people what…the GLBTQ community has to go through.”

For more information, visit http://www.supportcece.wordpress.com or email mpls4cece@gmail.com. Also, visit the Facebook page.

Community Rallies Around Chrishaun Mcdonald to Find Solutions to Violence Against Trans Women of Color

Court hearing is continued to July 11

Minneapolis, MN – Over fifty community members, friends, and family gathered in solidarity with Chrishaun Mcdonald, whose hearing in Hennepin County District Court was set for June 28^th but was continued to July 11^th. After packing the District courtroom, advocates called for a fair trial for Ms. Mcdonald at a press conference held outside the Government Center. Reporters were present from Kare 11 News, KSTP 5 Eyewitness News, The Star Tribune, The Minnesota Independent, City Pages, Colu.mn, and Lavender Magazine.

Ms. Mcdonald is an African American transgender woman who was attacked by a group of white adults while walking by the Schooner Tavern on Lake Street in South Minneapolis, early on the morning of June 5^th. Patrons of the bar attacked Ms. Mcdonald and her friends with transphobic and racist slurs and bashed Ms. Mcdonald’s face with a glass beer mug. Despite the fact that Ms. Mcdonald was the victim of the hate crime and multiple people were involved in the altercation that led to the death of one of her attackers, only Ms. Mcdonald was charged. She is currently being held in solitary confinement for her “protection,” despite her requests to be moved to general population.

Calling for an end to violence against transgender women, advocates declared a need for fair trials and fair treatment under the law when hate crimes occur. Ms. Mcdonald’s experience with violence is far too common. Transgender women of color are murdered at a rate 16 times the national average; this is more than one murder per month nation-wide. On June 26^th, around noon in North Minneapolis, yet another young African American/Puerto Rican transgender woman was attacked with a brick by a group of other African American youth.

Advocates called on judicial officials and correctional officers to respect Ms. Mcdonald as a transgender woman, give her access to necessary health care, and allow her to be housed in general population instead of solitary confinement. They called on the District Court to use correct (female) pronouns for Ms. Mcdonald, following suit with written opinions of the Minnesota Supreme Court and Minnesota appellate courts (see Goins v. W. Group, 635 N.W.2d 717 (Minn. 2001); Doe v. City of Minneapolis, No. C2-02-817 (Minn. Ct. App. December 17, 2002)).

Community members pledged to remain steadfast in their support for Mcdonald throughout the trial process. David Tomilson, friend of Ms. Mcdonald, announced, “We’re going to be here July 11, and we’re going to bring friends.”

Advocates urged anyone who wants to get involved to attend ongoing community meetings. For more information, visit http://supportcece.wordpress.com/. Paypal donations are also accepted at the website. Supporters are fundraising Ms. Mcdonald’s $150,000 bail.

Hate crimes tear communities apart and produce conflict in our neighborhoods. “We are here because we are all potentially victims of hate crimes,” Katie Burgess, executive director of the Trans Youth Support Network stated, “and we all deserve fair treatment under the law.”

TRANSGENDER WOMAN CITES SELF-DEFENSE IN ALTERCATION

ADVOCATES POINT TO DISPROPORTIONATE INCARCERATION OF
TRANSGENDER WOMEN OF COLOR

Minneapolis, MN –Early on the morning of June 5th, outside the Schooner Tavern on Lake Street, Chrishaun McDonald was verbally assaulted with racial slurs, sexual harassment, and transphobic and sexist attacks. When a larger brawl ensued, Ms. McDonald was hit in the face with a bottle. Her attacker ended up dead, and Ms. McDonald was taken to jail where she remains in solitary confinement. She has been charged with second degree murder. Ms. McDonald maintains her innocence, citing self-defense: “They were the ones who attacked us. It was evil what they called us.”
Ms. McDonald is a transgender woman. In the weeks since June 5th, media coverage and prosecutors have consistently referred to Ms. McDonald with incorrect (male) pronouns. Because Ms. McDonald is being held in a gender-segregated jail, the potential for abuse and mistreatment is high. In a phone interview from jail, Ms. McDonald described the treatment she’s receiving in solitary confinement: “They’ve got me in the hole, and they're not giving me proper healthcare.”

According to Katie Burgess, Executive Director of the Trans Youth Support Network and a friend of Ms. McDonald’s, “Chrishaun McDonald’s case is a tragedy, but unfortunately it’s not a rarity. Transgender women of color face disproportionate levels of violence and harassment, and are pulled into prisons and jails at extremely high rates. Over 30% of trans women of color are incarcerated every year. Once in prison or jail, 38% are harassed, 15% are physically assaulted, and 7% are sexually assaulted. These violent abuses are enacted upon them by guards and fellow prisoners. Although none of us knows all the details about what happened on June 5th, we do know that the deck is stacked against Ms. McDonald, and we ask concerned community members to support her in her trial.”

Friends who have spoken with Ms. McDonald say she remains hopeful and committed to fighting for justice in her case. But she has deep concerns that because she is a transgender woman of color she is unlikely to receive a fair trial with a jury of her peers, especially because she doesn’t have the funds to hire her own legal counsel. When asked about her trial, Ms. McDonald said, “Everybody should just be treated like human beings, no matter who they are.”

Please join us in packing the courtroom in solidarity of Cece tomorrow:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=208660435845166

Please join us for a Community Meeting of family, friends, and supporters for Wednesday at noon:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=226197957401096

Please donate and keep up to date at http://supportcece.wordpress.com/