Fosters Space For Transgender Joy And Community
The youth-led event was created to center transgender joy as an act of resistance amid nationwide attacks on the queer community.
By Shruti Rajkumar
May 23, 2023
May 23, 2023
Trans kids and additional activists march to the U.S. Supreme Court |
The Trans Youth Prom was organized by four transgender youth from various parts of the country, with support from activists and drag artists to bring the vision to life. The event provided support and a safe space for trans youth and their families. It also gave people the opportunity to use community love as an act of resistance to harmful narratives about transgender lives and anti-transgender legislation across the country.
12-year-old nonbinary organizer Grayson told HuffPost in an email interview.
“The intended purpose of the Trans prom is to show that no matter what happens we still have reasons to celebrate, “Trans prom is about the fact that we are here and we will always be here regardless of laws.”
Michael J. Coppola, 15
from Long Island, performs
The Trans Youth Prom brought in more than 200 transgender youth, their parents and transgender adults from more than 16 states across the country. The event also featured a parade, during which the group chanted “Trans kids are magic” as they marched from the Capitol to the Supreme Court.
Grayson said they hope that transgender youth leave the event feeling loved and knowing that they have power. Strangio hopes that the event gives people the respite and pause they need to keep fighting for transgender rights.
“We will not change the facile and cruel debates over our lives and bodies in one day, but I believe we will send a powerful message that change is coming,” Strangio said.
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