JavannahDavis (She/her)

Sex work ain't for pussies! It's a means of "a way out” for many individuals who aren't afforded the opportunities as some, or lack adequate access to quality employment I hope to bring some awareness to the challenges, discomfort, and trauma transgender women face around the stigma and experiences of sex work; or what I like to call, “Survival Work”! I myself am not, nor have I ever been a sex worker, but in my 19 years of community and primary healthcare experience I’ve worked closely with transgender patients who have been, and personally know a few trans women, mostly black trans women who had to use sex work to survive. Being a sex worker is dangerous whether you’re trans, cis, LGBTQ, or straight. But it’s especially dangerous if you are a trans woman of color.

Most traumatic experiences of transgender women include being robbed, being shot, sex trafficking ,experiencing homelessness, or being murdered for who we are. For those who have survived, their trauma can lead to mental health issues, drug and alcohol abuse, or all of the above. These are just a few of the reasons why there’s an outcry to decriminalize sex work, because the Criminalization of sex work isn’t protecting the community. In fact, it’s doing the absolute opposite. Laws that criminalize sex work push the industry underground, which makes it more dangerous.

Unlike some white trans women involved in sex work who often end up selling sex online, Black and brown transgender women usually work on the streets, exposing them to more dangers of violence from the “johns” and even police

Most sex workers are afraid of law enforcement for lack of respect for them as people, or the lack of respect for their lives. Instead of being the watchful eye they could be, the experience most trans individuals have with law enforcement is that of harassment, physical assault, or sexually taken advantage of by the officers who are sworn to protect them.

Trans people are often misgendered by law enforcement or don’t report attacks in fear of abuse, or being arrested while the “john” often goes free. Jails and prisons often misgender them and most are housed in men’s facilities, where they are at higher risk of being assaulted, and humiliated The punishment often doesn’t end there Once they get out of jail or prison, a past conviction can prevent them from getting a job, housing, health care, or other services.

Most of the 11+ known deaths so far this year were of Black transgender women. Many were sex workers. As a trans woman of color this is disheartening. Though I have not myself been a sex worker, I know what it’s like to experience the heaviness and fear of feeling like a target and afraid to call for help because of who you are.

Now let me be clear, out of all the people I have spoken to regarding their participation in sex work, no one has ever said “I always aspired for this!” or “This is definitely what I wanted to be when I was growing up!” As previously stated, sex work is a lifestyle of survival. A variety of people that are in sex work have been rejected and kicked out of their homes at an early age, face discrimination in the mainstream workplace, and fear ridicule in most cis-hetero-dominated social circles. Trans people are more likely to be unemployed compared to cisgender people. Thirty-four percent of Black trans people live in poverty. Trans people without a college degree and trans people who have experienced homelessness are even more likely to engage in sex work. These are some of the reasons why sex workers are disproportionately Black or Latinx trans women

So as a community healthcare professional, and a member of this community, it’s a duty to bring awareness to those in crisis, and to advocate for the sex workers and trans women of color who feel they don’t have a voice living in a criminalized world. As a community we must develop frameworks, and proper training for those civil servants who encounter trans people with civility, humility, and support the need for harm reduction in our community.

Glennifer Braker (she/her)

*** Woman

Even though it was God’s will To assigned me a dick the ancestors sent me to the world as woman, the mind and spirit of woman, That nurturing, that wisdom, the intuition and The bomb ass black femininity that carries scents of lavender, peppermint and hemp seed mixed together,

I present to you me, With Imperialism disguised as discoloration on my skin

I am woman.

I am not a man

Not confused

Not alien

Not other.

A woman

If I wear facial hair or this face is beat and smooth I am a woman.

If I wear Christian Louboutins or payless shoes one day And Jordan's or adidas the next

I am woman

I do have curves

But even if I'm built like a refrigerator I am a woman

I decided to keep my sexual organs, My feet are size 13

Yes I am a woman

I like baggy clothes and basketball shorts

I still may keep my chest and body hair in a blue moon, But don't worry, I am still a woman.

You may see that I have a haircut I may not wear a wig for a while! You were hoping it's just a phase right? Hmmm, no.

I'm still a woman.

Stop giving me your white patriarchal boxes

Of what a woman is suppose to look like I just ripped them up, it's only cardboard I'll snatch some things that may resonate and keep it moving.

Clock me all you want with your fear and uncomfortability that you allow to make you sick And turn into dust.

Just make sure you pay your bills, wipe your ass, clean your couches an make sure your kids aren't starving from your ignorance.

I have done and am doing too much self work

My heart is too open

My melanin is too bronzed

My voice is loud and fierce

My soul my intellect

My bones

Are All In tune like a choir guided by a preacher that doesn't preach but loves and gives wisdom

Too many trans women who have been lynched

Dismissed

Have been treated like witches

Their spirits, are touching and gently pushing my shoulder and whispering “go bitch, go!”

The resistance and resilience of my trans ancestors

That hold and flows so deeply in my blood cells

Made it possible for me to stand on my own two feet, look at you and say, dOurpresenceisourresilienceisabolddeclarationof efiance and power that illuminates how Jamaican queer and trans folx have turned their passion for fashionintoanexhilaratingformofactivism. fInformedandinspiredbystylemagazinesandthefight EorjusticeforblacktranslivesinJamaicaandbeyond, mani Edwards, Kyym Savage and their team have tcreatedimagesthatspeaktothefaithandfiercenessof akingupspace. Mostofmyknowledgeaboutfashionis self-taught. Being trans, I haven’t always had thefsupportofmyfamily,soI’vehadtofindopportunities wormyself.Iwantedtocombinemyinterestinfashion ith my desire to do something positive for trans people. aIusemycreativedirectionasastylisttoexpresswhoI vmandhowIwanttolivemylife.Iusemyworktogive isibility to marginalizedgroups, including the t non-binaryandLGBTcommunities.

Fuck you! I am a woman.