WHO ARE
WE?
"Hi, I'm Fernande "Fern" Galindo, they/them or he/him. I'm a Non-binary, Transmasculine, Chicano & Indigenous to North America, mentally ill & living with chronic pain, Neurodivergent, pro-heaux, abolitionist & Indigenous Anarchist, parent /caregiver of 3 humans and 2 furry pets. I co-founded TICN (the name which our brilliant co-founder Mia came up with) with the aim to see our BIPOC Trans community feel supported. In the process, I often organize based on the needs of the queer, Trans, and BIPOC I've been connected to. This meant coming up with the Meal Train to support our folks when they had a need. It meant hosting Brunch & Dreams. It meant coordinating cashapp donations and sending them to the members who had financial needs. It meant connecting community members with shared experiences to each other so that they feel less alone in their struggles. It has meant providing vision and direction and labor to see our people taken care of. Mutual aid is something our Black and Indigenous communities have been doing for centuries before the phrase began trending during the pandemic. Nobody knows mutual aid or does mutual aid better than BIPOC communities. It has been the way our queer, disabled, Black & Brown people have sustained themselves when the system and the establishment both failed us and harmed us. In Leftist circles people talk a lot about burning things down, but not a lot about what we plan to replace our oppressive systems with. I believe mutual aid is the answer to building the society we need and deserve."