Starting in 2015, several community organizations—including the New York City Anti-Violence Project, the Audre Lorde Project, GMHC, Make the Road New York, Sylvia Rivera Law Project, the LGBT Community Center, and the TransLatina Network—alongside transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) community members across the City, organized forums for TGNC people in each of the five boroughs of New York City, following encouragement from New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Caucus of the New York City Council.
Five forums were held over the course of a year and a half with 591 participants. While the City government has done much to support TGNC people, greater work and community consultation is needed to identify remaining problems and potential solutions.
“Solutions Out of Struggle and Survival” is a summary of urgently needed policy solutions identified by the TGNC community. Community members, in the five borough forums, made recommendations to improve the lives of TGNC New Yorkers. The authors of this brief then organized those recommendations into policy, program, and budget formulations that are more specifically tailored to government officials.
“Solutions Out of Struggle and Survival” is available for download in English and Spanish.
Budget proposals for current NYC budget negotiations can be read here.
Tweet to City officials about the importance of these asks with the tag #TGNCBudget!
For more information about the five borough forums, watch the video below, put together by the Global Action Project.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors of “Solutions Out of Struggle and Survival” would like to thank many people and organizations for their support in organizing, facilitating, and much more.
BRONX FORUM ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sponsors: The New York City Anti-Violence Project, Destination Tomorrow, Audre Lorde Project, Make the Road New York, TransLatina Network
Co-Sponsors: BOOM!Health, Brooklyn Community Pride Center, CK Life, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center, Make the Road New York, Peter Cicchino Youth Project, Sex Worker’s Project, Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Stonewall Democrats of New York, Streetwise and Safe (SAS), and TransLatina Network.
Facilitation Team: Sasha Alexander (The Sylvia Rivera Law Project), Sean Coleman (Destination Tomorrow), LaLa Zannell (The New York City Anti-Violence Project), Lee Jimenez (Fierce), Mitchyll Mora (Streetwise and Safe), Shelby Chestnut (New York City Anti-Violence Project), Cristina Herrera (TransLatina Network and the LBGT Center), Lynly Egyes (Sex Workers Project), Lorena Borjas (Community Healthcare Network), Bianey Garcia (Make the Road New York), Tiffany Mathieu (Gender Identity Project), Elliott Fukui (Audre Lorde Project), Octavia Lewis (Hetrick-Martin Institute)
Government Officials: New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Council Member Ritchie Torres, and The New York City Council LGBT Caucus
Venue Host: Hostos Community College
BROOKLYN FORUM ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sponsors: The New York City Anti-Violence Project, Globe Bushwick, Audre Lorde Project, Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Lorena Borjas Community Fund, The Center, The TransLatina Network, GMHC, Destination Tomorrow
Co-Sponsors: Trans Women of Color Collective, New York Trans Advocacy Group, Red Umbrella Project, Everything Transgender, New York City Commission on Human Rights, Stonewall Democrats, Stonewall Foundation, Community Healthcare Network Brooklyn, Callen-Lorde, Gay Men’s Health Crisis
Facilitation Team: Adam Shoop (Bronx Defenders), Ali Belen (The Center), Amreeta Mathai (Bronx Defenders), Cecelia Gentili (Gay Men’s Health Crisis), Cristina Herrera (The Center and Translatina Network), Cristobal Gutierrez (Make the Road New York), Deborah Lolai (Bronx Defenders), Jasmine Lopez (The Center), Jerome Jones (Globe Bushwick), Kamilla Sjödin (Gay Men’s Health Crisis), Kimberly McKenzie (Sylvia Rivera Law Project and New York
City Anti Violence Project), Kyle Rapinan (Sylvia Rivera Law Project), Lala Zannell (New York City Anti-Violence Project), Nico Fonseca (Audre Lorde Project), Pao Lebron-Guzman (Globe Bushwick), Shagasyia Diamond (Red Umbrella Project), Sheneeneh Smith (Sylvia Rivera Law Project), Sasha Alexander (Sylvia Rivera Law Project), Tiffany Famiano (Bronx Defenders), Yasmine Farhang (Make the Road New York), Xena Grandichelli (Sylvia Rivera Law Project)
Government Officials: New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Council Member Carlos Menchaca, and The New York City Council LGBT Caucus
Venue Host: YWCA of Brooklyn
MANHATTAN FORUM ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sponsors: The New York City Anti-Violence Project, Audre Lorde Project, Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Lorena Borjas Community Fund, The Center, The TransLatina Network, Make the Road New York, Gay Men’s Health Crisis
Co-Sponsors: Trans Women of Color Collective, New York Trans Advocacy Group, Red Umbrella Project, Everything Transgender, New York City Commission on Human Rights, Stonewall Democrats, Stonewall Foundation, Community Healthcare Network Brooklyn, Callen-Lorde, Manmade Productions, Mr and Miss Black Trans Advocacy New York
Facilitation Team: Sasha Alexander (Sylvia Rivera Law Project), Ali Belen (The Center), Cecilia Gentili (Gay Men’s Health Crisis), Yaszmine Harris (Sylvia Rivera Law Project), Jerome Jones (Globe Bushwick), Jasmine Lopez (The Center), Kimberly McKenzie (Sylvia Rivera Law Project), Angeleena Ortiz (Sylvia Rivera Law Project), Lorenzo Van Ness (New York city Commission on Human Rights), LaLa Zannell (New York City Anti-Violence Project)
Government Officials: New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Council Members Rosie Mendez and Corey Johnson, and The New York City Council LGBT Caucus
Venue Host: Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC)
QUEENS FORUM ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sponsors: The New York City Anti-Violence Project, Make the Road New York, Audre Lorde Project, Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Lorena Borjas Community Fund, The Center, The TransLatina Network
Co-Sponsors: Brooklyn Community Pride Center, CK Life, Sex Workers Project, Peter Cicchino Youth Project, Streetwise and Safe, BOOM!Health
Facilitators: Sasha Alexander (Sylvia Rivera Law Project), Natalia Aristizabal (Make The Road New York), Lorena Borjas (Lorena Borjas Community Fund), Selena Chavez, Shelby Chestnut (The New York City Anti-Violence Project), Nico Fonseca (Audre Lorde Project), Bianey Garcia (Make the Road New York), Arely Gonzalez, Cristina Herrera (The LGBTQ Center/Translatina Network), Chanel Lopez (The New York City Anti-Violence Project), Jennifer Orellana, Olympia Perez (Audre Lorde Project), Suzy Salamy (The New York City Anti-Violence Project), LaLa Zannell (The New York City Anti-Violence Project)
Government Officials: New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Council Members Daniel Dromm and Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, and The New York City Council LGBT Caucus
Venue Host: Jewish Center of Jackson Heights
STATEN ISLAND FORUM ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sponsors: The New York City Anti-Violence Project, The Pride Center of Staten Island, Sylvia Rivera Law Project, The TransLatina Network, Lorena Borjas Community Fund, Make the Road New York, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, The Audre Lorde Project, and The Center
Co-Sponsors: Trans Women of Color Collective, Stonewall Foundation, Callen-Lorde, Miss Black Trans New York, and the CUNY College of Staten Island, Office of Student Life- LGBTQ Resource Center
Facilitators: Sasha Alexander (The Sylvia Rivera Law Project), Sadaya, Cecilia Gentili (GMHC), Jasmine Lopez, Andrew St. Ana, Cristina Herrera, Sei, LaLa Zannell (The New York City Anti-Violence Project), Xena Grandichelli (Sylvia Rivera Law Project)
Government Officials: New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and The New York City Council LGBT Caucus
Venue Host: CUNY College of Staten Island
POLICY BRIEF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Writing team: Anti-Violence Project, the Audre Lorde Project, GMHC, Make the Road New York, Sylvia Rivera Law Project, the LGBT Community Center, TransLatina Network
Photo and video: Global Action Project
Reviewing: Sean Coleman of Destination Tomorrow
Page layout: Scott Warfel
Translation: Caracol Language Coop
Statistics: Strength In Numbers Consulting Group. Recommended citation for the 2015 health and human services needs assessment information cited in the policy brief: Frazer, M. S., Dumont, M. S., & Howe, E. E. (2017). Custom Data Request: Transgender and Gender Nonconforming New Yorkers: An analysis of data from the 2015 LGBT Health and Human Services Needs Assessment. Strength in Numbers Consulting Group, Inc.