Friend,

Today marks 5 years since one of the deadliest U.S. mass shootings, at Orlando’s LGBTQ+ Pulse nightclub.

The LGBTQ+ community is still not safe, especially as Florida and states across the country are passing transphobic bills, which threaten already-vulnerable trans youth.

This Pride month and all year round, it’s essential for all of us to keep fighting for LGBTQ+ people’s safety, dignity, rights, and liberation.

Many of the people who lost their lives while celebrating at Pulse that night were Latinx. Although Black and brown LGBTQ+ people face greater threat, they have been at the forefront of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and liberation—and are the reason why Pride exists today.

We can show up for LGBTQ+ people with additional marginalized identities by supporting two organizations based here in Detroit:

• The Trans Sistas of Color Project—a trans led organization on every level—builds community, power, and agency among trans women of color.
• The Ruth Ellis Center provides trauma-informed services for LGBTQ+ young people—with an emphasis on young people of color, and young people experiencing homelessness or in the child welfare system.

Please celebrate Pride by supporting LGBTQ+ young people and trans women of color: Donate today to the Ruth Ellis Center and the Trans Sistas of Color Project.

Photo of Trans Sistas of Color Project members.

The Trans Sistas of Color Project (TSOCP) is not only about helping trans women of color through times of struggle, but also creating trans led and trans centered safe spaces for healing, joy, and liberation. Their projects include supporting trans women of color to change names/gender listings on government documents and to navigate the workforce.

During the pandemic, TSOCP has made and delivered care packages to trans women of color in the Detroit area. Along with hand sanitizer, the care packages contain items like hand wipes, toilet paper, non-perishable food items such as granola bars and canned goods, water, and blankets.

With limited resources, the group has prioritized elderly people, people experiencing unstable housing, and sex workers—a group of people who are especially dehumanized and treated as disposable.

The Ruth Ellis Center supports another group of particularly marginalized people: LGBTQ+ youth and young adults. Their vision is a world where LGBTQ+ young people are safe and supported, no matter where they go.

The Ruth Ellis Center is named in honor of the life and work of Ruth Ellis, one of Detroit’s oldest and proudest African-American lesbians, who came out in 1915. Beginning in the 1930s, Ruth provided shelter and support for people whose race, sexual orientation, or both set them apart from the dominant culture.

Today, the Center runs a number of projects, including:

• The Ruth Ellis Institute, which centers the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth to inform and change nation-wide systems of care.
• The Second Stories Drop-In Center, a safe space which provides low-barrier access to critical safety net and support services, including food and showers.
• The Ruth Ellis Health & Wellness Center, which provides high-quality, culturally competent health care at no cost for hundreds of LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness in Metro Detroit.

I want to thank both of these organizations for their important work and dedication to our community.

Can you donate today to support the Trans Sistas of Color Project and the Ruth Ellis Center, as they build a better world for trans women of color and LGBTQ+ youth?

Thank you.

Now is a time to celebrate and honor our queer and trans community members, who expand possibilities for all of us to be our full, free selves. Including those of you reading: No matter where you are in the coming out process, you are valid just as you are and I thank you for being you.

In solidarity,

Rashida