I wanna talk a little about being trans, being an anarchist, and engaging with the state, since the grand jury news is throwing this all into complex relief.
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Right off the bat, in order for me to live a complete life, I have to give the state access to critical information that can be turned against me at any point.
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Being trans also puts me at a higher risk level than cis folks for violence. August 11 showed that. Before I was assaulted, I had *numerous* people hurling gender-based slurs and hatred at me.
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In the days leading up, Jason Kessler was using his Periscope feed and platform to call me trans slurs, painting me as a target to his violent followers. When I was at Nameless Field, someone said, "you're *the* tranny." Not "you're *a* tranny."
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Reporting on transphobic violence is scarce. As a result, hate crime legislation specific to trans people is sparse, and this sparsity has been used to shut down hate crime bills.
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Trans women in particular are easy to identify. Broad shoulders and boobs make you pretty identifiable even through a mask.
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All of this puts trans activists at risk. And largely, trans activists have their needs ignored or minimized even by well-meaning comrades.
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This makes our situations quite a bit more complex. It changes our calculus. I have to assume that the second I show up at an action, I'm doxxed and a target.
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And if a crime happens, even if I am the victim, it's super easy to figure out that I'm there, unless I go through great lengths to hide my gender identity.
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"Hiding my gender identity" in this case means "passing as male." Unacceptable.
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In Charlottesville, we're dealing with 5+ years of a trans missing person case handled badly by the state. As a trans activist, I cannot let people come in, advertise that they're going to beat up trans people, and stay home and be quiet.
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Cis people *will NEVER* stop the cycle of violence against trans people. Never. They will never rise up to end it. It's on us.
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And that means that my loyalties to trans comrades has to come before anarchist principles. That means some uncomfortable shit, and it means acknowledging that I've already given the state a fuckload of info about who I am that they can use to target me regardless.
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I am very privileged in many ways. I work in tech. My household income is in the six figures and the first number isn't a 1. I can withstand a lot. But not all trans people can.
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And if a trans person is hurt in an act of terror or violence and can't work, it is *FAR* more likely than not that they don't have the money to last until the next rent payment comes due.
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To access money one is entitled to--insurance funds, victim compensation funds--one must often file a police report. That means engaging with the state.
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Under nominal circumstances, most trans people have difficulty accessing appropriate medical care. Thousands of trans crowdfunding requests just sit there, never getting filled.
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I see a trans crowdfund request *EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.* What am I supposed to tell a trans activist to do if they're injured by a Nazi and can't work as a result, when there's money they need sitting right there and no one else is stepping up for them?
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End of conversation
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