Sisterhood Not Cisterhood
While my Trans identity is only a part of who I am and does not define me, my womanhood does. So, I adamantly refuse to be excluded from conversations about women’s issues; all women, regardless of their background or identity, deserve a seat at the table
Client Success Manager, Trans Empowerment Project
March marks a time of celebration and reflection as we commemorate Women’s History Month. It’s a time to acknowledge and honor the remarkable contributions of women, past and present, who have shaped our world in countless ways. As we pay tribute to these achievements this year, it’s crucial to recognize and uplift ALL women, especially our Trans-femme siblings. We are making history TODAY!
I’m Jacquii Cooke–Client Success Manager for Trans Empowerment Project (TEP). As a 48-year-old Trans woman myself–having proclaimed my womanhood at the age of seventeen–I have endured the harsh realities of blatant misogyny, workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, and the many struggles women face on a daily basis.
The words of black Trans icon Dr. Lourdes Ashley Hunter resonate with my spirit as she says, “I don’t want to be visible because I am trans. I want to be seen, affirmed and celebrated as a whole damn person… [I want to] thrive in a world that celebrates all of who we are… Humans.” While my Trans identity is only a part of who I am and does not define me, my womanhood does. So, I adamantly refuse to be excluded from conversations about women’s issues; all women, regardless of their background or identity, deserve a seat at the table.
Being an advocate for the 2TIGE (Two-Spirit, Transgender, Intersex, and Gender-Expansive) community is a title I also proudly claim. I have had the privilege of getting to know and assisting hundreds of clients from 44 states in the US who are working hard to overcome disproportionate amounts of personal trauma, criticism, bias, and unjust legislation. In 2023, TEP took a significant step forward by providing ~$25,000 in direct aid through our inTRANSitions Program.
The inTRANSitions initiative aims to empower all our 2TIGE clients in need, 40% of whom are Trans women and Trans-femme individuals from diverse backgrounds. By providing programs like inTRANSitions, TEP is not just offering food & toiletries deliveries, access to HRT, gender-affirming items, and much more. We’re creating pathways for empowerment and inclusivity!
This Women’s History Month, let’s celebrate women’s achievements, resilience, strength, and courage by committing to ongoing action and support. Let’s continue this momentum and strive for greater joy, celebrating each other’s triumphs as we thrive together in sisterhood, not CISterhood.
As we look to the future, let’s recognize that women are making history now. Because we are! In fact, over 50% of TEP’s amazing staff is managed by a talented, passionate, diverse group of women dedicated to advocating for our community. Please excuse my language when I say that we are a group of badasses who are kicking some major ass fighting for our community’s right to exist joyfully! We’re changing the narrative on the disinformation floating about, building bridges of inclusion among all women, and helping our community accomplices become captains of organizing in their local communities. My colleagues and I are doing impressive work and are doing our part in defining history by helping to create a better tomorrow!
And we can continue making history when we work together to create a more equitable and empowered society. Whether through financial donations, volunteer work, community organizing, or simply spreading awareness, every action counts. So let’s join hands in solidarity, writing new chapters in history daily–chapters where everyone’s voice is heard, valued, and celebrated.
Your contribution to TEP’s inTRANSitions program directly supports this mission, enabling us to create lasting change and opportunities for 2TIGE folks in need. To make your charitable contribution directly to TEP’s inTRANSitions program and be a part of this transformative revolution, visit our donation page. Today, a contribution. Tomorrow, you will have made all the difference! You can also create your own fundraiser on Tiltify and share it with your trans-affirming family, friends & colleagues! Complete directions on how to do so can be found online at https://tiltify.com/trans-empowerment-project. Let’s continue to write history together, one act of empowerment at a time.
Trans Employment Project
By: Mo Viviane (they/them), Program Manager for Trans Employment Project
As we come together to celebrate Women’s History Month, we must recognize and uplift the contributions and badassery of Trans Women and Femmes in all employment sectors!
Let’s explore the importance of bridging the wage gap, fostering equity, and taking action to create a more equitable reality for us all.
The Wage Gap: A Barrier Yet to be Overcome
The wage gap experienced by Trans Women and Femmes presents a significant barrier to financial and professional success. Studies have shown that Trans Women and Femmes have consistently earned less than their cisgender counterparts, and the disparities are even GREATER for BIPOC Trans Women and Femmes.
According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, Trans Women and Femmes earn an average annual income of $10,000 less than cisgender women. The HRC notates more profound pay inequities; whereas cisgender white men earn $1.00, an average of all women earn $0.84, and Trans Women earn $0.61.
The Power of Visibility & Inclusion
Increasing visibility and fostering an inclusive environment are critical steps in combatting the wage gap and building a better future. By acknowledging and uplifting the experiences and achievements of Trans Women and Femmes, we challenge stereotypes and biases while celebrating all of the contributions they bring.
Visibility also plays a crucial role in validating the experiences of Trans folks in the employment sector. Representation in the workplace benefits the individual and has a positive impact on society, breaking down barriers and inspiring others to pursue their passions and goals. Or, as wonderfully as Raquel Willis stated at the Women’s March on Washington in 2017, “As we commit to each other to build this movement of resistance and liberation, NO ONE can be an afterthought. We have a chance to be stronger and better than we ever have before – and that starts with having hard conversations and being held accountable.”
Taking Action Towards an Equitable Future
While awareness is essential, it is through action that we actively mitigate the inequities faced by Trans Women and femmes.
Let’s explore some steps we can take!
1. Implement Equitable Pay Policies: Establishing equitable pay structures that ensure Trans Women and Femmes receive appropriate compensation for their work is vital in bridging the wage gap.
2. Strengthen Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Initiatives: By prioritizing DEIB in all aspects of your organizations, you can create a more inclusive and supportive environment for ALL employees. It is important to ensure that BIPOC Trans Women and Femmes are at the forefront of conversations and policy changes.
3. Providing Support and Resources: Offering resources, mentorship programs, and career advancement opportunities designed to address the unique challenges faced by Trans Women and Femmes is a crucial part of action in the workplace!
- Joining Trans Employment Project: By joining Trans Employment Project as a partner or a member, you are on your way to bridging the wage gap of the Trans Women in our community. As a member, you’ll have access to tips, tricks, and skills training to up your skillset. As a partner, you can sign up to stay plugged into our work or even sponsor our work so that we can continue to move Trans Women out of crisis and into empowerment.
Addressing Anti-Trans and Anti-DEI Bills
Unfortunately, the fight for inclusivity and equity faces ongoing challenges in the form of anti-trans and anti-DEI bills. These bills seek to roll back the progress made in creating a safe and affirming place for Trans people. It’s essential to recognize and address these issues head-on and actively advocate for Trans rights.
By partnering with local advocacy organizations, engaging in educational initiatives, and voicing concerns to policymakers, we can work towards dismantling the barriers these discriminatory bills create that affect every aspect of our community.
As we dedicate Women’s History Month to honoring the achievements of women throughout history, it is time to ACT and INCLUDE Trans Women and Femmes. Together, we can bridge the wage gap, foster inclusion, and create more equitable and empowered workplaces for everyone!
To learn more about Trans Employment Project, visit our programs page: https://transempowerment.org/tep-projects/trans-employment-project/
If you are interested in receiving training from Trans Empowerment Project to level up for the Trans community, follow our training page: https://transempowerment.org/trainings/
Uncategorized
By Jacquii Cooke| Multimedia Specialist 
I began my transition journey before even knowing what Transgender was. This was not a widely used word circa 1992-1993, my senior year of high school. Even though we all seemingly straddle the spectrum of identities and orientations, it was then (and still is to a great extent now) a hush-hush society as far as anything related to sex is concerned. It was a world in which I had no visible representation of what it is to be a Trans woman. It was a lonely and bewildering time of questioning my mere existence. Why am I so different? How is it that everyone else is so normal and I am not? What kind of freak am I?
These and many other questions pervaded my thought process, compelling me to seek answers. I needed someone to show me that I was not alone in the questioning, as it were. I craved an example–other than RuPaul strutting to “Supermodel (You Better Work)”–that there could be the possibility of me: a proud member of our Two-spirit, Trans, Intersex, Gender-expansive Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (2TIGE BIPOC) community. And I needed to see visible evidence with my own eyes. Gratefully, that happened.
My very first “aha!” moment was when I saw the beautiful Shannon DeVaughn, known then as “The Million Dollar Look,” a Trans woman drag performer from Knoxville, Tennessee. I was seventeen: young and naive, a curious pre-blossoming caterpillar whose cocoon had not yet formed, using a fake ID to get through the crowded line and into The Carousel II club.
Shannon was beautiful. She was in the wind. She was flitting all about the stage: spinning, twirling, giving life, sensual smiles, and gracious nods of acknowledgement. She was glamouring the house down BOOTS! She was the room’s sole butterfly, instantly becoming my inspiration as I and everyone else in the club that hot summer night was captivated and in awe.
I saw not only Shannon’s pastied breasts, her flowing golden locks as metaphorical wings, but literally felt in that moment an extremely new, impossible (yet obviously possible) example of who and what I could be. I saw confidence and courage. I saw a reflection of what I AM. I saw a woman of the Trans experience!
By simply being proudly and unashamedly visible in her authenticity, Shannon gave me the encouragement I so desperately needed as a loner teen. Her mere visibility inspired me to perform at the Carousel’s Wednesday talent night show a few weeks later.
Before then, I was the introverted techie in my high school drama club. I installed various lighting in the school auditorium, ran the light board, shone the spotlight on the play cast, along with a slew of other busy-work production tasks. I was excited to be part of our school productions in whatever capacity I could be: there was a semblance of inclusion behind the scenes. My inclination was to not have that spotlight on myself. And then I met Shannon, who, as the first Trans woman I’d ever seen, was the definition of an icon: a person who influences your life for the better, inspiring the liberation and motivation required to be your best self.
Performing drag on a stage of absolute acceptance was my introduction to a life of creation and a catalyst for my metamorphosis into Jacquii Chenyneh Kween Cooke. At the end of the day, though, through Shannon’s unapologetic visibility, I came to realize that this is no costume I wear. I couldn’t really take the drag off. I didn’t want to take it off. The experience allowed me the honesty to say, “I’m not a man. And I don’t want to be a man. I cannot be a man.”
I had begun to blossom into myself as a proud Black Trans woman. I only wish for my fellow Trans siblings to
blossom comfortably and feel at home in their truth and own skin as well.
During this LGBTQIA2S+ History Month, I encourage exactly that. I’m unsure of the turn my journey would have taken had I not seen Shannon demonstrating the possibility of being a Trans woman so many years ago. I’m grateful that she stood firm in her authenticity to be the Trans visibility my seventeen-year-old self needed. She remains iconic in my mind because of this simple refusal to be disappeared into the shadow of secrecy and shame.
As another Trans icon, Lourdes Ashley Hunter, says, “I want to be seen, affirmed and celebrated as a whole damn person… I want to wake up without the threat of violence!” This is what Trans icons bring, having fought for a seat at the roundtable of inclusion for not only themselves but for our entire 2TIGE community. Shannon DeVaughn is white, but her display of pride empowered me to display my own pride as the 48-year-old Black Trans woman I have grown to be today. My aim is to one day be considered an icon myself, as I, on behalf of Trans Empowerment Project, continue my work to champion joy, equity, and thriving into the lives of the most marginalized of us within the greater LGBTQIA2S+ community.
You can support the work we do at TEP by visiting our donation page and making a contribution to the cause.
Trans Employment Project
By: Mo Viviane (they/them/theirs), Associate Director of Workplace Equity & Inclusion
This LGBTQIA2S+ History Month, I want to highlight an individual who has made an impact in my community, as well as in my life. J Mase III is a poet, educator, and advocate. He has left an indelible mark on the Trans and Queer community, challenging norms and amplifying Black and Brown folks.
Images courtesy of J Mase III
J Mase III captures various forms of artistic expression, from poetry to photography, capturing the essence of his lived experiences and the stories of those who often go unheard. In his poetry, he delves into themes of identity, gender, race, and Queerness. His words create a powerful and introspective journey, inviting readers and listeners to explore their own perspectives and challenge societal constructs.
J Mase III has used his platforms to educate about the experiences and struggles of the Trans community, specifically Black and Brown Trans folks. Through workshops, performances, and public speaking engagements, he has fostered conversations that promote understanding, empathy, and acceptance. He is the author of White Folks Be Trippin’: An Ethnography Through Poetry & Prose. These pieces are inspired by Langston Hughes’s The Ways of White Folks and guide us into accepting what we already know: White Folks Be Trippin’.
As the Co-Director of The Black Trans Prayer Book, an interfaith, multidimensional, artistic, and theological work
that collects stories, poems, prayers, meditation, spells, and incantations of Black Trans & Non-binary folks, he has highlighted the intersections of race, gender, and faith. In this, a space of healing and connection within the community is prominent. In 2019, when 25 anti-Trans bills had been introduced in the United States, he created the campaign #TransphobiaIsASin. That number has since increased to 593 bills. This campaign is ongoing, especially since anti-Trans rhetoric and its connection to religious violence have not stopped
His book And Then I Got Fired: A Transqueer’s Reflections on Grief, Unemployment & Inappropriate Jokes About Death has helped me navigate being a Black Non-binary Queer person who left a pretty messed up workspace, while I was also navigating my grief and the complexities of life as a Transqueer person. J Mase III provides a unique perspective on resilience and growth.
Back when I was a student at Northern Kentucky University, I had the opportunity to meet with J Mase III. His presence left a profound impact as he shared an immersive experience through poetry and thought leadership. He also led a writing workshop, where he fostered an environment of learning, empathy, and understanding. J Mase III is my Black Trans icon, deserving of so much recognition and admiration. He has inspired me to embrace myself, especially in a world that continues to erase folks like me.
For more information on J Mase III and to purchase his books, visit his website at https://jmaseiii.com
