After leading a history-making march last summer, the organizers of last year’s massive Brooklyn Liberation demonstration are returning to the streets on June 13 to focus on Black transgender youth.
The march will commence at noon outside of the Brooklyn Museum, and protesters are asked to wear white clothing and wear face masks during the demonstration. Last year, Brooklyn Liberation led one of the largest gatherings of transgender individuals in the nation to uplift Black trans lives, denounce anti-trans violence, and police brutality. The effort occurred just a day before the US Supreme Court outlawed LGBTQ workplace discrimination. This year’s action to protect transgender youth coincides with a wave of anti-trans legislation that targets transgender students in schools, sports, locker rooms, bathrooms, and healthcare.
Alongside a flyer of the march, Raquel Willis, a Black trans woman, activist, journalist, and organizer of the protest, emphasized the urgency of the action.
“This is a state of emergency,” Willis tweeted. “Trans youth are under attack.”
#BROOKLYNLIBERATION – AN ACTION FOR TRANS YOUTH. THIS SUNDAY 6/13 @ 12PM. OUTSIDE BROOKLYN MUSEUM. RALLY + MARCH TO FOLLOW. WEAR WHITE. THIS IS A STATE OF EMERGENCY. TRANS YOUTH ARE UNDER ATTACK. ART BY @BROHAMMED #ProtectTransYouth #TransYouthPower #BlackTransLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/T4JnqIjdqJ
— Raquel Willis (she/her) (@RaquelWillis_) June 9, 2021
Some of the event’s collaborators include the Stonewall protests; For the Gworls, an organization that raises money to assist Black transgender people with housing; the Black Excellence Collective; Trans Lifeline; and Magic City Acceptance Center, a space for LGBTQ children in Birmingham, Alabama.
Organizers are holding the event without a permit.
Meanwhile, facilitators will provide lawyers and police liaisons on the ground to help with interactions with the NYPD. According to the demonstration’s accessibility guidelines, an ASL interpreter will be available, the route is approximately two miles and is accessible for wheelchairs; however, seating is limited.
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