OUR VALUES

 

We create, elevate, support, and nourish the voices of BLACK trans people. These values are fundamental to who we are and to our success. If we adhere to them, we believe liberation is possible. These values serve as a roadmap for how and why we make our decisions..

 

1. BLACK Trans-led

We believe that BLACK people are the future. We are committed to this organization always being led by the most radical BLACK trans people whose imaginations exist beyond the confines of the state.

 

2. Wholeness

We value the fullness of human experience. Perfection isn’t the goal. We use our spirit to encourage growth for ourselves and others while maintaining restoration for our communities. Who we are is enough.

 

3. Commitment 

We will always strive to be clear about our capacities to support a cause practically and to be able to say yes or no.

 

4. Self-Determination

This is a human right that belongs to those not on the binary of political systems, states, or governments. People have the right to determine their destiny politically, culturally, and socially.

 

5. Excellence

We develop our skills, show up to practice, take risks, and dare to be different. It is in our DNA to innovate, strengthen our knowledge, reach beyond insecurities, and experiment. It will drive our culture and create our own standard of success. We are our own possibility models and we must hold ourselves accountable for our own results.

 

6. Abolition 

We believe in the freedom of BLACK trans people, oppressed people, and oppressed nations. We support quality education, employment opportunities, and a world free of war, police brutality, and political corruption. The senseless killing of trans women and the suicides of trans men are a result of state violence and intercommunity strife. The circumstances that invoke these tragedies must be abolished in order for liberation to be actualized.

 

7. Integrity

We are open, humble, and honest about our triumphs and struggles. We can make money without doing evil and we don’t have to compromise to get what we want. We want our ancestors to smile back on us.

 

8. Community Knowledge

We value the lived experiences of BLACK trans people. Qualifiers are not required for us to be taken seriously or acknowledged as people who are brilliant and worthy of contributing to our community and society.

 

9. Passion

We celebrate our successes, demonstrate our rage, encourage joy for ourselves and with each other, explore our desires, think big, and have fun.

 

10. Collaboration 

We leverage collective genius, practice solidarity, and struggle with clear goals and expectations about where we are going in our collective and individual journeys.