Transgender storytelling project showcases joy with ACLU and TKO - Montgomery Advertiser

Transgender storytelling project showcases joy with ACLU and TKO - Montgomery Advertiser
By: Transgender Posted On: November 01, 2022 View: 400

Transgender storytelling project showcases joy with ACLU and TKO - Montgomery Advertiser

There was nothing but smiles at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts recently — on the faces of the visitors and speakers and on the photographs on the wall.

The ACLU of Alabama and The Knights & Orchids Society (TKO) held their Black Trans Futures exhibit to showcase joy in the lives of Black and queer Alabamians. Jose Vazquez, communications director for ACLU Alabama, said the purpose of the exhibit was to change the types of stories that are told about transgender people in the state to give hope to future generations.

“We’re aiming to reject fatalist trans narratives that only depict people that are trans as victims to circumstances in the state, or people that are planning to leave the state,” Vazquez said.

Joshua Baker, TKO youth program coordinator, said what most people see about Black queer Alabamians is often grief, pain and trauma.

“But if you walk around today — this is the thing that gave me chills … there was no grief. There was no trauma. There was no pain,” Baker said. “And these are all things that exist in our stories. They are true to us as well, but so is the joy, so is the hope, so is the future, so is the progress.”

The exhibit featured dozens of photographs of Black and queer people in moments of joy. About 50 people attended the event, which began at 6 p.m. with short speeches from ACLU and TKO leaders at 7 p.m.

Quentin Bell, founder and director of TKO, talked about how far his organization had come since he founded it in October 2012. TKO is a Black- and transgender-led health clinic and peer support organization that provides primary care, endocrinology and support services for those in need.

“You all being here tonight means that the dream that was given to me, the purpose that was given to me, is now a shared vision,” Bell said. “I think the reason that we’re so we good at we do is that this is a lived experience for us.”

JaTaune Bosby Gilchrist, ACLU Alabama executive director, finished her speech by quoting an op-ed Baker wrote in April 2022 following the passage of the Alabama legislature’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

“It is our community — so deserving of softness and serenity — that is positioned to mourn. That is positioned to endlessly strategize. Whose existence is inherently political and consequently daunting. I want trans and queer youth to know a joy they do have to fight for—a peace and freedom they do not have to labor for,” Bosby Gilchrist said, quoting Baker.

Ten youth activists received certificates for their graduation from TKO’s “organizing school,” which educates young people in activism, legislation and organizing.

After the event ended, Bell reflected on the event, the two-and-a-half months of preparation that went into it and his organization’s 10-year journey.

“You dream of this, but to actually see it is different,” Bell said. “To know that I touched one life, that’s something special. But to know that we’re consistently making change in the lives of these babies who don’t have anywhere else to go to get the resources and support in their lives, that’s awesome.”

He hoped that highlighting Black and transgender joy and celebration would give hope to others facing hostility and hardship. “We’re gonna have some joy,” he said, even if they have to fight for it.

As he ended the interview, he realized that nights like Thursday are special because they offer a chance to leave difficulties and pain at the door, if only for a few hours.

“I think the hard part is walking out of spaces like this where everybody else gets it and having to walk back out to the world,” Bell said. “That’s the scary part.”

Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @EvanMealins. Your subscription makes our journalism possible. Subscribe today

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