Black Trans Demonstration Planned for Creating Change Conference

The demonstration, led by black trans individuals, is calling out the conference for lacking representation.

A collective of black transgender demonstrators is planning to stage a direct action at the Creating Change conference at 1 p.m. on Friday. The demonstration, initiated by activists Max T. Isaac and Lourdes Ashley Hunter, will center black trans individuals’ concerns around the nation’s largest LGBTQ conference.

“For years, Creating Change has silenced the voices of Black Trans folks by exploiting our labor without compensation, and in turn, have stolen our narratives and ability to have autonomy over our individual truths,” the event’s Facebook page states. “We are consistently devalued, erased and unable to attend due to the violence that we may face as well as the inaccessible nature of the space. Black Trans bodies MUST be centered during this conference.”

A mission statement created and edited by trans activist Venus Di’Khadijah Selenite, Hunter, and Isaac includes a list of demands to conference organizers:

What Do We Want:

1. The LGBTQ Task Force needs to make an intentional investment in our community with portion of Creating Change ticket sales being gifted to organizations that are led by and for Trans Women of Color.

2. The implementation of a registration fee of $25 for students/low income/disabled folk and free registration for poor trans folks of color. This would demonstrate that Creating Change is truly accessible to our community.

3. If we really going to create any sustainable change, the LGBTQ Task Force must center the voices, lives and leadership of those most impacted by state sanctioned violence in the planning of Creating Change.

4. The safety of Black Trans folks must be paramount. Creating Change cannot continue to coddle and protect known abusers who submit workshops/panels/presentations that perpetuate fetishization, commodification or exploitation of our narratives.

5. Creating Change must pay all Trans presenters of Color for their labor.

The Creating Change conference is taking place at the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott, 1201 Market Street.

UPDATE

Roughly 100 protestors packed the non-profit resource lobby of the conference and shared their grievances openly at the demonstration. You can watch the full live demonstration on G Philly’s Facebook page: