Oh, Ceyenne

Growing up in the 70’s, Ceyennne Doroshow never played in the dirt or liked sports. She did not resonate with being gay, lesbian or with the word tranvestite. Though she was assigned “boy” at birth, Ceyenne knew that she was a young lady in the vein of her mother and grandmother - proud and stylish women known for fantastical church ensembles - even though they did not initially see Ceyenne for who she was. Refusing to erase herself, Ceyenne left home as a teen. She lived on the street, surviving as a sex worker while facing heinous acts of exclusion, arrests and stereotyping - all during a time where society didn’t yet have the words to describe who she was. Ceyenne’s only refuge was the eclectic melting pot of 70’s/80’s downtown NY, where she felt welcomed, nurtured and seen. This included one profound moment of understanding her identity: when a fellow Transgender woman asked Ceyenne to give her a hormone shot. Eventually Ceyenne’s journey led to her becoming a powerful matriarch of the Transgender society, taking in any and all who were marginalized like she was. Ceyenne has founded G.L.I.T.S (Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society), an agency that centers on harm reduction, health care, housing and education for the Trans community. 

GLITS

Being Trans and Black represent some very specific stumbling blocks. To begin with, there's a fight against racism and the daily micro-agressions that come with it. You heap on top of that a good dose of transphobia, misogyny and homophobia and you have the perfect recipe for being one of the last lighting rods of hatred. It is not easy being a Trans person. Not even in 2021. I usually check my privilege when I read about the 26 Trans people who have been killed this year. And we're only in May!

The idea that in the XXI century some people are still trying to take away the humanity of Trans people makes me stabby. It shows how entrenched they are in their privilege, how blinded they are by the sense of entitlement that being cisgender brings. They obviously do not know any Trans people and have never heard their stories or listened to their point of view. And that alone, speaks volumes. Trans people have been members of society since societies were formed. They have been part of everyday life since people decided to live as groups. It does not take a paleontologist or a sociologist to know that. People also tend to forget that gender is an internalized notion of masculinity or femininity, and as such, it should be taken with a healthy dose of critical thinking. 

Also, when in doubt, I make myself remember that the first to throw those bricks at stonewall were Trans women of color. Just saying.

XOXO