You can watch the video here.
Antoinette: I do see that we are live. Awesome. Hold on. One sec. I’m so sorry. Trying to mommy and parent, and be an advocate. It’s very, very challenging during these times.
But hi, everyone. Welcome. Welcome to the Rap Up Facebook Live. My name is Antoinette and I’m the National Field Organizer at PWN, Positive Women’s Network. And we are here to have a conversation in honor of Trans Day of Visibility. We’re so happy for folks who can join us. We are so happy to have two very very special guests with us. I will give them a chance to introduce themselves and to really, like, brag on themselves a little bit because they are out in the community doing the thing and we want to make sure that we are using today this Facebook Live, to really shine light on the work that is being done. Honor those who have paved the way for us and uplift our people, our folks, our women of trans experience. So, thank you so much for joining. I’m going to pass it to Arianna to give us a brief introduction.
Arianna: Thank you, Antoinette. Hello, everyone. My name is Arianna Jones. I go by She, Her, and Hers from Raleigh, North Carolina. A new brand-new trainer for PWN. Certified and I’m just here to lift up my sisters and share experiences on this day of visibility.
Antoinette: Awesome. Thank you so much, Arianna for being here. Jones sister. And we’re going to pass it to Miss Octavia. And you can go ahead and introduce yourself.
Octavia: Yes, yes, yes. Hello, everyone. My name is Octavia, pronouns are she and her. I’m going to put this disclaimer out there. Antoinette, don’t ever apologize for being a mother. Like, it happens. I remember when mine used to do the same thing. So, people know we have busy lives. We do not have single-issue lives. Please do not ever feel like you have to apologize when your baby is being a baby. Off of my soap box.
I’m a board member of PWN. We are a national organization led by and for women, transgender, and gender diverse folks living with HIV. We were formed in 2008 by our first group of women and transgender people living with HIV to center the leadership and decision making by our members and the policy and programs that impact our lives and lead in our communities. We believe that the HIV epidemic and its disproportionate impact on some communities, including black transgender women. We use a racial justice and a gender justice lens in all of our analysis. We strive to actively combat these injustices in our organizing, our policies, our actions, and our advocacy. Our organizational values show the world who we are, how we work, and the care we show for one another.
How does transgender inclusion show up at PWN? Like this. It shows up through centering the leadership of individuals like Arianna, one of our recent trans Rise Justice fellows who is now a certified trainer, and trans and gender diverse folks living with HIV. We also do this through policy priorities including trans rights, safety, and justice. And our commitment to Trans Liberation as a central part of our gender justice work. Our RISE Gender Justice training program and Trans Inclusion and Liberation Training for HIV Advocacy Organization. And PWN commits to the following. Respecting and affirming people’s gender and pronouns. Using respectful person’s first language. And internationally maintaining a safe space for transgender and gender diverse folks. And we have zero tolerance for transphobic comments and actions. Thank you.
Antoinette: Thank you, Octavia. Thank you for dropping the mic. I wanted to pass it back to Arianna. Arianna, can you share a little bit about how PWN has committed to our organization’s racial and gender justice.
Arianna: Well a lot of the things that we’ve learned in our training is that it is not a crime to be trans. Which you know, of course, the government tries to make it out to be, but, our efforts are to educate on what being trans is, because a lot of the hate that we receive is out of ignorance and not knowing. So, education is definitely, getting out there, doing advocacy work. That’s what PWN stands for, organizing and making sure that people are educated about certain topics. Educated about the laws and things that are being pushed through local and national government and organizing so that the awareness is out there, so that people know, so that people get out and vote. So that people are able to have their voices heard. So that everyone has a seat at the table. Not just the ones who make the laws. Everyone has a seat at the table.
Antoinette: Beautiful. Thank you so much. And thank you both for just uplifting some of your experiences while being a RISE Gender Justice, not only a part of the program but now a trainer and facilitator and also on the board of directors. Two very very powerful leadership positions that I am really really inspired by.
And I want us to move into our questions. So we know that allyship is very, very powerful. I learned from another advocate that even more powerful than allyship, being an accomplice does more. They show up. They support. They go out. They speak. They defend. So I want to know from the both of you, what is look what does it look like to be an ally? Or even better, what would it look like, and even feel like, for folks to show as accomplices in this movement?
Arianna: Oh, okay. Allyship. Wow. An ally is basically an individual who is there. Like you said, Antoinette, they’re there. They’re not just taking up space, but they’re creating space as well. They’re making it so that people know what it is that they’re there for and who they’re there to support. They’re not just standing to the sideline. They’re standing shoulder to shoulder. Back to back with anyone that they’re an ally for. That’s what it means to me.
Octavia: So, for me, thank you for that beautiful definition of ally because that is correct, and for me, an accomplice is someone that again takes it a step further. Because with allies, they can or often times I have seen, that they tend to take a step back when things have gotten too uncomfortable or when their bodies have been put on the line. And for accomplices, they have just as much to lose as we do. And for them, they’re going to stand in the gap even when we’re tired and we can’t do it. They’re going to stand there when we get bottles and bricks and things thrown at us. They’re going to be there when, you know, all of these transphobic and hateful laws are coming down. They’re going to be there to wipe our eyes when we’re crying, trying to get through this.
With the accomplices, again, they are going to be the ones that are there when we take those hits and again, like I was talking about, you know, the transphobic laws that are coming down particularly in the southern states. They’re there to dry eyes. Like when we have been crying non-stop because this really impacts our lives. And for me those accomplices are going to be there to take those hits just like we do. And when we fall down they’re going to be there to lift us back up because they’re going to be dusting themselves off too. And so for me that’s what it looks like when you have accomplices that are there to stand in the gap for us. But also know the importance of allowing us to speak for ourselves. So that’s how accomplices show up for us.
Antoinette: Come on. Yes. That’s what I’m talking about. I love that. And I love that you said they can stand back to back with us. Okay, when we are tired, when we are done crying or are crying, they can wipe our tears. I love all of that. Thank you so much to the both of y’all for sharing.
The next question, we always, always talk about MIPA, Meaningful Involvement of People living with HIV and AIDS. We always talk about inclusion. So, I want to know, what does it mean to meaningfully include people of trans experience in HIV advocacy spaces and what does that mean to you? How important is that for you and what you do and also what needs to shift or change entirely for you to show up in the way that you can? So that we can do this work. Octavia, I’ll hand it to you first.
Octavia: Sure, I think a prime example or a model to follow is what we’re doing. It’s where your organization commits to leveraging, you know, the earned assets and the privilege that they have to show that trans women are more than statistics. And again, like the wonderful and
powerful, beautiful Arianna who is now a certified trainer that can now use the skills that she got from going through the RISE training to create her own level of sustainability. Because now she is a master trainer. Like, she can take what she has learned and she can go out and charge $150-$200 an hour because she’s a subject matter expert. And that’s what it looks like.
And like I said, I’m not just tooting my horn because I’m a board member. But I truly believe in the mission and the work of PWN. So, for me, this is what it looks like to show up. And say hey, this is how we’re going to leverage what we have to ensure that again trans women have a seat at the table and not only have a seat but are leading the conversation at the table. So, that’s what that looks like for me.
Antoinette: Yeah, yes. So beautiful, so eloquently said, thank you. Arianna, what what about for you?
Arianna: That’s going to be a two-parter for me. What it means, it, what it means for me is the advancement from where we’ve been and the journey to where we’re going. We have come so far from where we have been at one point in time. You know, being beaten. We weren’t we weren’t allowed to have a seat at the table. We weren’t even allowed to be in the building where the conversations happen. Now, we have individuals not only sitting at the table but building their own tables. And that’s an awesome, awesome thing.
Now, where we’re going? The work that we’re doing, the work that is out there, we are doing things in leaps and bounds. We’ve had trans women in Congress. Congress! We have, there’s a trans Mayor or Governor? So, that within itself shows that there is nothing that women of trans experience, individuals living with HIV, there is nothing that we can’t accomplish, and with the work that we’re doing, it is only a matter of time before we get there.
Antoinette: Come on now. Yes. I appreciate you both for answering. I wanted to check in with our tech people on the back end to see if we have any questions from folks on Facebook. Maybe Barb might have any percolating questions that we wanted to ask you all in this moment.
And while Barb is doing that, if you can, can you share how folks can get in touch with you? Instagrams, Facebooks, emails, how can people reach you? Because we know that advocacy does not just look like the people who are always in the spaces but advocacy looks like moving the folks who are not comfortable yet to be into these spaces. Folks who may still be isolated. Folks who may not want to speak up and speak out just yet. So what if this video came across their YouTube and they’re, like, I need to reach Arianna. I need to reach Octavia. That’s me right there. How can they reach y’all?
Arianna: Well, you can find me. I’m on Facebook: Arianna Jones. I forgot my Instagram handle. I rarely use it but I forgot my Instagram handle. I’m on Email. You can email me [email protected] and I’m also on TikTok.
Antoinette: Love a good TikTok!
Octavia: Like definitely, you can reach Arianna and I both through getting in contact with PWN. Definitely getting in contact with Barb. You can reach me also on Facebook. I am Octavia Y. Lewis, MPA. And again, I have Twitter and Instagram, but y’all I am not that savvy with it so I don’t even, but yeah, but Facebook is definitely a place where everyone can see me. And you can definitely email me at [email protected]
Antoinette: Awesome. So, we did have a few questions in the chat. The first question was like, somebody just saying, we need to educate ourselves and our organization. How do we hire a RISE trainer? And the question to, the answer to that is to reach out to Barb at [email protected]
Another question, which I love because this has been my word of the season: what brings you joy? Yes. Octavia, go ahead.
Octavia: Yes, for me, it’s definitely my boys and the fact that we just purchased a home outside of Atlanta and the suburb and the fact that they have a backyard and we have a little bit of a front yard. Like, that brings me joy just to sit and just watch them play and be kids. I know it doesn’t cost much to see that but that’s bringing me, it’s brought me the most joy these last couple of weeks. So that’s my happy moment.
Antoinette: You were right when you said bringing because it’s going to continually bring you joy. Arianna, what about you? What brings you joy?
Arianna: Ooh, there’s a lot of things. I’ll start with my nieces and nephews. I’m not a parent but I’ve raised my nieces and nephews and to see the smile, when they smile, when they’re excited, when they’re happy about something, just brings me the ultimate joy. My two fur babies who I’ve had, my oldest is 15 and the other is 10. So, I’ve had them for quite a while. They bring me just happiness. Gardening. I’ve recently started gardening. I have an avocado tree that I started last year that is growing exponentially. So, that and family. Family, whether it’s blood family, whether it’s extended family, whether it’s just family that you’re meeting, brings me joy.
Antoinette: So beautiful. I am requesting an avocado in advance.
Arianna: I got about maybe, what? Three or four more years before it starts fruiting. So, it takes about five years for them to fruit. Last year it started. It’s going pretty well.
Antoinette: Awesome. That’s so beautiful. Gardening definitely teaches you patience. It teaches you how to become one with the earth. So, I really really love that.
And then another question that we have is, what does Trans Day of Visibility mean to you?
Arianna: For me, Trans Day of Visibility means a lot. It means a lot because there was a time when we weren’t visible. Where being visible meant your life could be taken. So now, for us to be able to live our lives in the sunshine with our faces to the sunlight, is just a testament to how far we’ve come and how much more we have to go.
Antoinette: Thank you. Octavia, what about for you?
Octavia: Yes, I love that and thank you for saying like, how far we have come and how much further we have to go. For me, Trans Day of Visibility, it looks like us living in our authentic truth unapologetically. It looks like us not worrying where our next meal is gonna come from. It looks like us, you know, living and thriving and not always having to look over our shoulders.
So, the fact that again, it’s a two-fold where it seems like the more we become visible, it seems like the more people attack us. But I also know that it starts to create, once we get to that tipping point, where we’re not ostracized, that we are humans. And I want people to start to see us, because we are mothers, aunties. We are caregivers. We are providers, nurturers. We are all of those things and many, many more.
For me, that is where the visibility piece, really brings them in for me, because I can remember as a young person of trans experience, I didn’t see that many people that look like me and then I was told that like, oh, you’re not going to live that long anyway, and I’m beginning to internalize that and believe that.
But now, seeing older women of trans experience, being able to hug them and give them their flowers. It allows me to see like, hey, I can get there. Like, I don’t have to be that statistics that says that our, you know, average life expectancy ends before thirty-five. I don’t have to be that statistic and I’m thankful. I’m forty-two. So, I beat that statistic and I want many of my other trans siblings, particularly my sisters, to be able to beat that statistic as well.
Arianna: I think we both beat that statistic, Octavia, because I’ll be 43 this year.
Antoinette: Yes. Yes. They need to get an emoji like this *snaps*. I need the snapping emoji. We need the snapping, the clapping, I need folks to really be showing love in the chat and they are.
I wanted to also answer this question because Trans Day of Visibility is very important to me as well. One of the first people who empowered me, who told me that they saw me, like they saw the me in me aside from my mother, was Miss Toni-Michelle Williams. And she really, really was the first trans woman that I met. And also was the first to really call me her daughter. And I didn’t know what that meant at the time. But the way she showed it, I was like, oh, this is the love that they feel within the trans community and I was privileged enough to feel that love from her. So, I just wanted to call her into the space and to recognize her on this day.
So, another question that we have was if we want to be allies and accomplices, what is a good resource for us to learn more about how we should show up for our trans sisters? I wanted to say a few resources that I know that can support is Trans Agenda for Liberation from Transgender Law Center. Positively Trans. If you are in Tennessee, I just got connected to WeCareTN, Positive Women’s Network. But Octavia and Arianna, if you all have some references that you wanted to share for folks, please do so.
Arianna: The only references that I know of will be PWN and Positively Trans. There’s Lambda Legal. They do a lot of things. GLAAD and things of that nature. So those are a couple that I know of. I know there are more out there.
Octavia: (unintelligible due to connectivity issues) …Like, there are a lot of resources that are out there for trans individuals now like if a person of trans experience is stranded somewhere, the Black Trans Travel Fund will help get them a ticket to get home or give them funds to get food. So, there are definitely some wonderful organizations that are out there that are doing the work that are hands-on and still doing the grassroots work. So, those are just a couple.
Arianna: Oh, wait. There’s one more that I have. One more, and this one is out of North Carolina. It’s 5th Ave. Alliance. It’s run by a good friend of mine named Flex Jonez and he’s awesome. A man of trans experience and very awesome.
Antoinette: Awesome. And we will be sure to share some more resources for you all when in the chat or we will send them out through our PWN spaces.
Octavia: Another shameless plug. Another one. TAKE Resource Center in Birmingham, Alabama. Monica Roberts Freedom School for trans and gender diverse individuals. On the movement, on how to start their own nonprofit. So that’s another good resource. So, please check them out also.
Antoinette: Awesome. And I I heard Arianna and Octavia say one thing. It was that, yes, we want a seat at the table, but also, we are making our own tables. So, if that resource is there to help you learn how to start your nonprofit, to give you the tools that you need in order to
get up off the ground, whether it’s a support group or anything in your local towns or jurisdictions, in your neighborhoods, then definitely reach out to the folks that you see on this call, the women that you see who are sharing this information with you today.
So, Octavia, Arianna, I wanted to thank you for joining us on the Rap Up Live. You both have shared some really, really, really important gems. I honor you on this day.
I wanted to ask if Barb had any words because I know Barb is the cheerleader for the RISE Gender Justice Program. Barb has done so much. So, Barb, if you wanted to share anything or come on camera and say anything.
Barb: Yes! Hi everybody. Barb Cardell, I use they/them pronouns and I am just so eternally grateful to Antoinette for facilitating this conversation and to our RISE Gender Justice trainers, where we are centering the lived experience of transgender women living with HIV as the subject matter experts. There couldn’t be anything that I am prouder of than being a part of this of this project and to know each of you.
And again, if people want to go ahead and have a training, would like to partner with PWN and our facilitators, we would love to come and do a training for you. You can reach out to me at [email protected]
And other than that I just want to thank Arianna, Octavia, our other facilitators and faculty with the RISE Gender Justice Training Program for being the subject matter experts. And honoring our lived experiences and elevating so much passion. And expertise. And Love. So we see you. We love you. And you are so important to us. With that, Antoinette, I’ll turn it back to you for a little last word.
Antoinette: Hi Barb. We love you so much.
So just some closing remarks for folks. We ask that if you are not a PWN member but you’re watching us live and you want to become one, we will drop the link in the chat of how you can join us in this movement. If you want to be a part of a powerful, fierce source of women and women of trans experience, you are in the right place, okay?
And then also, once you become a member, we have a members exclusive call, a monthly call, and our next one is coming up on April 14th. And we hope that we can see everyone there, and you can share all that you are doing around advocacy, your passions, and things that you are working on.
So, thank you so much for joining us. Until next time. We hope to see you again. Look out for some more Facebook Lives from Positive Women’s Network.
And I don’t have anything else. So, thank y’all. Have a good day!
