Remembering those we’ve lost also means honoring those who are still with us, doing incredible work in varied movements for justice across the globe. At PWN, a national network of trans and cis women living with HIV, we reaffirm our commitment to fight hand in hand with our trans, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary siblings until we are all free. We remember the past, honor those who have passed, and take action in the present for a brighter collective future.
Being a good ally can mean so many different things including contacting your representatives and asking them to put a stop to the slew of hateful anti-trans bills introduced this year, speaking out against transmisogyny and violence, and paying Black and brown transgender women living wages. “We demand action which could include advocating in the absence of transgender folks until a safe space has been prepared for them to own their own narratives,” said Octavia.
“PWN-USA created the RISE (Resist, Inspire, Sustain through Education) Gender Justice Training Academy to educate and elevate transgender women so that they will be better equipped with the skill sets and tools to create a sustainability model that works for them,” said Octavia. We firmly believe that organizations working with people living with HIV must ensure a racial justice and gender justice lens to the work and especially their trainings. You can center the voices of women of trans experience of color living with HIV by hiring our certified trainers!
“So, in closing, we ask you to remind yourself of the following mantra: ‘People Do Not Care How Much You Know, Until They Know How Much You Care,’ from my mentor, Avery Wyatt.” – Octavia Y. Lewis, MPA
