This Pride Month, Justice Above All celebrates the resilience, joy, and leadership of Black trans women. From Stonewall to the present, Black trans women have been at the forefront of civil rights struggles, transforming resistance into systems and institutions that support equality for all. Yet despite their leadership, they have often borne the brunt of discriminatory policing, harassment, and violence at the intersection of anti-Blackness, misogyny, and transphobia. This episode celebrates and uplifts the voices of those working toward a future where Black trans people do not just survive, but thrive. Episode guests discuss their refusal to accept martyrdom as a framework for liberation and how to create collective power, making clear that in fighting for the rights and humanity of those most marginalized, we can strengthen democracy for everyone.
Research Manager, Thurgood Marshall Institute
Founder, #ThriveOver35, and the first openly trans person to run for California state office
Executive Director, Marsha P. Johnson Institute
Assistant Counsel, Legal Defense Fund
Core to the mission and legacy of the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) as a leader in the fight for civil rights is the conviction that all people deserve to be treated with dignity—regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, ability, gender, or sexual orientation. LDF puts this value into practice by defending the rights and dignity of Black people and other historically marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ+ community.
LDF has helped defend LGBTQ+ rights in the courts, fighting to ensure access to essential health care, equal employment opportunities, and the constitutional guarantee of equal protection. For example, LDF submitted amicus briefs in United States v. Skrmetti (challenging a Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth) and Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia (securing Title VII protections against workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity).
The Marsha P. Johnson Institute (MPJI) seeks to eradicate systemic, community, and physical violence that silences the trans community from actualizing freedom, joy, and safety. The organizations and individual providers included in MPJI’s below resource map reflect the mission and vision of MPJI by actively having Black transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) leadership and/or specifically highlighting and catering to Black TGNC individuals.
Ashlee Marie Preston started the #ThriveOver35 social media campaign to help Black trans women “reimagine themselves somewhere other than an open casket.”
