Among the many LGBTQ+ groups and organizations, the Lavender Rights Project stands out as an organization dedicated to fighting for the rights of the Black trans community and the problems they face.
“We’re literally fighting society and the government as trans people but that’s not who we are. We are at this dangerous intersection where we are being harmed, our community is at risk, that’s also who we’re not. We are the creators of culture, we’re the culture keepers of our society, especially in the Black community,” Jaelynn Scott, Executive Director for the Lavender Rights Project, said.
Protecting rights and empowering the trans community with services and advocacy is the goal of the Lavender Rights Project. They’re hosting a comedy showcase Saturday with the goal of lifting spirits for those who need it most while leaving showgoers with a better sense of the struggles the community faces.
“We face a lot of anti-trans legislation - left and right - we wanted this to be a center of happiness, the center of comedy, bring it back to our home field. Blackness, we created roasting, we wanted to bring that element to this showcase, to pride,” Randy Ford, Development Director for Lavender Rights Project, said.
Better understanding, raising voices for justice, and support for the Black trans community is what Lavender Rights Project is hoping to accomplish not only this Pride month, but every day, for years to come.
“We need people to show up in support of us and be as loud as those other voices and let people know that we value LGBTQ people, we value transgender people and all that they bring to all of our society, and all that they bring to our culture,” Scott said.
You can catch the show Saturday at 7. There will be special performances and guests. Doors open at 6 and you can buy tickets at the door at the SIFF Cinema on Pine Street.
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