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Trans Princetonians like us wo n’t be moving anywhere.
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This email is being written during Transgender Joy Week, which lasts from November 13 to November 19 and ends on November 20th, the day before the TransGender Day of Remembrance. Rita Hester, a Black trans woman who was killed in Boston in 1998, was the subject of the 1999 Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony, which honors all those who have died due to anti-trans crime. Every fall, trans Princetonians gather on that day to remember our trans sisters who passed away the previous month. But this week, we’re trying to celebrate, educate, and advocate for transgender and genderfluid persons in our neighborhood.
For transgender people in Princeton and the numerous different states and nations that our society people call home, the previous year has been especially difficult. For their own social gain, anti-trans activists and propagandists have launched vicious attacks against transgender people in 2023. This includes those visiting Princeton within a year of our solemn monument in an effort to incite retaliation from the students. Politicians in a number of U.S. says have passed or promoted legislation preventing both transgender juveniles and adults from controlling their own bodies, in contrast to evidence-based health standards of care. We want to get a stand for and commemorate trans delight in the week leading up to Transgender Day of Remembrance. Trans people are deserving of recognition as the important community individuals they are because they have made such significant contributions to Princeton.
The resilience of our society in the face of anti-transphobia demonstrates that, despite this angry setting, we are here to stay. Trans individuals are not novel to Princeton’s school, as evidenced by the LGBTQIA Oral History job at Princeton and the interviews conducted by The Daily Princetonian with transgender students from 1960 to 2000. We’ve only really gained the ability to speak up.
Recent queer and trans students on campus are working to address issues that affect them, such as calling for trans-inclusive college housing and bathrooms.
The Human Diversity Lab at Princeton University is working on the TransYouth Project, the second “large-scale, nationwide, longitudinal study of morally transitioned transgender kids to time.”
Alumni from Princeton have also contributed to larger populations. For instance, actor and planner Asanni Armon ’17, who was a part of Princeton’s Black Justice League while he was in school, founded For the Gworls in 2019. This rent group has since developed into an umbrella organization for Black trans people in New York.
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On an administrative levels, the University is making efforts to honor the achievements of trans people. Lynn Conway, a pioneering computer engineer and transgender activist at the University of Michigan and professor emerita of electric engineering and computer science, received an honorary doctorate from the university next spring.
At the national and state levels, transgender people have made headway that is comparable to that at Princeton. In the face of a flood of anti-trans rules, the Transgender Law Center and the National Center for Trans Gender Equality have been working hard to defend the rights of trans people in the United States. HiTOPS and the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice have collaborated to develop educational and community-building possibilities in Princeton. The Princeton Pride Alliance is dedicated to establishing connections between Princeton and these businesses.
Trans security, joy, and quality are crucial aspects of our lives as Princeton residents. We want Princeton to be a spot where these principles are upheld.
The Gender and Sexuality Resource Center ( GSRC ) at Princeton is planning events this week to celebrate trans love, joy, and power. This Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m., Princeton’s trans undergraduate and graduate students will host a party of transgender delight at the GSRC with delicious food, activities, and singing for anyone who wants to participate.
We are your coworkers, peers, mentors, teachers, and friends. We are committed to Princeton’s trans future and have always been around. Travel take a seat with us.
People of The Pride Alliance wrote this opinion piece. The Pride Alliance is an undergraduate learner organization at Princeton and elsewhere that focuses on promoting and establishing communities for LGBTQ+ people. Following us @prideprinceton on Instagram. You can contact Kat Brinkman at kb8522@princeton .edu with any questions you may have about this piece.
