Context

The TransLatin@ Coalition is a leading national advocacy organization and direct service provider for Transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex[1] (TGI) people in the city of Los Angeles. It is the only organization and direct service provider in Los Angeles founded on the activism of Transgender Latin@ Immigrants that directly works to address the needs of TGI people, while planning strategies to improve our quality of life.

We release this policy agenda out of necessity, with 396 Transgender murders reported in 2018, and many more left untold,[2] hundreds of homeless TGI people, rising HIV/STD rates among our community, healthcare protections at risk, and various other forms of institutional violence; the system is legally killing us. As the Translatin@ Coalition expands and serves as a vital resource for the TGI community, regardless of race, creed, age, size, immigration status, ability, or any other systemically stigmatized

identity--we notice a direct lack of resources and advocacy efforts centering the struggles of our community. This policy agenda will be used not only to work toward securing the legislative rights for our community and to hold the state accountable, but to demand moral integrityfrom society as a whole.

Background

In November 2017, the TransLatin@ Coalition held its first ever Transgender Policy Institute, which convened TGI

movement leaders across California to improve their knowledge of policy and the legislative process. This convening showed our grassroots community that political engagement is a realistic and necessary expectation, and although policy is not the ultimate path toward our liberation, it is a tool we use to demand our rights as TGI people. We believe a combination of grassroots organizing, direct action, and political engagement are strategies toward the

collective liberation of our community. Along with the training component of this three-day institute, we identified immediate issues facing our community across the state.

In addition to the convening, we conducted a California Policy Survey for TGI people and hosted a series of strategy sessions with impacted experts. Our intent was to gather insight directly from TGI communities to guide the direction of the agenda. The survey and strategy sessions asked questions about the needs and state of TGI people in education, housing, healthcare,

criminalization, immigration, and employment. With a combination of community feedback, advocate input and intimate conversations with loved ones, coupled with our expertise as a direct service provider, we transformed our vision and these issues into tangible policy actions that address the current needs of our communities. The agenda outlines the identified issues and policy solutions we will advocate and organize for, with community blessings.

Our Vision

The TransLatin@ Coalition envisions a world where transgender, gender non- conforming, and intersex (TGI) people are granted dignity, respect and autonomy in society, reflected through policy and systems that dictate our ability to live. Our purpose as the TransLatin@ Coalition is to amplify education, policy and resources to promote the empowerment of Transgender leadership to fulfill this vision. We foresee a world where those who are visibly and non-visibly[3] transgender, gender non-conforming, or intersex can navigate the world without being demonized, fetishized, criminalized or murdered. TGI people experience discrimination in multiple aspects of society as a result of sociocultural factors that ‘other’[4] TGI people and a lack of comprehensive policy that protects our lives and

prohibits our mistreatment. TGI people deserve to be treated fairly socially, institutionally, and systemically. For too long we have been disenfranchised by a system that demeans our existence. It is time for us to thrive in a society and on land that has historically been ours. We are committed to advancing policies and practices that reflect this divine and moral vision.

Policy change works as a way of holding society and institutions accountable for violence and discrimination committed against us. We provide these local, state, and federal policy actions in hopes of improving and preserving the livelihood of TGI people in Los Angeles, California, across the country and globally. Investing in the collective liberation of the TGI community is a moral obligation and

works toward ensuring the health of the larger population within the United States and beyond.

Use these agenda action items as a resource for advocacy and community organizing across the country, with information specific to the state of California. The vision for this report is informed by data collected from our statewide survey, in-person strategy sessions, community conversations, past reports, impacted friends and family, in-depth research and advocate input; all credible and valuable forms of knowledge and understandings of TGI experiences.