black trans lives matter
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![New Report on Layleen Xtravaganza Polanco's Death Highlights the Cruelty of NYC Jails' Policies Toward Trans People [Corrected]](https://assets-server.theroot.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/29112449/cfwv1qgm0ku5ag3yxyyw-300x200.jpg)
New Report on Layleen Xtravaganza Polanco's Death Highlights the Cruelty of NYC Jails' Policies Toward Trans People [Corrected]
Layleen Xtravaganza Cubilette-Polanco should not have been in solitary confinement at Rikers Island. But the 27-year-old transgender woman was pushed into this part of the infamous New York City jail last year, despite a doctor’s objections and a documented seizure disorder. She would end up dying after nine days in solitary, suffering a seizure alone…
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A Noble Art: This Fine Photography Sale Helps Support Black Trans Lives and More
With all the time we’ve spent staring at the walls these past few months, it’s no wonder we’ve had art on the brain…not to mention it’s a welcome escape from what has felt like an unceasing stream of bad news. Call it art therapy, but the desire to beautify our lives is more than aesthetic—it’s…
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The Fight for Our Collective Liberation
When black people and our allies take to the streets tonight in protest—as we have on previous nights past and as we will on nights to come—we will be calling for justice. Justice for our community means justice for George Floyd. Justice for our community means justice for Breonna Taylor. And justice for our community…
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'This Is NOT Okay': Model-Activist Munroe Bergdorf Calls Out the Hypocrisy in L'Oréal's Anti-Racism Posts
As we reflect on the impact of the past week’s protests and #BlackoutTuesday, it might be considered as much a social experiment as a social justice movement. While prompted by black women in the music industry, scores of individuals and other industries quickly followed suit, prompting many a side-eye as some who’d previously remained silent,…
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Two Funds Named for Nina Pop and Tony McDade Will Provide Free Therapy Sessions for Black Transgender Folks
Black trans people have long stood at the intersection of racist violence and gender violence. In the last month, Nina Pop, a black trans woman killed in early May, and Tony McDade, a black trans man fatally shot by Tallahassee police last week, have become names to rally around, symbolizing the need for specific protections…
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Suspect Arrested in Killing of Missouri Trans Woman Nina Pop
A man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the death of Nina Pop, a 28-year-old trans woman found stabbed to death in Missouri earlier this month. KFVS TV reports that 40-year-old Joseph Cannon was arrested Friday morning in Dexter, Mo. Sikeston DPS Chief James McMillen told reporters that police were “pleased to…
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As Media Focuses on Black Lives, Activists Call Attention to Nina Pop, the 5th Trans Woman of Color to Be Killed in the Last Month
As tributes poured in last weekend for Ahmaud Arbery, the 25-year-old unarmed black man whose Feb. 23 killing made international headlines when cellphone footage of his death was released last week, racial and trans justice advocates sought space to lift up the name of Nina Pop, a 28-year-old trans woman who was found stabbed to…
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As Community Mourns the Death of Trans Woman Yahira Nesby, Police Release Footage of Suspect
NYPD have released surveillance video of a man believed to be linked to the killing of Yahira Nesby, a black trans woman who was found fatally shot in her apartment earlier this month. The footage, shared by WPIX 11, shows a black man wearing all-black clothing with gray-ish sneakers walking down a street. Nesby, described…
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The Category Is ‘Campaign Star’: Pose Star Mj Rodriguez Scores Her First Beauty Campaign With Olay Body
“When I got Rent off-Broadway in 2011, I just got to be myself and actually go on my journey through my art,” said Mj Rodriguez as she sat on a panel at Glamour’s Women of the Year Summit on Sunday. “I could live out my truest dreams, which is completely being me in front of…
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The Fight to 'Be First': Patricio Manuel, the First Transgender Professional Male Boxer, Breaks New Ground With Everlast
“Be first.” In boxing, it means to throw the first punch. As super featherweight Patricio Manuel explains, it also means risking being hit, “but if you’re able to land that shot, that’s gonna give you victory,” he says. Manuel knows a lot about being first: He is the first boxer to fight professionally as both…