(Orlando, FL) America has this weird and pervasive narrative that people from significantly disadvantaged backgrounds must somehow pull themselves up by the bootstraps and with drive and determination alone, fight their way into a life of economic stability and “success”. The concept of the “American Dream” is patently false and criminally misleading. The majority of people we consider the most successful came from old money or started with points of privilege or legacy that created an uneven playing field that they benefitted from. They very well may have worked hard, but it wasn’t just tenacity that got them where they are. The true way that most of us find our footing is from depending on each other and when one of us makes it through a door or to a table, we reach back and bring our people with us. In the village, in community, there is no room for gate-keeping- only collaboration and sharing what we know.

In mid-August, Equality Florida hosted the 2nd Annual Voices for Change Convening in Orlando, FL led by Angelique Godwin, their Director of Transgender Equality. The foundation of the Voices for Change Convening brought key Trans leaders from throughout the state together to impart “a deep understanding of strategies and tools necessary to overcome the persistent challenges faced by the Transgender community. These strategies and tools must be developed by the community itself…. creating a space to cultivate innovative and impactful solutions to combat the anti-Trans violence and rhetoric” both the state and the country are currently facing. The convening builds off of pillars that were established the year prior and through careful work and collaboration throughout the year: Community Education, Resource and Information Sharing, Healthcare, Funding and Housing. Angelique and her team were expanding and cultivating the village.

Orlando, FL - On June 30th, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) issued a memo to municipalities, banning street art containing social, political, or ideological messages on roads, shoulders, intersections, and sidewalks. They cited safety concerns for the aggressive stance and went on to threaten withholding state funding from cities that didn’t immediately comply. The directive targets public art like Pride crosswalks that appear throughout the state and the "Black History Matters" street mural found outside of the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museumin St. Petersburg, FL.

Since, several cities including West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach and Tallahassee, have started willingly removing the art while the cities of Delray Beach, Miami Beach, Key West and St. Petersburg, FL seem poised to fight back. In a subsequent letter from the State, several of those cities were told to remove the Art by a deadline of Sept 3rd and if they did not, FDOT would come in without further communication to remove the artwork “by any appropriate method”, the expense of which would be charged back to the municipality.

In stunning news, the City of Orlando woke today to learn that the State of Florida had come in overnight on Wednesday under the cloak of darkness and removed the rainbow cross walk that stretched across Orange Ave, the street that sits directly in front of Pulse Nightclub where 49 innocent victims lost their lives in a mass shooting on June 12, 2016. The city of Orlando, it’s Mayor, several elected officials and countless community members condemned the act and began immediately filling the then blank crosswalk spaces in with color chalk.

We have written this headline or some version of it before. Trans lives are headline news in 2025. The Executive Orders, in Sports, in Schools, in Medicine and in passports. You can scarcely turn on the news or TikTok or go to the supermarket without debates raging about Trans lives. But Transmisia wasn’t born in January of 2025, nor did it ride in on a MAGA caravan, Trans folks have been being mistreated, neglected and murdered in this country for as long as they have existed- forever. As these debates and stances perched high upon moral high grounds rage on, Trans people, specially Black Trans people continue to die.

On the Blaque/OUT website the TRAII system lists, records and remembers each and every known murder of a Trans, Non-Binary or Gender Non-Conforming person since 2018. The pictures are haunting, the stories are heartbreaking and the stats are infuriating. The list continues to grow. Say the names and read the stories of the folks we’ve lost in just May, June and July of this year alone. Because if we don’t- who will?

0:05: Sam Nordquist

1:05 Trans Passport Ban Reversal

2:34 Tennessee Gender-Affirming Care SCOTUS decision

According to a proposed budget document obtained by the Washington Post, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is planning to eliminate the national LGBTQ youth 988 crisis lifeline at the end of September.

Join Javannah Davis and Blaque/OUT Magazine as she witnessed the opening of the Ts Madison Starter House in Atlanta, GA on March 31st.

Make sure you pour into BlaqueOUTMagTV on Youtube and the next issue of Blaque/OUT Magazine in May for a tour of the house and the full interviews with some of the amazing people who worked to open the Starter House, were present to see the ribbon cut and even the Ts herself! Congratulations Madi!

For more information about the Ts Madison Starter House, visit: https://naesminc.org/ts-madison-starter-house/

Since Day 1 of the Trump Administration, the Trans community has been hit over and over again with vicious Executive Orders that challenge everything from their right to serve in the military, to ability to receive life-saving care, to questioning their very existence. While organizations and Attorney Generals from across the nation bring the legality and constitutionality of these actions to Federal Justices for intervention, the consequences of the hateful rhetoric spewing from our highest offices is parroted by the masses and puts the lives of every single Trans community member in more and more danger every day. This week alone, the murders of both Tahiry Broom and Sam Nordquist hit the news and an already hurting community.

In 2022, Blaque/OUT Magazine told you the story of 20 year old Jimmie “Jay” Lee, a missing University of Mississippi student. He was a popular LGBTQ student pursuing his Masters degree at the University. He was well-known, out and popular. On July 8, 2022, he disappeared. His social media posts stopped, his bank transactions stopped and his family hadn’t heard from him. Lee’s mother reported him missing, a search ensued but Jay Lee was never heard from again. Over the weekend we learned that Jay Lee may have finally been found.

A young, white nursing student is murdered on a trail in Athens, GA near the University of Georgia campus and there is an international media frenzy. An undocumented immigrant is arrested, tried and convicted. Months later, Santonio Coleman was murdered on a trail in Athens, GA near the University of Georgia campus and there is no press, no arrest and no justice for Santonio.