When Laverne Cox appeared on the cover of Time, the country was buzzing with what this could mean for trans people. Would it mean that Black trans women, so much at the forefront of cultural trends yet often erased from political conversations, would finally earn their long-deserved due? Would it mean that America would finally be willing to reckon with its long history of violence against gender-expansive people?
So many questions were raised then, and so much excitement and hope were born. While the trans community celebrated the accolades and visibility, transphobic people demanded that we prove why we should be allowed to exist.
Despite the continued assault on trans people's personhood, Black trans people continue to be at the forefront of liberation movements and making new art, creating worlds that help us all imagine beyond this one.
When asked why so few trans-inclusive spaces exist, I first must acknowledge incredible Black trans people are cultivating affirming spaces in the arts. The truth is that these same forces understand the undeniable power of art. How it helps shape minds into imagining worlds beyond oppression, beyond white supremacy, beyond fear and terror and hate.
Art also demands that who we witness on our stages, in these spaces, is who we demand centering of.
Art can show us the world is not exclusive but as expansive as the imaginations that create it. And it can affirm for us that we do not have to allow white supremacy to occupy this world nor dictate the terms for living in it. Of course, the grand illusion and lie we have been told about art theater is that it can be free of the real politics in which its institutions exist.
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How can I pretend away that the American theater, as an institution, still refuses to grapple with its betrayal of the ideals it said it wished to embody in 2020. The 2023-2024 theatrical season has no production of a Black trans woman's full-length play within it. And dare I say, there seems to be no push to have more than one. While Black trans playwrights exist, stellar in their brilliance, the American Theater has yet to commit to expanding whose work is witnessed on its stages. The truth is that theater, like the country, must recognize its duty to those who make sure it can exist. To ensure those who will make sure art is revered for the life-affirming vocation it can be.
To save a democracy, one must first save a people––the artists.
Theater can be a trendsetter and clarify to its audiences what our responsibility to social justice and liberation can and should be. While visibility does not equal the work, visibility can be a tool to reinforce who we are determined to honor and remind others that we have the right and will continue to exist.
Our commitment to cultivating affirming spaces for trans people can save lives. It can also send a clear message about where we stand politically and culturally and clarify who we believe deserves to exist not only on our stages but in our country, communities, and lives.
A world free of oppression is possible, but not without Black trans people. So, if you want to get free, pour into Black trans lives. And begin to cultivate spaces affirming to us––in art, politics, the future, and the now.
Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi is an award-winning playwright, choreographer, and advocate. She founded The Inanna D Initiatives, which curates, produces, and cultivates events and initiatives designed to center and celebrate the work of TGNC Artists of Color.
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