Genders & Sexualities Alliance (GSA) Network and Transgender Law Center are excited to announce the publication of our collaborative “We Protect Us” zine, a letter to trans, queer, and Two Spirit+ (TQ2S+) youth on hate crimes, accountability, and collective liberation!
Written by our Youth Research Fellow and former TRUTH alumn, Jacqueline Pham (they/she), this zine explores how TQ2S+ youth make sense of “identity-based bullying” and “youth hate crimes,” what they believe the role of law enforcement should be in responding to this harm, and what accountability and safety look like from their perspective. Follow the internal narrative of a TQ2S+ young person navigating these struggles and, ultimately, reaching the conclusion that our community and people are the ones who keep us safe.
A reflection of youth’s internal conflicts in trying to find true justice for all young people, this zine hopes to start conversations with youth on how they can think imaginatively about queer liberation and futures. We know that a liberated world cannot be achieved through relying on systems of power that historically and continue to presently marginalize and brutalize us. It will require us to come together as a community and imagine beyond the current world we live in and what is presently afforded to us. We hope this zine will encourage our community to take the steps towards creating a new world where trans, queer, and Two Spirit+ young people are truly free.
We ask that you read, engage with, and share this zine with your own communities and comrades. Start conversations by using the reflection questions at the end of the zine. Together, we can protect each other, fight against systems that actively harm us, and build towards true liberation.
