Annual Report 2017
Dear Beloved Community,
2017 brought many peaks and valleys. The Sylvia Rivera Law Project celebrated 15 years of work towards trans justice. We experienced a watershed moment in our fight for self-determination when a federal judge brought down New York State Medicaid’s discriminatory ban on affirming healthcare for trans women and TGNCI youth. Across the country, though, the rise of state-sanctioned racism, transphobia, Islamophobia, misogyny, classism, and anti-immigrant sentiment continued, leaving many in our communities living in confusion and fear. In response, we witnessed an outpouring of support – the movement for racial, gender, and economic justice continued to bloom. More people became politically involved and joined the cause. They built community through marches, demonstrations, online – anywhere that allies were organizing for justice. They made sure their voices were heard and that the most powerful leaders in the state understood that we were unwilling to be beaten down and made to cower in fear – that we would call for accountability for police, for immigration enforcement, even for the highest office in the land.
This momentum will continue. Now, more than ever, our demands are politically viable. Justice will not trickle down to the most vulnerable amongst us. We must work to ensure that our people are safe from violence in order to lead movements that will make them truly free.
We present this Annual Report not only as a reflection of the work that we’ve done but also as a roadmap for the work that remains ahead. Inspired by “Resistance in Bloom”, the theme of our 15th year, we wanted to share with you the ways that we are continuing to grow our work towards transformative change while keeping our grassroots strong. Inside, you will read about SRLP’s 13-year fight to increase access to healthcare and our continuing battle to ensure that the state properly implements its own regulation. You will learn more about the hundreds of cases we undertook this year to provide affirming and respectful services to our people. You will see the public education and Know Your Rights materials that we have created to assist our community, who, every day, navigate enormous barriers to care, safety, and even just being able to see each other, due to policing and profiling.
The fight is not over. We appreciate the support of each and every one of you.
In Solidarity,
Maxwell Scales, Director of Development
See our past Annual Reports here
