TRANS & HOMELESS SERIES

[deleted user]

I'm starting a series about every city I spend an extensive amount of time in: mapping out how they treat their homeless, the spread of gentrification, all the shiz I experience, stories that are shared with me, and resources for trans folks.

The introductory post can be found here.

Might be in California, or New Orleans next.

Know of any stuff there, or places that need attention I should look into along the way?

 

[salxtina]

Aww Shot In The Dark, I waited out several long nights there...
Glad you're putting all this together, will check out yr updates.

 

[deleted user]

Aww Shot In The Dark, I waited out several long nights there...
Glad you're putting all this together, will check out yr updates.

Yeah, it's been a decent spot. Spent half my time in Tucson there.

People say it's less of a free place since the Marriott came in next door, but so long as you buy a coffee they seem to leave you alone and let you linger forever.

Lots of travel types rolling through here all the time.

 

[XlilyX]

Mad respect. I love how you're able to articulate all these experiences into a well spoken piece of journalism. I find myself reeling constantly- trying to process and express how im perceived and interacted with as a trans homeless female. It usually ends up being suppressed; eventually exploding in an unhealthy manner.

 

[deleted user]

Mad respect. I love how you're able to articulate all these experiences into a well spoken piece of journalism. I find myself reeling constantly- trying to process and express how im perceived and interacted with as a trans homeless female. It usually ends up being suppressed; eventually exploding in an unhealthy manner.

Thank you!

I feel you there. It's hard not to just lie down in defeat being in such a vulnerable position while going through the day-to-day shittiness in this world. I certainly hope I meet more queer and trans travelers to be among soon, feel like I'm hiding behind dysphoria pretending to be undercover or something.

I hear crowds of them are out there, just need to get to places I can meet 'em.

 

[Gypsybones]

Depends on what time of year you get to Nola, on whether or not they do anything to you. Show up during carnival or French quarter Fest and they might be doing sweeps. If the cops say move, you move, Nola is not Portland or Cali, they will haul your a as in or just beat it.

 

[deleted user]

@Gypsybones good to know. Hopefully I'll be connecting with some good folks down there. Planning to busk tarot and poetry for cash on the side between odd jobs.

 

[Hazardoussix6six]

Depends on what time of year you get to Nola, on whether or not they do anything to you. Show up during carnival or French quarter Fest and they might be doing sweeps. If the cops say move, you move, Nola is not Portland or Cali, they will haul your a as in or just beat it.

agreed! lots of kids got swept up the week before Halloween. they don't fuck around down there

 

[marmar]

That's amazing. I admire people that can put their experiences into good words. I read your piece and would love to read next ones.
Answering your question, sort of. I am in NYC and I know there are fare amount of resources for homeless trans youth. I had a few trans friends passing by here, those who were looking were able to find. I feel like this city is a liberal bubble, and its become easier to be trans here within last few years. New bathroom laws, for example, that give you the right to use it according to gender identity and it's not illegal for anybody to even question you there. It used to be big issue for my friends. But now at least this one is gone. I heard other big liberal cities are same way. Like LA and SF etc. It's still not easy to be homeless tho anywhere, whether trans or cis.

 

[deleted user]

That's amazing. I admire people that can put their experiences into good words. I read your piece and would love to read next ones.
Answering your question, sort of. I am in NYC and I know there are fare amount of resources for homeless trans youth. I had a few trans friends passing by here, those who were looking were able to find. I feel like this city is a liberal bubble, and its become easier to be trans here within last few years. New bathroom laws, for example, that give you the right to use it according to gender identity and it's not illegal for anybody to even question you there. It used to be big issue for my friends. But now at least this one is gone. I heard other big liberal cities are same way. Like LA and SF etc. It's still not easy to be homeless tho anywhere, whether trans or cis.

Appreciate the compliment!

It seems to vary everywhere I've been. Seems in liberal bubbles of some cities I hear of trans homeless being treated better than others. Places like Tucson are mostly liberal cities within red states. Here, no such bathroom rights exist. It is twice as hard to be homeless and trans. If you are pre-HRT of course you can fake your identity to use places and resources, but that takes its own toll. My next bit will be about resources for people in such position here. A lousy thing I've found is here being a border town they require ID at food banks, shelters, and for lots of other resources. Reason being is basically just to be racist toward undocumented immigrants. Going to try to touch at how these bureaucracies only address symptoms of people on the streets and how all these issues are intersectional. What is made out of racism effects other homeless cis and trans people, too.

If I wouldn't had made connections when I got here having lost my ID I'd be screwed.

 

[Deleted member 20240]

Screw drinkin my koolaid. I'll have what your drinkin. Your so brave and smart☺

Ok.so, let me just say that this whole bathroom debate is about the dumbest godamn thing since racial segregation. Seriously? Piss where u wanna piss. Jesus christ! Why would anybody give a fuck about where anybody else uses the bathroom. I cant even begin to express how humanity baffles me.

Now to the issue of North Carolina, I believe it was.
The Govenor said it was a safety issue." You should use the bathroom of your birth identity cause bad sexy things could happen if you dont". Alright, so what stops some perv hetero male from walking into the ladies room and claiming he was born a woman and snapping cooter pics under that law? Not a flippin thing! Are we gonna card b4 allowing bodily functions now? Theirs so many ways and scenarios in which to call this out as what it is. DISCRIMINATION! The real pervs and degenerates are the ones trying to pull shit like this. Just open a newspaper at any given moment and one of these assholes is being caught with thier pants down, literally. Gettin the ignorant ass masses riled up against an enemy that doesnt exist so thier too distracted to notice these wolves in sheeps clothing fleecing away!

All these phony ass christian think they know it alls got another thing coming if thier is a god. Cause honestly Shadow, people like you are the ones fighting the good fight. Keep it up, stay strong.

 

[deleted user]

Second in the series is now LIVE.

Screw drinkin my koolaid. I'll have what your drinkin. Your so brave and smart☺

Ok.so, let me just say that this whole bathroom debate is about the dumbest godamn thing since racial segregation. Seriously? Piss where u wanna piss. Jesus christ! Why would anybody give a fuck about where anybody else uses the bathroom. I cant even begin to express how humanity baffles me.

Now to the issue of North Carolina, I believe it was.
The Govenor said it was a safety issue." You should use the bathroom of your birth identity cause bad sexy things could happen if you dont". Alright, so what stops some perv hetero male from walking into the ladies room and claiming he was born a woman and snapping cooter pics under that law? Not a flippin thing! Are we gonna card b4 allowing bodily functions now? Theirs so many ways and scenarios in which to call this out as what it is. DISCRIMINATION! The real pervs and degenerates are the ones trying to pull shit like this. Just open a newspaper at any given moment and one of these assholes is being caught with thier pants down, literally. Gettin the ignorant ass masses riled up against an enemy that doesnt exist so thier too distracted to notice these wolves in sheeps clothing fleecing away!

All these phony ass christian think they know it alls got another thing coming if thier is a god. Cause honestly Shadow, people like you are the ones fighting the good fight. Keep it up, stay strong.

Thank you.

Have no choice in the fight.

Some of the craziest discrimination I've seen has been among the radical movement itself. I was at a commune called East Wind over a year ago, where bathrooms were communal and as well as most showers. Yet, they divided their member waiting list along the binary appearance and their bunkhouses. I tried to change the legislation within their so-called egalitarian direct-democracy and it was met with ideas like women with penises being rapists or crazy.

I jumped across the country to other communes under the same banner of the FEC and found ones called Twin Oaks/Acorn deciding to make its yearly "Women's Gathering" trans-exclusionary because of the views of a few women on the board making the decision. When I wanted to write among these interconnected communes about their lack of intersectionality on this, I found myself silenced at every turn through bureaucratic red tape the same as the state.

Rather than have this conversation, I was turned into the streets into a life on the road.

 

[Deleted member 20240]

I don't know if you've heard about this place of if it would even be up you alley, but I thought you might find it interesting. Im not a Christian, but I am spiritual. I don't preach, I don't covert. I try my best to live my life with love and try to do good. I relate to your struggles. I myself, am not trans, but have spent my entire life questioning autority, pressing buttons and trying to make a place for myself in a world that would rather I not exist if I dont conform. I too, spent my share of time in foster care, but thats a whole different barf bag Trying to keep your identity,believe in your own self worth and show others that you are a good person when you dont fit the status quo is tough. Your best friend and ali is, and always should be yourself but, I can tell you already know that. Good for you!

 

[Deleted member 20240]

When I say I relate to your struggles I mean it in an empathetic sense, i guess. I know what your dealing with is way beyond what I could ever completely relate to because I will never be in your situation. Just know you have an ali in me .

 

[deleted user]

Thanks for the info on these.

 

[ScumRag]

That's amazing. I admire people that can put their experiences into good words. I read your piece and would love to read next ones.
Answering your question, sort of. I am in NYC and I know there are fare amount of resources for homeless trans youth. I had a few trans friends passing by here, those who were looking were able to find. I feel like this city is a liberal bubble, and its become easier to be trans here within last few years. New bathroom laws, for example, that give you the right to use it according to gender identity and it's not illegal for anybody to even question you there. It used to be big issue for my friends. But now at least this one is gone. I heard other big liberal cities are same way. Like LA and SF etc. It's still not easy to be homeless tho anywhere, whether trans or cis.

Hey, wait a minute: I saw your post on SF being trans-friendly & hold up... My brother is FTM & got his ass beat with a paintcan by a cis just for walking by 6th & Market. The cis guy fucked him up pretty badly... So its all about place & time.

My bro now carries a knife & pepper spray cuz no one can be too safe, just sayin...