Trans Murder Victims Honored During 'Queer Liberation March' in New York

Transgender murder victims were honored by name during the “Queer Liberation March for Black Lives and Against Police Brutality,” in New York City on June 28, video from the event shows.

Marchers carried banners with the names of trans women of color who were murdered in the United States, including Michelle Tamika Washington, Chanel Scurlock, and Layleen Polanco.

The march was organized by Reclaim Pride Coalition (RPC), “a New York City-based group comprised of LGBTQ+ activists in alliance with dozens of grassroots community groups, nationally and internationally,” according to their website. “We know that queer and trans liberation is inextricably tied to racial justice; we march as a call to action in solidarity with Black LGBTQ+ People.”

RPC’s primary demand was for the City of New York to defund the NYPD, and the group aligned themselves with “organizers” and “abolitionists” calling for a “fifty-percent budget reduction in the NYPD as well as a fifty percent reduction in police officers, with the funds going to Black-led organizations and community support and services,” they said.

“We join them in demanding a dismantling and reimagining of community safety that incorporates the tenets of Transformative Justice and Restorative Justice. We join them in resisting reformist solutions that will only further entrench the existing system that is rife with racial inequity and racist intent. Black America has already endured a lack of safe and sustainable housing, equal access to quality education, and healthcare equity; but now faces the exacerbation of all of these community stressors, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

RPC said they would not coordinate with the NYPD in any way nor seek a permit, but would encourage social distancing per the guidelines of health experts. Credit: Lindsay Gandolfo via Storyful