Raquel Willis on the future of feminism

President Biden may have signed new protections for LGBTQ people, but there’s anti-trans legislation being proposed in over a dozen states—and trans and gender-nonconforming people still face dangerous realities everyday.

What will it take for trans women—especially Black trans women, who are most at risk for violence—to live safe, free lives? This week on UNDISTRACTED, Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with activist and writer Raquel Willis about the struggle for transgender rights in America, and the importance of leadership opportunities for Black trans women.

Willis, one of the organizers of the June 2020 March for Black Trans Lives in New York, has worked for the Transgender Law Center, the Ms. Foundation and OUT magazine.

Packnett Cunningham and Willis dig into her work on the Trans Obituaries Project, spiritual trans ancestry and her “expansive new vision of feminism.” Highlights include:

• Willis on centering the humanity (and not just the dangers) of the Black trans experience: “A lot of times in our society, we don’t consider that trans people have lives, have loved ones, have family, have partners, have parents that want to make sure that we’re safe. So we’ve got to consider the humanity of the Black trans experience as well.”
• Willis on Black trans power: “Black trans people often amongst ourselves feel our power, but don’t necessarily really feel like other people see our power, see our potential for crafting a world of liberation.”
• Willis on an “expansive new vision of feminism:” “The new vision, particularly in the feminist space, is reckoning with our history. So if we can consider that some of those early [feminists] were just white supremacist as hell, then we also need to be able to consider that there has often been a trans misogynistic underpinning to larger feminist fights…It is a problem that we see public figures like J.K. Rowling, or even to a lesser extent, a Chimamanda Adichie, who espouse misinformation about trans women and try to pit trans women against cis women. Yes, trans experiences and cis experiences often are very different…That does not mean that our experiences as women are less valid or more valid than any other group of women.”
• Willis on the Black trans ancestors that guide her: “One of the most beautiful things about being trans or being queer in general is considering ancestry from a more expansive lens…There is a spiritual lineage that connects me to other queer and trans folks throughout history. I had to seek out their stories…the Marsha P. Johnsons, the Sylvia Riveras, the Crystal LaBeijas, the Mary Jones and Frances Thompsons—all the way back in the 1800s who are documented. I connect with them and I call on their ancestral power to get me through today because…there have been Black trans and gender-nonconforming folks throughout time.”