SIS Student Advocates for Transgender Rights
June is Pride Month, and this June 28 marks the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots that sparked the LGBTQ+ rights movement that Pride embodies. But against the cheerful backdrop of parades and celebrations stands the inescapable fact that across the US, From restrictions on gender-affirming healthcare to weakening civil rights laws, these bills all have the potential to cause harm to LGBTQ+ individuals and threaten the safety of the LGBTQ+ community. Despite the number of bills, there wasn鈥檛 much success from far-right politicians backing these bills this legislative season, and many of these bills have failed. The transgender and gender-nonconforming communities have been the target of many of these recent bills. Still, there are organizations taking action to advocate for and support the transgender community in the face of these issues.
Chris Chavers, SIS/MA 鈥25, advocates for the transgender community through his work with . We caught up with Chris to learn more about his role at Transgender Law Center, the work the organization does, and how his studies at SIS furthered his work on LGBTQ+ rights.
Centering Humanity in Work and School
When considering further educational opportunities, Chavers knew that he wanted a future that included community engagement and education. Armed with a self-designed BA in Social Justice Studies and Community Engagement from Antioch College, he saw the opportunity to further develop his interests and broaden his knowledge of issues impacting marginalized communities. The Ethics, Peace, and Human Rights (EPHR) graduate degree at SIS seemed to be a perfect fit and provided a chance for Chavers to expand his toolkit for working in the education and advocacy space.
鈥淚 wanted to be able to problem-solve and engage with social issues at a national level while also having the international aspect to draw on,鈥 said Chavers. 鈥淭he EPHR program was designed to be able to draw analysis and explore many different critiques and efforts to further human rights, and it connected to the values, missions, and passions that I hold.鈥
Working while attending graduate school is not an easy task, but it helps when your work and education share a similar theme: humanity. The EPHR program builds on the existing foundations and knowledge of human rights issues that Chavers has brought to his work and utilized to find new solutions and ways to fight for the rights of all.
鈥淚n its simplest form, my job is about humanity at its core, and many people in this fight are simply trying to remind people to have humanity for others. We're seeking not just human rights for all, but liberation and freedom for all oppressed people,鈥 said Chavers.
Work with Transgender Law Center
Transgender Law Center is the nation鈥檚 largest trans-led organization, and its work in advocacy and liberation is rooted in racial justice and legal expertise. Through various community-based programs, Transgender Law Center鈥檚 myriad of priorities include access to health care, healing justice measures, economic justice, racial justice, violence prevention, and political education.
At听Transgender Law Center, Chavers is The National Policy and Programs Organizer and is responsible for leading and managing programmatic and policy efforts to improve access to health care, healing justice, economic justice, racial justice, violence prevention, and political education for transgender people and gender non-conforming people.
鈥淚 work with national partners on strategy and development for emerging and ongoing policy issues impacting TGNC folks and speak at convenings and conferences on our work here at TLC,鈥 said Chavers.
Advocating for Global and Domestic LGBTQ Rights
Chavers鈥 work and education, combined with his lived experiences, have all played a large role in understanding transgender and LGBTQ+ rights, both domestically and internationally. Some of the biggest issues facing the transgender community worldwide are a sharp rise in anti-trans legislation, increased violence, and the inability to freely express one鈥檚 identity.
鈥淢y work in trans rights, especially being a Black trans man, has provided me with a lot of layered experiences and understanding that I bring into the work,鈥 said Chavers.
Among the multifaceted programs and efforts at Transgender Law Center is the Trans Agenda for Liberation Coalition, a coalition focused on building national political power within the trans agenda that Chris manages. Other programs include the Positively Trans program, which addresses inequities, stigma, research, and education about HIV through research, leadership, development, and storytelling. A special program called Border Butterflies Project听was piloted in 2020 and provided life-saving resources to trans and LGBTQ+ migrants at the southern US border.
Through his studies, Chavers has been able to understand how issues facing the transgender community internationally are similar to those domestically but are often heightened: 鈥淟ooking at LGBTQ rights internationally has shown me the deepened way that colonization and Western imperialism have, for all their influences and powers, created a lot of different injustices that LGBTQ folks are experiencing worldwide. When you have folks from further marginalized groups who hold Black, Brown, or Indigenous identities and also have intersections of being LGBTQ, they are even more vulnerable to particular conflicts and violence throughout the international community.鈥
Advocacy All Year-Round
While Pride Month is a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, it is also a time to reflect on those who came before and the fight for equality that is still ongoing. Pride is more than a celebration; it is a protest and a form of resistance. 2024 marks the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which were led by trans women of color, Marsha P. Johnson and Silvia Rivera.
鈥淧ride is a resistance, and both leaders understood that without everybody being free, that means none of us are liberated. That's what Pride is about,鈥 Chavers said. 鈥淚t's not just about the celebration and the validation of people within our community; it's also about understanding that there were people before us who laid the foundation for us to be able to be where we're at today.鈥
The threat that is posed to LGBTQ+ communities does not pause during Pride month, but Pride serves as a reminder that we can all advocate for the equal human rights of all people all over the world. By recognizing the impact that the LGBTQ+ community has made and working to protect them now and in the future, Chavers says we can all help to build a more inclusive and just world: 鈥淭rans history and LGBTQ history are part of history. It's not just one section of it, the same way that Black history is not just one section of history. It's all of it, and it compromises all the different identities that we see day to day. What we need to do is just show up for those people and advocate for human rights holistically. We are working along with the community to find solutions and win liberation not just during Pride month. Throughout the year, we should be fighting for the liberation of all people, across all areas. Each struggle is connected, and we have a great deal of work to do in our fight for collective liberation.鈥
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