Trans People Are Sacred - 100 Cities Campaign

TRANS PEOPLE ARE SACRED
NATIONAL BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN

In recent months, the Transgender community has been faced with numerous calculated attacks from the current administration. Intentionally regressive policy reform has led to increased systematic discrimination against Trans people. This has led to the loss of vital protections in healthcare, housing, homelessness resources, and the cruel and sudden exclusion of Trans people from military service. These are fundamental human rights, all of which are necessary for our survival.

The violent murders of Black Trans Women and Trans Women of Color remain at epidemic levels. In 2020 we have already seen too many brilliant individuals taken from this world by force. The public should be a safe place for Trans and gender non-conforming people to exist freely.

It is our goal to reclaim public space for the Trans community.

Our bodies are holy ground, our magic is potent and true, and our existence makes the world a more loving and equitable place for all. We have always been here and always will be. We demand safety for our community. We demand the right to exist without being targeted. We demand understanding. We will continue to work tirelessly until these demands are met.

Now is the time to bring our light into the world like never before.

In July of 2019, Transgender artist and activist Jonah Welch  launched a billboard in Detroit, Michigan, in collaboration with Save Art Space  and Ellen Rutt . The billboard proclaimed "Trans People Are Sacred,” a phrase that was first shared with Jonah by Dakota Camacho  years earlier while they were residents of the Audre Lorde Cooperative in Madison, Wisconsin.

The billboard was intended to strengthen representation and inspire hope for Trans individuals in Detroit, but the piece spread like wildfire. The billboard reached a global audience. The words, Trans People Are Sacred, took root, and catalyzed profound healing for individuals and communities the world over. After the success of the initial billboard, Save Art Space reached out to Jonah Welch to create a national-level project for this work. 

Now we have the opportunity to spread this message even farther.


WE NEED YOUR HELP

It is our goal to place these billboards in one hundred cities across the United States, with a distinct focus on conservative areas in the south and southwest. The billboards will go up between mid-September and mid-October, just weeks before the election, so that our voices can be heard. Because of its inherent accessibility and visibility, it is our belief that public art holds the potential to shift culture. Each $1000 we raise will allow us to place a billboard in another city. The additional $52k will be used to pay 52 Trans & Non-Binary BIPOC artists $1000 each for their work (50 visual artists and two curators). And while our initial goal is $152k, we hope to exceed this amount and cover the country with this beacon of hope. 

CALL FOR BIPOC ARTISTS

We are dedicating the majority of billboard space to the work of Trans & Non-Binary BIPOC artists. All art must include the phrase "Trans People are Sacred" or a culturally-rooted variation on this phrase specific to the artist. (ex: "Black Trans People are Sacred"). We encourage artists to interpret this phrase through the lens of their ancestral language and culture. Each selected artist will be paid $1000 for their work.

The cohort of BIPOC artists will be selected by Dakota Camacho  and Ryan Young . For submission guidelines, to suggest a billboard location, or to inquire about press opportunities please contact Jonah via the Gofundme contact form.