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This November, Osborne will hold its third annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). Organized by Grace Detravarah, Osborne’s LGBTQ Liaison and Senior Peer Educator, TDOR will be an occasion to remember and mourn the transgender and gender-expansive people murdered in the past year, call for an end to bias and violence, and celebrate our trans family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors.
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The number of transgender people killed in 2020 (33 so far) is the highest number recorded since the Human Rights Campaign began tracking such killings in 2013. Most were Black or Latinx transwomen.
Our keynote speaker will be Ceyenne Doroshow, founder of G.L.I.T.S (Gays & Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society). Other speakers include Alisha King of SWOP (Sex Worker Outreach Project), Mik Kinkead from Legal Aid Society, and Melania Brown, the sister of Layleen Polanco, a transwoman who died on Rikers in 2019 after suffering a seizure that went untreated. Ms. Polanco’s death has ignited activism aimed at eliminating the use of solitary confinement in NYC jails.
Speakers will also address an anti-loitering statute known as the “Walking While Trans” ban. As enforced, the law has essentially criminalized transgender existence. Overwhelmingly, those arrested under this law are Black and Latinx transwomen. Osborne has joined many others supporting a bill before the NYS legislature to repeal the ban.
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the event focused this year on educational success from early childhood through college, with participants sharingresources and stories on how to give children experiencing parental incarceration the best opportunity to flourish at school. The month included weekly virtual events, participation in a month-long national summit, along with story times, author talks, calls to action, a children’s art contest, and a gallery show. Teachers, counselors, and caregivers learned strategies for mitigating the stigma and isolation children can feel and for involving incarcerated parents in their kids’ academic progress. While the month is ending, SEEing and SUPPORTing children is year-round: the voices, artwork, and resources live on at the See Us, Support Us website, including he invaluable 5 Tips for Educators.
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Record numbers of people are early voting in the 2020 election. Whatever is inspiring this call to civic action (we have thoughts), it is resonating throughout Osborne, particularly those of us whose ancestors were denied the right to vote for centuries of US history, and those who lost the right to vote during time in prison or jail.
This fall, Osborne staff held a series of online workshops on voting and the US Census – a critical tool to ensure our democracy represents us. Offered multiple times a week, in English and Spanish, workshops covered the nuts and bolts of how to complete census forms, register, and vote. Across Osborne, individual programs carried out their own voter education efforts. We were aided by partners like the Manhattan Borough President’s Office, which did on-site voter registration during a kick-off for Osborne’s newly launched West Harlem Reentry and Restoration Project.
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Whatever happens on November 3, we will still be a long way from equality, justice, and a “more perfect union.” Osborne will continue to use the tools of our democracy to make sure our lives count and our voices are heard. From all of us at Osborne, thank you for supporting our work to transform lives, families, communities, and the criminal justice system.
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Elizabeth Gaynes
President & CEO
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For up-to-date information about Osborne programs and services during our office closure, please call 718-707-2798. You can also reach all staff through email and their Osborne voicemail—which will continue to be accessible to staff.
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