Blavity News & Politics, July 27, 2020: Three Black Trans Women Are Turning What Was Once Called A ‘Gay Ghetto’ Into America’s First Flourishing Transgender District
When three Black trans women decided to take action, in 2017, by creating a space for transgender residents to be celebrated, protected and empowered, they gave birth to the first legally recognized transgender district in the world.
The Transgender District, located in Tenderloin, San Francisco, has been home to LGBTQ+ residents since the 1920s. Now, 100 years later, thanks to cofounders Honey Mahogany, Aria Sa’id and Janetta Johnson, it’s a renowned neighborhood that memorializes the deep history of local transgender folks while cultivating an environment of pride and community.
“The Transgender District was founded in response to gentrification and displacement in San Francisco and an urgent need to provide legal protections for our neighborhood in San Francisco’s Tenderloin,” Executive Director and cofounder Aria Sa’id told Blavity.
