Eli Erlick | |
|---|---|
 Erlick in 2022 | |
| Born | July 10, 1995 Willits, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Website | elierlick |
Eli Erlick (born July 10, 1995) is an American activist, writer, academic, trans woman and founder of the organization Trans Student Educational Resources. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Eli Erlick was born on July 10, 1995. Her parents met while protesting, which she cites as a background behind her activism. She is of Jewish heritage and grew up near the rural community of Willits, California. [5] [6] She came out as transgender when she was 8 years old, when she started to experience harassment, isolation, and violence. She could not use her school's restroom and was threatened and bullied for years after. [7]
At age 13, she publicly transitioned to female, keeping her birth name. She medically transitioned shortly after. [8] She then began her work in advocacy and writing at 15 and founded the organization Trans Student Educational Resources at age 16. [9] She attended Pitzer College in Claremont from 2013 to 2016. [10] [11]
Erlick cites starting activism at age 15, in 2010, when she became a board member for an LGBTQ youth conference. She became public in media over a year later while advocating for California's School Success and Opportunity Act, the first state bill to protect transgender students. [1] That year Erlick co-founded Trans Student Educational Resources, an organization "dedicated to transforming the educational environment for trans and gender nonconforming students through advocacy and empowerment." [12]
While advocating for admissions for trans students at women's colleges, she spoke about the importance of remaining skeptical of all policy work. [13] [14] In 2015, Erlick published an article on why equality should not be the goal of the transgender movement. [15] For her organizing, Erlick has been recognized in Refinery29 and The Advocate among other publications. [16] [13] In 2015, she led national efforts with Trans Student Educational Resources to admit trans women at women's colleges. She also co-authored Trans Student Educational Resources' model policy for admissions of trans students at women's colleges. [17] [18]
Erlick also co-founded Trans Youth Leadership Summit, a program run through Trans Student Educational Resources. It is the only national fellowship program in the United States for transgender youth. Several of its fellows have gone on to become prominent media advocates, activists, and organizers since its launch. [19] [20] In 2017, she began publicly advocating for self-expression of gender-nonconforming transgender women. [21]
Erlick and a group of transgender activists erected a bronze sculpture of activist Marsha P. Johnson in 2021 in Christopher Park. The sculpture was not authorized by New York City Parks but later received a use permit, making it the first sculpture of a transgender person in New York City. [22] [23] The sculpture received positive reviews from art commentators, citing the criticism of George Segal's Stonewall National Monument for "whitewashing" the Stonewall Riots. [24] [25] The New York City Mayor's office announced plans for a statue of Johnson and her collaborator, Sylvia Rivera, in 2019 but the statues never came to fruition. [26] [27]
In February 2022, Erlick alleged that conservative political commentator Matt Walsh was "attempting to dupe dozens of trans people and doctors into participating in an anti-trans documentary under false pretenses". [28] [29] She uncovered that Walsh created a front organization, the Gender Unity Project, after his producer attempted to recruit her into the project. [30] [29] Walsh later revealed the project was part of his then-upcoming film, What Is a Woman? . [31] [32] [33]
In March 2023, multiple Washington, D.C. transgender sex workers contacted Erlick to allege the owner of the security firm responsible for the suicide of Eden Knight hired them. [34] Later that month, Erlick recovered, restored, and colorized numerous photos from LGBTQ history. [35] She attributes black-and-white photography as a factor in the erasure of trans people of color from history.
In 2011, at age 16, [1] Erlick co-founded Trans Student Educational Resources, an organization "dedicated to transforming the educational environment for trans and gender nonconforming students through advocacy and empowerment." [12] It is the only national organization led by transgender youth. It is one of the largest transgender organizations in the United States. [3] [36] [37]
In August 2022, conservatives including Tucker Carlson, Matt Walsh, and Blaire White, criticized Erlick for detailing a plan on social media for individuals to send spare hormone therapy prescriptions to people in those U.S. states which are working to criminalize such drugs, despite the law only allowing such drugs to be prescribed by a physician. Some conservatives reported her to federal authorities, including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. [38] [ better source needed ] [39] Chaya Raichik said that her account Libs of TikTok was suspended from Twitter after accusing Erlick of distributing the medications. [40] [41]
Walsh accused Erlick of being a "confessed drug dealer" and later reported Erlick to the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she is a PhD candidate. After the university's leadership initially ignored Walsh, he shared the contact information for several leaders of the university on social media. The university then said in a statement that "as a campus continuously working in pursuit of social justice," it "strongly supports transgender members of our community.", adding that "The university is aware of social media posts by one of our graduate students related to gender-affirming medical care outlawed in certain states. The university takes allegations of illegal activity seriously, harassment included." Erlick defended herself from criticism, saying that "all trans people should have access to gender-affirming care" and that "trans people have shared hormone replacement therapy treatments for over 80 years. This is nothing new or unique. It is important to add that no one is providing hormone replacement therapy to children and the accusations that I am are false and absurd." Erlick also accused Walsh of "profiting from the moral panic over transness through new followers, advertisers and pageviews. Money, fame and power are his only goals." Following Walsh's comments about her, Erlick received slurs, harassment, and threats of violence. [39]
Erlick and other activists accused Walsh of stochastic terrorism, a term used to describe an incitement of violence against a target through social media with plausible deniability. Walsh denied these accusations of terrorism, arguing that sharing contact information that is publicly available does not constitute harassment and that criticizing someone does not constitute terrorism. [39] Erlick alleged Walsh targeted her for her accusations that he misrepresented his documentary to potential interviewees. [42]
Erlick writes about political philosophy, social movements, and transgender communities. [43] [44] She is a doctoral candidate at the University of California, Santa Cruz in its Feminist Studies and History of Consciousness departments. [45] [46]
In 2016, Teen Vogue named Erlick the "New Face of Feminism" as a "young feminist changing the game". [47] Erlick also writes for publications including Teen Vogue and Glamour magazine about culture, media, and fashion. [48] [49] In 2017, Glamour named her College Woman of the Year, the first trans woman to receive the award in its 60-year history. [50]
Erlick has appeared in numerous publications discussing fashion and frequently models for fashion brands. [5] [51] In an interview with Yahoo News , Erlick stated that she felt pressured to dress femininely based on the widespread misunderstanding of gender identity and gender expression. [5] Erlick describes herself as gender nonconforming. [52]
Erlick is openly queer and lives in New York City. [53]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-2014 | Huffington Post Live [67] | Herself | TV series; Recurring Contributor; Episodes: "How Can We Create Trans-Friendly Schools?"; "Transgender Student Athletes Fight To Compete"; "The Fight For Transgender Teen Rights"; "Making College Transgender Friendly"; "QueerView with Josh Zepps" [68] [69] [70] [71] [72] |
| 2013 | SBS Dateline [73] | Herself | Documentary; Episode: "Crossover Kids" |
| 2016 | Faint of Heart [74] | Sara Quin | Tegan and Sara music video |
| 2017 | ABC News [75] | Herself | TV series with Lana Zak |
| 2019 | Tales from the Closet [76] [77] | Herself | CollegeHumor Series; Episode: "Traditional Values" |
| 2021 | Good Day New York [78] | Herself | TV series |
| 2022-2023 | Dr. Phil [79] [80] [81] | Herself/panelist | 3 episodes [82] [83] |
| 2023 | Vice Debates [84] | Herself/panelist | TV episode; "Anti and Pro Feminists Talk Abortion, Barriers, Trans Rights, #MeToo, Beauty Standards" |
| 2023 | How I Caught My Killer [85] [86] [87] | Narrator | TV series; Series Premiere |
Matt Walsh is an American conservative political commentator and podcast host. He is the host of The Matt Walsh Show podcast and is a personality with the American conservative website The Daily Wire. He has authored four books and starred in The Daily Wire documentary films What Is a Woman? and Am I Racist?
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in Tamil Nadu are the most progressive among all states of India. Tamil Nadu was the first state in India to introduce a transgender welfare policy, wherein transgender individuals can access free gender affirmation surgery in government hospitals and various other benefits and rights. The state was also the first to ban forced sex-selective surgeries on intersex infants, and also the first state to include an amendment in its state police guidelines that expects officers to abstain from harassing the LGBTQIA+ community and its members. The state also became the first to ban conversion therapy as well as the first to introduce LGBTQIA+ issues in school curricula.
The transgender rights movement is a movement to promote the legal status of transgender people and to eliminate discrimination and violence against transgender people regarding housing, employment, public accommodations, education, and health care. A major goal of transgender activism is to allow changes to identification documents to conform with a person's current gender identity without the need for gender-affirming surgery or any medical requirements, which is known as gender self-identification. It is part of the broader LGBT rights movements.
Transgender youth are children or adolescents who do not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. Because transgender youth are usually dependent on their parents for care, shelter, financial support, and other needs, they face different challenges compared to adults. According to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, appropriate care for transgender youth may include supportive mental health care, social transition, and/or puberty blockers, which delay puberty and the development of secondary sex characteristics to allow children more time to explore their gender identity.
Georgie Robertson Stone is an Australian actress, writer and transgender rights advocate. At the age of 11, Stone was the youngest person to receive hormone blockers in Australia, which set a precedent that eventually changed the law that compelled transgender children and their families to apply to the Family Court of Australia to access stage one treatment. She continues to advocate for transgender children, and is one of the most visible transgender people in Australia. She is also known for her role as Mackenzie Hargreaves in Neighbours.
Laverne Cox is an American actress and LGBT advocate. She rose to prominence with her role as Sophia Burset on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, becoming the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category, and the first to be nominated for an Emmy Award since composer Angela Morley in 1990. In 2015, she won a Daytime Emmy Award in Outstanding Special Class Special as executive producer for Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, making her the first trans woman to win the award. In 2017, she became the first transgender person to play a transgender series regular on U.S. broadcast TV as Cameron Wirth on CBS's Doubt.
This article addresses the history of transgender people in the United States from prior to Western contact until the present. There are a few historical accounts of transgender people that have been present in the land now known as the United States at least since the early 1600s. Before Western contact, some Native American tribes had third gender people whose social roles varied from tribe to tribe. People dressing and living differently from the gender roles typical of their sex assigned at birth and contributing to various aspects of American history and culture have been documented from the 17th century to the present day. In the 20th and 21st centuries, advances in gender-affirming surgery as well as transgender activism have influenced transgender life and the popular perception of transgender people in the United States.
Trans Student Educational Resources (TSER) is a United States-based organization advocating for greater recognition of transgender youth in educational institutions. The organization was founded in 2011 by teen activists and is currently the only national organization led by transgender youth.
Geena Rocero is a Filipino-born American model, TED speaker, and transgender advocate based in New York City. Rocero is the founder of Gender Proud, a media production company that tells stories of the transgender community worldwide to elevate justice and equality. Rocero has spoken about transgender rights at the United Nations Headquarters, the World Economic Forum, and the White House.
Lily Madigan is an activist within the British Labour Party. She was the first openly trans woman to hold the position of Constituency Labour Party Women's Officer, having been elected in November 2017 by the Labour Party in the constituency Rochester and Strood. Madigan's election as a Women's Officer was controversial within the Labour Party. A complaint by Madigan alleging transphobia against women's officer Anne Ruzylo was not upheld, but led Ruzylo to stand down. In 2019, Madigan was elected the national women's officer for Labour Students.
Jazz Jennings is an American YouTube personality, spokesmodel, television personality, and LGBT rights activist. Jennings is one of the youngest publicly documented people to be identified as transgender. Jennings received national attention in 2007 when an interview with Barbara Walters aired on 20/20, which led to other high-profile interviews and appearances. Christine Connelly, a member of the board of directors for the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth, stated, "She was the first young person who picked up the national spotlight, went on TV and was able to articulate her perspective and point of view with such innocence." Her parents noted that Jennings was clear on being female as soon as she could speak.
Leelah Alcorn was an American transgender girl whose suicide attracted international attention. Prior to her death, she had posted a suicide note to her Tumblr blog about societal standards affecting transgender people and expressing the hope that her death would create a dialogue about discrimination, abuse, and lack of support for transgender people.
Nicole Amber Maines is an American actress, writer, and transgender rights activist. Prior to her acting career, she was the anonymous plaintiff in the Maine Supreme Judicial Court case Doe v. Regional School Unit 26, in which she argued her school district could not deny her access to the female bathroom for being transgender. The court ruled in 2014 that barring transgender students from the school bathroom consistent with their gender identity is unlawful, the first such ruling by a state court.
Sophie Labelle is a Canadian cartoonist, public speaker, and writer. She created the webcomic Assigned Male, which draws upon her experiences as a transgender child. She is an activist in the transgender rights movement, and speaks on the subjects of transgender history and transfeminism.
Grace Banu is an Indian software engineer who is a Dalit and transgender activist. She was the first transgender person to be admitted to an engineering college in the state of Tamil Nadu. She lives in the Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu.
Hunter Schafer is an American actress and model. She first made headlines in 2016 with her activism against the North Carolina bill HB2. In 2017, she started modeling for many worldwide fashion brands. She made her acting debut as transgender high school student Jules Vaughn in the HBO teen drama television series Euphoria (2019–present). Since then, she has had roles in Belle (2022), The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), Cuckoo (2024), and Kinds of Kindness (2024).
What Is a Woman? is a 2022 American documentary film about gender and transgender issues, directed by Justin Folk and presented by conservative political commentator Matt Walsh. The film was released by conservative website The Daily Wire. In the film, Walsh asks various people "What is a woman?", attempting to prove that their definition of womanhood is circular. Walsh said he made the film in opposition to "gender ideology". It is described in many sources as anti-trans or transphobic. The film was released to subscribers of The Daily Wire on June 1, 2022, coinciding with the start of Pride Month.
Transphobia in the United States has changed over time. Understanding and acceptance of transgender people have both decreased and increased during the last few decades depending on the details of the issues which have been facing the public. Various governmental bodies in the United States have enacted anti-transgender legislation. Social issues in the United States also reveal a level of transphobia. Because of transphobia, transgender people in the U.S. face increased levels of violence and intimidation. Cisgender people can also be affected by transphobia.
