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Meet a Grantee

Sylvia Rivera Law Project, New York, NY

Sylvia Rivera Law Project uses a feminist and anti-racist lens to conduct public education, impact litigation and organizing. SRLP works locally and nationally to assert the rights of transgender, intersex and gender non-conforming people—especially in prison or shelter settings.

The prospect of seeking refuge in a homeless shelter is a wrenching experience. For too many people, young and old, isolated or without family, it is a terrible reality. It has been a plight made worse for trans people seeking home in New York City. As a result of a cruel and arcane policy of placing trans women in men's shelters, the incidences of rape and assault against this population have been pervasive.

Enter the Sylvia Rivera Law Project. After three years of strategic negotiations with the Department of Homeless Services, SRLP and a remarkable coalition of allies persuaded the City to eliminate its discriminatory and dangerous policy. Finally, after decades of enduring stigma and physical harm in shelters, trans people—many of whom are youth—are now entitled to receive gender appropriate shelter.

While the policy has been changed, its compliance must now be monitored. SRLP is working with DHS to provide employees and administrators with the necessary education and training. Additionally, SRLP is partnering with fellow activists in Michigan, New Mexico and Arizona in order to replicate what has proved to be an enormously successful strategy.

SRLP was founded in 2002 by Dean Spade, a transgender attorney and activist. The Law Project is nationally regarded as a substantial force for social change—building coalitions and providing analysis on issues of gender, racial and economic justice. Named for Sylvia Rivera (1951-2002), a veteran of the 1969 Stonewall Inn riots and a tireless activist for the trans community, the Law Project has memorialized Rivera through legal advocacy, training and public education, and policy reform.

In an unusually short time, SRLP has accomplished an enormous amount. A collective of thirty members, the Law Project has served more than 900 clients facing discrimination in a variety of contexts. They helped establish the policy that transgender youth in foster care in New York State cannot be forced to wear clothing associated with their birth gender and they secured visitation rights for a transgendered parent. The Law Project also helped provide legal support for the Trans March for Social and Economic Justice after the NYPD denied them a permit. The march took place as scheduled.

Central to SRLP's mission is pioneering work in the prison reform arena. When the New York Department of Correction announced that it would end its separate gay housing unit, the Law Project stepped into action. They conducted substantial media outreach, met with key leaders in the Department, filed an amicus brief and organized a community forum. SRLP also worked on the new award-winning documentary, Cruel and Unusual, about trans women in men's prisons.

www.srlp.org

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