(Un)Belonging: The Production of Black Trans Loneliness

Abstract

Black trans people frequently deal with the violent consequences of systemic erasure. Particularly, Black trans people experience structural racism and oppression that socially and economically isolates them, creating conditions for a unique experience of loneliness. In this essay, I engage queer of color critique to explore structural forces that work together to systematically and violently exclude Black trans people. The purpose of this conceptual piece is to advance loneliness theory to include structural isolation to explain manifestations of loneliness due to discrimination and oppression of Black trans people. I discuss my motivations and methods to engage in this work, my theoretical framework, followed by a critique of the theoretical underpinnings of loneliness research. Later, I identify and define three manifestations of structural isolation—anti-Black racism, cisheterosexism, and neoliberalism. Then, I discuss how these forces work together to produce structural isolation among Black trans people and how that isolation places them at risk for loneliness. I conclude this article with a discussion on how queer of color critique provides a framework for a more inclusive analysis of race, gender, and class in social work studies. Finally, I put forward my perception of the critical implications for social work.

A Gender Affirmative Model of Training and Service Provision Among HIV Service Organizations in the U.S. South

“…Investment in growing the leadership and collective power of TGNC Southerners living with and most systematically affected by HIV is foundational to Meaningful Involvement of People Living with HIV 26 and Health Equity Implementation research. 68 Building collective power requires the prioritization of HIV-affected TGNC community members as co-researchers 69 in the development, implementation, and evaluation of GAM training and service provision among HSOs across the South. Additionally, individuals most systematically affected by cis-hetero-White-male dominance (e.g., Black and Brown transgender women and femmes living with HIV in the South, TGNC Southerners of non-dominant languages) should hold decision-making, content expert, staff, and advocacy roles across all levels of organizational change.…”