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For my archive submission, I chose to highlight a trans activist in the youth community who has been a great inspiration to me this year. Eli Erlick came out as queer and trans at the age of eight and in 2011, when she was 16, she co-founded Trans Student Educational Resources (TSER), “a youth-led organization dedicated to transforming the educational environment for trans and gender nonconforming students through advocacy and empowerment.” TSER focuses on support for trans students by writing model policies for schools, and facilitating workshops and leadership training. Eli recognizes the vital role that collaborative action plays in ending transphobia and the importance of mobilizing young people to get involved with the movement. 

“Interview with Eli Erlick, Director of Trans Student Educational Resources, at Bringing Theory to Practice's national "The Whole Student: Intersectionality and Well-Being" conference, May 2017 in Chicago, IL. “  Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKw7Nv2cxfM

A 2014 Peace First Prize winner, Eli demonstrates the power of collaborative work to help marginalized communities to be effective organizers.  Source: https://www.bustle.com/articles/137494-7-young-trans-activists-you-should-know-about-this-year

Along with being the director of TSER and a PhD student, Eli is also an accomplished writer and public speaker. She concentrates her work on queer and transgender justice; writing and speaking on subjects concerning language, media, youth, education, necropolitics, depathologization, and healthcare. Through journal articles, op-eds, and social media posts, she addresses current events, argues against neoliberal politics, and fights for intersectional representation. 

“We do not just want the same access to a clearly broken education system as our cisgender peers. We are committed to educating our communities and the public on transgender issues, which will significantly decrease victimization for all trans people.” – Eli Erlick

“The many ways that we can be women, present our gender, and live our lives came into the horizon. I spent years scared that masculinity was unsustainable. I thought people would question and invalidate my gender until I gave up.” - Eli Erlick

Eli and her peers are part of the new generation of activists who are focused on making radical change by addressing root causes of issues that affect the most marginalized communities and framing their work intersectionally. Through her writings and work with TSER, Eli is able to empower the most vulnerable groups and turn them into the social activist leaders of tomorrow. 

Compiled by Christi (they/them)

More Sources

Eli’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elierlick/

Eli’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eli.erlick/

Eli’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/elisadolphin/featured

http://www.elierlick.com/about/

http://transstudent.org/

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/eli-erlick/why-equality-is-toxic-to-_b_10319836.html 

https://www.bustle.com/articles/137494-7-young-trans-activists-you-should-know-about-this-year 

https://thequeerav.com/meet-eli-erlick-a-trans-youth-activist-who-stars-in-tegan-and-saras-new-music-video-faint-of-heart/

“Presenting an essay at the inaugural Trans*Studies Conference in Tucson, Arizona”  http://www.elierlick.com/writing/

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5 years ago, I found me. New aum, new wraps, still braiding ॐ😏💇🌺 #mybraidstoday #tbt #rewind #thenandnow #braids (at Portland, Oregon)

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#eclipse2017 #OReclipse #PinholeProjector (at Portland, Oregon)

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Ready for night to come this morning! 🌕🌔🌓🌒🌑🌘🌗🌖🌕 #oreclipse2017 #eclipse #eclipse2017 (at Portland, Oregon)

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Excited for the Storytell Your Abortion show tonight! Exactly what I needed right now. #AbortionIsNormal #ShoutYourAbortion #AbortionIsFreedom (at Black Water)

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03.17.2017 #mybraidstoday

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Welp, cancel all my plans today, I guess! #cattrap #krsna #fluffy #lapcat

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I couldn't imagine a more perfect way to spend my last day as a twentysomething, surrounded by 100,000 of my closest friends. Even the rain and cold couldn't dampen my spirits! Thank you all, sisters and brothers around the world, for reminding me of all the love that still exists and how much stronger love is than fear or hate. #WomensMarch #womensmarchpdx #womensrightsarehumanrights #love #thefutureisfeminine #whyimarch #theresistance #thispussygrabsback #nastywoman #HealthCareIsAHumanRight #DiversityMakesUsGreat (at Women's March on Washington: Portland)

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01.09.2017 my braids today It's been a lazy week of snow days for me, haven't really gotten out of my pajama pants for awhile.

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Bros to Basketball Fans: ‘Consent Is a Slam-Dunk!’

“Our society is often more legit for dudes, let’s use that privilege to give others the alley-oop!” So reads a flyer being handed out at Portland Trail Blazers games by a group of dudes going by the name Brocial Justice. The Oregonian reports the group started passing out flyers last week and plan to do so at every home game for the rest of the season. “Officially, we’re just a bunch of bros who are coming together to make things more chill for everybody,” a Brocial Justice member says. He says they want to “get other people stoked about feminism,” and so far the reaction seems to be pretty positive (apart from the Blazers telling them to stop using their logo). A woman who shared a photo of the flyer on Facebook says “literally nothing has ever made me happier.”

Here are some of the other pieces of advice contained on Brocial Justice’s flyer:

“Consent is a slam-dunk!”

“Don’t be a ball-hog! Sometimes dudes get too stoked and talk more than others. Listening is chill as f***!”

“Bros do the dishes.”

“Sex is a team sport.”

“Chill with each other outside of Game Time to talk about your feelings and help each other out!”

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2016: a year in braids

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12.14.2016 #my braids today

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Meeting up with a friend downtown and we were excited to be surprised by a Women Against Hate March that passed by us near Pioneer Square. Then I was suddenly being interviewed by a really nice deaf journalist. Lucky we live pdx #PortlandWomenMarchAgainstHate #protest #pdx #PioneerSquare (at Pioneer Courthouse Square)

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PCC walkout earlier today. Showing solidarity. (at PCC Cascade Campus)

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PCC walkout in support of undocumented, immigrant, PoC, Muslim, LGBTQ, and other vulnerable students and to petition that our school be declared a sanctuary school. #notmypresident #lovewins (at PCC Cascade Campus)

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I just want to thank whomever stuck these up all over campus. They've made me smile, brightened my morning and inspired me to spread the love. Thank you. #quotes #KindnessHelps (at PCC Cascade Campus)

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“ We tend to think of as gender as a fixed quality, but really it’s more of a constellation of traits. “