Raquel Willis
@Raquel__Willis
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✦ co-founder, @genderlib4all ✦ activist ✦ media strategist
Joined April 2009
The Confederacy
Who has the most annoying fan base?.
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He’d probably say the same thing about you, word for word.
The most resilient man in America. He never loses sight of what matters or what’s at stake - The American People.
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Some of you think Chris Rock got what he deserved, but half a year ago were telling trans folks not to take Dave Chapelle’s jokes seriously. Which is it?.
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Two Black trans women have been reported dead this week. Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells of Philadelphia, PA and Riah Milton of Liberty Township, Ohio. #RestInPower #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter
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Megan Thee Stallion deserves more than the “justice” served in Tory Lanez’s case. She deserves a culture and media landscape that doesn’t demonize Black women’s lives, safety, and voices. We all need to understand that psychosocial wounds are just as harmful as physical wounds.
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The fact that his folks mean this as a SuperBowl reference, but it’s landing as a Rafah reference tells you just how hopeless so much of this is.
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It’s OK if you can’t focus. It’s OK if you can’t be “productive.”.It’s OK if you feel overwhelmed. It’s OK if you’re exhausted. It’s OK if you’re confused. You’re human, and these are unparalleled times. Take care of yourself. The world needs you for the fight ahead.
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If you're just learning about bell hooks, there's no shame. You can always read her words and meet her on the page.
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Y'all better speak precisely when talking about southern states. The most powerful and innovative organizers have been trying to transform the region for generations. Don't turn your backs on their hard work for a cute, quippy, self-righteous put down.
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If heterosexuality is so natural, why do you have to maintain its stronghold on the culture and the world? Why is it so threatened? If it’s so natural, why must it constantly be enforced?.
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So proud of movement auntie, Andrea Jenkins, who became the first openly trans woman of color elected to the city council of a major U.S. city. She’ll represent Ward 8 of Minneapolis! So much history being made tonight! #AJ4W8 #TransFolksCanWin #ElectionDay
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Unpopular opinion: You shouldn’t have kids if their gender or eventual sexual orientation matters so much that you’d react negatively if they didn’t meet your expectations.
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“Adults can watch violence, assault and abuse – or enjoy shocking stand-up comedy – without it causing them to harm others,” he continued.
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The real tea is Black women saved themselves not y’all.
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It's more acceptable to brag about grabbing another pussy than to brag about greatness of your own pussy.
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Wealthy white women have used essentialism to devalue more marginalized women for centuries. It’s not lost on me as a Black trans woman that J. K. Rowling would have been an early white suffragist who denied cis Black women their womanhood as well.
If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.
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Dear Cishets,. 'Moonlight' Is Coming to Netflix in May. You're out of excuses.
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Your daily reminder that we're fighting for justice for Black trans victims too. TONY MCDADE.NINA POP.MONIKA DIAMOND.LAYLEEN CUBILETTE-POLANCO.MUHLAYSIA BOOKER.BEE LOVE SLATER.ASHANTI CARMON.BAILEY REEVES.and so many more. #AllBlackLivesMatter .
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No matter the result of this election, white supremacy will endure, patriarchy will endure, classism will endure, homophobia will endure, transphobia will endure, and more. Make sure your commitment to ending these systems of oppression also endures.
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A young Black trans woman named #IyannaDior was brutally attacked by a group of mostly Black cis men in Minneapolis last night. There’s video online that I won't share. But this is why we must always clarify that all #BlackLivesMatter every time we invoke this chant.
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Too many folks are going to get these jokes off about Southern states not acting right and ignore all the blood, sweat and tears that organizers, voters & candidates put into their campaigns. If you’ve never lived in a red area, don’t act as if you really know what’s going on.
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This whole Kevin Spacey situation reminds me that queerness is still more shocking than sexual violence to far too many people.
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Black bodies - particularly Black women’s bodies - continue to be demonized & restrained by white considerations of “normality.” What’s happened to Caster Semenya is why we must fight against all gender-based oppression because we’re all at risk.
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The myth that trans women transition to deceive others tells you a lot more about what cis people *know* about cis men than what they *think* about trans women.
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How To Use Your Platform by @IndyaMoore.
.@IndyaMoore spotlighted the crisis of violence facing trans women at the #FMAS2019, wearing earrings depicting the deceased. “Just like me these women dared to exhaust their freedom to exist by being visible. However, instead of being celebrated, they’re punished for it.”
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One of the most draining things about being a woman, LGBTQ, of color - or just marginalized in any way - is the expectation for us to respect harmful, violent and even murderous folks more than they respect us.
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@TheElliotPage Your heart has always been big and you've used your platform to show up for the entire community for years. Thanks for the gift of your truth! 💫.
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Y'all gone “both sides” yourselves back into some shackles.
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If you need motivation to vote, here's Beyoncé giving an impromptu word about #Election2016.
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Regardless of your gender identity, my hope is that you divest from the cisheteropatriarchy. You can’t win. You will never be man enough or women enough within these systems of oppression. Our nonbinary siblings fiercely remind us of this truth all of the time.
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You're telling me that a cis actor is the only one worth nominating or elevating on a show that centers the Black trans experience? Y'all playing in our faces yet again. The Black trans women who work on #PoseFX deserve so much more recognition from the #Emmys2020 and beyond.
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Y’all still at the protests only saying two names and ignoring trans victims. Here are some other important ones to chant:. MERCI MACK.BRAYLA STONE.DRAYA MCCARTY.SHAKI PETERS.BREE BLACK.TATIANA HALL.RIAH MILTON.REM’MIE FELLS.TONY MCDADE.NINA POP.MONIKA DIAMOND.LAYLEEN POLANCO.
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This is real. We don’t prepare folks enough for the rest of the ballots beyond big names and measures. The language is never clear enough. Even after reading my voter’s guide a few times, I was in that booth double-checking like hell.
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When Buttigieg responded that prisoners should be denied the right to vote, I couldn't help but think of the queer and trans people, many of color, who were incarcerated so that he could have the career and the freedom that he has now. #CNNTownHall.
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Gender nonconforming children deserve to be heard, loved, and supported in their authenticity. @DwyaneWade + @itsgabrielleu continue to demonstrate phenomenal parenting with their love for Zaya!
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lil nas x’s authenticity is generations in the making.
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If you think deadnaming, misgendering, and wielding slurs is the pinnacle of LGBTQ+ allyship, you’ve got a lot of work to do, boo.
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Your daily reminder that the officer that killed #TonyMcDade has not been held accountable.
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When they say, “Anyone who knows me knows I’m not racist” that means EVERYBODY knows they’re racist.
Keaton Jones' mom speaks about backlash on @GMA; pulls the “anyone who knows me. knows I’m not racist,” excuse
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Politicians 👏 should 👏 not 👏 tell 👏 incarcerated 👏trans 👏 women 👏 what 👏 to 👏 do 👏 with 👏 their 👏 bodies.
Politicians 👏 should 👏 not 👏 tell 👏 women 👏 what 👏 to 👏 do 👏 with 👏 their 👏 bodies. #SOTU.
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It’s easy for cis folk to call out J.K. Rowling’s transphobia + not acknowledge their own. How do you make trans folks lives less violent outside of that? How do you shift the institutions you’re a part of so they’re less transphobic? How do you support trans leaders?.
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Even if Imane Khelif were transgender and/or intersex, she shouldn't be dissected and discriminated against. It’s great that a lot of folks are defending her, but don't let your empathy end there. Trans and intersex folks deserve dignity and respect as well.
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At my first job, I was stealth out of survival. I wasn't out as trans because I was afraid of being fired. Today's #SCOTUS ruling will encourage so many more folks to move beyond that fear. We honor you, Mrs. Aimee Stephens, for your fight. I know you're looking down on us.
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White women do this every year and ever year Susan’s words come to mind: "I will cut off this right arm of mine before I will ever work or demand the ballot for the Negro and not the woman." #IsThisYourQueen.
146 years after Susan B. Anthony cast a history-changing vote, women are sharing their voting pride at her grave
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Happy birthday to Queen Marsha P. Johnson. The queer and trans community is powerful because of your blueprint and fire. May we continue to carry your baton of liberation!
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TODAY. WE WILL RALLY b/c jail officials laughed at a trans AfroLatina minutes before she died, 2 Black trans women we're reported murdered this week, a trans man was killed by police, and the Trump administration has repealed our healthcare protections.
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If you're Black, queer, trans, a woman or any further marginalized you have to literally change the world before you become a cover star, but Esquire shows us that white cishet men and boys get to simply exist and be seen as worthy.
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We need more family members of trans folks to hold their privilege and platforms in this way.
NBA star Reggie Bullock is using his platform to fight for transgender equality after his sister was murdered
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Here are a few powerful Black-Led LGBTQ+ organizations and initiatives that you should support during this time, throughout #PrideMonth, and beyond. Created by @pfpicardi. #BlackLivesMatter
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#BraylaStone was a 17-year-old Black trans girl killed in Sherwood, AR. She deserved better than the world provided for her. #BlackTransLivesMatter #BlackTransPower
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It’s not only the white supremacists that need to be deplatformed. It’s also the misogynists, the transphobes, the homophobes who need to be deplatformed. They all wield violence against us and it all must end. The patriarchy in all its forms must end.
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This week three trans women were attacked in LA, Megan verified that Tory shot her + there are instances of violence that we don't & may never know about. Trans women & cis women truly need to connect with each other since the source of much of the violence we face is the same.
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Real question: Will you march for Black trans women when the time comes?. P.S. The time is near.
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If being cisgender is so natural, why do you have to maintain its stronghold on the culture and the world? If it’s so natural, why must it constantly be enforced? Why are you so threatened?. Unless….
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George Floyd’s murder pushed many people to think more deeply about how white supremacy functions in our society. Regardless of the verdict and what is said about Chauvin, we need people to stay engaged and motivated in the fight to end systems of oppression.
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#RestInPower Mama Naya Rivera. Thank you for serving visions of queer girls of color for so many of us! 🙏🏽.
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Folks say musicians have too many writers on their songs, but samples, quotes, references, and influences are important in all aspects of art. Collaboration is a skill that many can't flex. It's a white, capitalistic, patriarchal idea that brilliance solely happens in isolation.
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This #TransDayofRemembrance let's honor the at least 25 trans folks in the U.S. and 325 trans folks across the world have been reported as murdered. Most were Black and Brown trans women. No one deserves to lose their life for being their most authentic self. #TDOR
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Dave Chappelle represents a segment of society (along with white supremacists, hoteps, incels, and others) that is anxious about the waning power of cisheteronormativity and the patriarchy. 🧵.
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Never accept him. Never normalize him. Never forget his bigotry. Never forget how dangerous he is. Never allow hate to go unchallenged.
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Sending love to Jussie and his loved ones. 🙏🏽 . The hate that fuels white supremacy is the same hate that fuels homophobia. A conscientious society realizes it’s at war with both.
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It’ll be a powerful day when the general population takes the violence that comes from the hands of the white supremacist as seriously as that which comes from the hands of the transmisogynist.
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Chimamanda being asked about trans women is like Lena Dunham being asked about Black women. It doesn't work. We can speak for ourselves.
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Beyonce said all of these things are canceled:. • anti-Blackness.• misogyny.• self-loathing.• yo cheatin boyfriend
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Kavanaugh is the kind of dangerous, entitled white man many of us have encountered all throughout our lives. If he is confirmed, I’m even more afraid of the revenge he’ll seek after this hearing.
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The murder of #GeorgeFloyd was already disgusting, but to hear that Chauvin knew him for 17 years is worse. This is a frightening reminder that white supremacy is so sneaky, so insidious, so just beneath the surface for too many that we can't let it go unchecked on any level.
Andrea Jenkins, vice president of Minneapolis City Council, says George Floyd and Officer Chauvin worked at restaurant near Third Precinct. "They were coworkers for a very long time."
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RT if you still feel the same way about Eminem as you did yesterday.
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How dare y'all? Progressive folks in the south are dealing with some of the staunchest opposition and voter suppression. WE KNOW THE FACTS. Honor that nuance at all times.
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Dear LGBTQ fam, . Don't be caught off guard when the Trump regime comes for us. We know it's coming, be ready & know you're not alone. 💗.
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Not “Itty Bitty Piggy” and “Boss Ass B*tch” being the 2021 songs of summer 😭.
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transphobes don't just strip trans women of being women and trans men of being men. as you can see in arkansas and states across the country, they strip trans children of being children, and essentially, they strip all trans people of simply being people.
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On this #TransDayOfVisibility, I’m thinking of Leelah Alcorn and Blake Brockington. Two trans teens who died by suicide just six years ago. Both had families that were unsupportive of their identities. They dreamed of a better world for other trans youth though.
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Can’t help but side-eye people who still say “his or her” instead of just saying “their.”.
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Trump IS anti-Black. Trump supporters ARE anti-Black. The Republican Party that supports him IS anti-Black. Anyone still debating these facts ARE in bed with white supremacy. #IStandWithIlhan.
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THREAD: Black transgender folks have been leaving their mark here for generations.
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White supremacists don’t deserve prayers or well wishes.
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People are complex. People are flawed. My heart still automatically breaks when another Black person senselessly has their life stolen.
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Today is the birthday of radical movement leader Marsha P. Johnson. Her story is one of bravery, dedication and power. She created a blueprint for the queer & trans folks who have come up long after her departure from this earth. Thank you, Goddess. 👑 💫
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I can finally share that I'm the new executive editor at @outmagazine. I'm so glad to be working with @pfpicardi and this new brilliant crew. I'm still processing, but I'm so excited to continue elevating the voices of my community.
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BLACK.✊🏿.AND.✊🏾.BROWN.✊🏽.GENDER.✊🏿.NONCONFORMING.✊🏽.KIDS.✊🏾.ARE.✊🏽.THE.✊🏿.FUTURE.
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Anybody cracking basic ass jokes about this Dwight Howard situation need to get a grip. Athletes love trans women, like many of your friends. This ain’t new. And neither is the abuse and violence they throw our way because of their insecurities.
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Destroyed your organization’s credibility and FOR WHAT?!
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REGINA WAS LIKE I DARE YALL TO CUT ME OFF WHILE IM TALKING ABOUT TIMES UP LMAO THEY CUT THAT MUSIC OFF SO FAST 😭😂🙏🏽.
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In the Neo-Soul conversation, we don’t talk about Amel Larrieux enough.
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It's time for everyone to show up and say #TransFolksAreNotJokes. No one can afford to be silent.
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"We won't be able to do anything under a Trump presidency." - a person who won't do anything under a Harris presidency.
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Y’all: Men need to speak out about abortion. Trans men: Ummm… hi. Y’all: NOT YOU!.
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stream Invasion of Privacy on iTunes.
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THREAD: Black queer and trans folks are making history every day. Give us our flowers. #BlackHistoryMonth
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I don’t know why anyone is shocked that homophobia and transphobia is thriving right now. It never went away, boo boo. We’ve been telling you to pay attention for years, but all queer and trans folks got was “you’re doing the most” lip service.
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Cue the non-Black folks telling Black folks how to feel about this moment.
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Celebrating #TransDayOfVisibility with an impromptu photoshoot. As always. We are beautiful. We are powerful. We are magnificent.
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