We meet Tiffany, with her then boyfriend, Nate, in the Marsha P. Norman Harlem shelter for queer children in Harlem in 2008. We follow up with her again in 2014 where she lives in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and again in 2024 at the entrance of a midtown subway in Manhattan.
There are 34 short segments in this series. It is an unvarnished look into one transgender woman’s life but the issues that plague our society; race, inequality, gender, mental health, poverty, sexuality, and so much more, ripple through every segment.
While working on this project, what mystifies me most, is how vulnerable the transgender community, and their families are, and why the Republican base has focused such an inordinate amount of time, money and resources to attack and eliminate them. I don’t claim that Tiffany is the way she is because of the recent campaign of anti-transgender sentiment in the US. Being born poor, Black and under the queer umbrella, has never been a plus in this country, but the unrelenting barrage of vitriol into adulthood takes its toll on a person’s psyche. Again, I am not making excuses for her choices or addiction, but acknowledgement of systemic biases in our society has an impact. The current climate of hate toward these people only make it even more intolerable.
Although there is not a database for all anti-transgender funding initiatives, according to NPR, over $222 million was spent on television ads attacking transgender and LGBTQ rights in the 2024 election.
According to Statista, there were 219 anti-transgender bills actively under consideration in the United States in 2025, in addition to one bill that passed. In 2023, the most anti-trans bills, 87, were passed. Transgender people make up 0.95% of the U.S. population, roughly about 2.5 million people. 57% of transgender adults have incomes below $50,000 per year compared to 45% non-transgender adults. 29% of transgender adults live below the poverty line.
It is a playbook from Putin’s Russia.
Ignore the economy, wars, the inflated gas and food prices, and more. We don’t have a coherent idea on how to fix anything, let’s distract people with lies about how a small, vulnerable population is the reason others are not getting ahead in society. It’s not your fault. It’s THEIR fault. It’s DEI. It’s the 10 trans athletes v. 500,000 non-trans athletes competing in U.S. college sports.
But really, it is not about policy or morality or a belief system, it is only about maintaining power no matter the cost to its people. A vote for us is a vote to protect you from the deviant, the immigrant, the other.
When I was a child I was taught to be grateful that I lived in the US and was constantly reminded how fortunate I was to not live “behind the Iron Curtain.” After college, I worked in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow for three months during the summer of 1981. Although I loved my time there, I was grateful everyday to possess an American passport. My paternal grandparents and my father and fought in World Wars I and II, respectively. I love this country.
That the US has elected to follow the authoritarian lies of Russia, Iran, North Korea, Hungary, China, Turkey, India, Slovakia and so many other once-democratic or democratic-light countries is abysmally tragic.
Unfortunately the situation of LGBTQ/Women/Black/immigrant and other minority communities are only going to get worse before it gets better.
These issues are connected. The crackdown of LGBTQ rights became more militant under Putin’s 2013 anti-gay propaganda law as a result of his seething resentment over the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and demise of the U.S.S.R. in 1991, an injury that still fuels Putin’s despotic aggression. He projects strength as he protects his citizens from this “western scourge of perversion” . The Republican party adopts the same strategy and creates U.S. state laws and executive orders to eradicate transgender people from society and minorities from the work force. As Fareed Zakaria said on a recent Ezra Klein podcast, the liberal ideas of gender fluidity is as threatening to Putin, and now the Republican party, as NATO. The Republican ideology is more aligned with Russia, North Korea, Belarus and other authoritarian states, rather than the 80-year alliance with a democratic Europe.
Trump, like Putin, will not stop as long as he is successful. Georgia, Crimea, the Donbas region of Ukraine, Moldova, possibly the Baltics, if Putin keeps getting away with invading sovereign nations, he will never stop. Trump is the same. Cracking down on transgender people, immigration, Black people, women and anyone under the DEI umbrella, dismantling the government, congress, courts, media, business, he will continue to wreak havoc as long as he is enabled.
We leave you with transgender and queer resources for you, or your loved ones, that we hope might help you navigate these increasingly hostile times. Something else I have learned during this slide into authoritationism is to volunteer in causes that I strongly believe in. Actions provide balm to the heart and mind.
Resources
Crisis & Emotional Support
- Trans Lifeline: Peer-run crisis hotline offering emotional and financial support, including microgrants for legal name changes.
- Trevor Project: Provides 24/7 crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and mental health support for LGBTQ+ youth via phone, chat, and text.
- LGBT National Help Center: Free, confidential peer support via phone and online chat for LGBTQ+ individuals of all ages.
- Center for Black Equity: Supporting Black LGBTQ People: Multinational network of LGBTQ organizations and individuals to promote health and economic stability.
- Transfamilies Support Services: Support services for youth and parents.
- Reddit – r/Trans: Online community for sharing experiences, advice, and support.
- Transgender Map: Comprehensive guide on transitioning, medical resources, and legal matters.
Healthcare & Hormone Therapy
- Plume: Telehealth service providing gender-affirming hormone therapy (HRT) and medical consultations.
- Folx Health: LGBTQ+ health provider offering HRT, PrEP, and primary care via telemedicine.
- World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH): Directory of gender-affirming healthcare providers and treatment guidelines.
Legal Resourses & Rights Advocacy
- National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE): Resources on legal rights, identification document changes, and advocacy for trans people.
- Transgender Law Center: Legal support, policy advocacy, and resources for trans rights across the U.S.
- Lambda Legal: Legal defense and advocacy for LGBTQ+ and HIV+ individuals.
Financial & Housing Assistance
- Point of Pride: Offers grants for gender-affirming surgeries, free chest binders, and other financial support.
- Transgender Housing Network: Mutual aid network connecting trans individuals with safe housing opportunities.
