SylC Initiative
The Future we want is Transfeminist
First Grant Cycle 2021-2022
Diseño por: Enrique Betancourt Domínguez (@enbedo)
During the first grant cycle of the SylC Initiative, decisions were made in a participatory process where 10 groups and collectives that are organizing or dream of organizing themselves to build power towards a future of dignified life in Puerto Rico, where their communities can live in freedom, wholeness, with security, safety, autonomy and pleasure, were selected. The SylC committee focused, in this selection process, the organizational work and leadership of Trans and Non-Binary people who are most affected by oppression, violence and criminalization. A total of $150,000 was distributed.
Click now on the profiles of these groups and collectives, learn more and donate to support their work and initiatives.
"Colectivx Colectivx: forging our own narratives, challenging stereotypes, and empowering LGBTTQIA+ voices. This non-binary space of co-creation and creative collaboration stands as a tool for social justice, where audiovisual expression becomes a powerful means to represent our identities and experiences. We confront the lack of real representation and demystify stereotypes, defying external perspectives that have exploited and exoticized our community. With the leadership and participation of trans, non-binary, and queer individuals, we create our own audiovisual representations, joining forces in the fight for equality and inclusion."
Click now on the profiles of these groups and collectives, learn more and donate to support their work and initiatives.
Colectivx Colectivx is a non-binary creative co-creation and collaboration space, focused on audiovisual expression for the LGBTTQIA+ community. Their goal is to represent the identities and experiences of the community as a tool for social justice, combating the lack of real representation and debunking stereotypes. The collective seeks leadership and participation from trans, non-binary, and cuir individuals in the creation of their own audiovisual representations, challenging external gazes that have exploited and exoticized the community for their own benefit.
Espicy Nipples is a transfeminist network that utilizes media technologies and art to support under-resourced TILQAPBG+ communities in Puerto Rico, aiming to heal generational violence and connect their community. They have completed a mural in Caguas that provided employment to TILQAPBG+ community members and engaged local businesses, along with organizing an inauguration event centered on the healing of Black trans individuals and offering economic support and healing sessions to trans and non-binary individuals through their Descanso Dates program.
La Sombrilla Cuir supports and empowers trans, queer, and non-binary communities in Puerto Rico through educational projects and mutual support funds. In collaboration with other organizations, they created La Escuelita Disidente, a series of educational workshops that benefited around 60 people. Despite facing financial challenges, they have learned the importance of securing more funding and maintaining responsible management for the sustainability of their project.
Editorial Casa Cuna is an artistic project in Puerto Rico that seeks collective transformation, liberation, and healing for marginalized communities. They recently organized the festival "La Juntilla" at Taller Libertá, featuring the participation of 40 trans and cuir artists, providing employment and generating income through "Mercadito Libertá." They emphasize the importance of supporting projects that strengthen organizational capacity and well-being for marginalized communities, promoting creativity and imagination.
Trans Goofy Games is an organization working towards equal rights for the Trans and Non-Binary Latinx immigrant LGBTTQI population in Puerto Rico, providing healthcare, emergency housing, and human rights advocacy. They strive to strengthen LGBTQI collective participation in decision-making spaces and create safe spaces for socializing. Through their health, housing, employment, and education campaigns, they have impacted approximately 900 to 1,000 people.
Entre Putxs PR, a self-managed mutual support network in Puerto Rico, has made significant progress with a grant, creating safe and sustainable spaces for sex workers to collaborate and unite. With the obtained funding, they were able to receive fair compensation for their work and support their peers with basic needs. They also organized a gathering in collaboration with Espicy Nipples and Karina Torres, providing care services, HIV testing, workshops, and distribution of kits to sex workers on the streets, supporting diverse communities.
Pólvora Colectiva Cuir is a collective committed to social justice and human rights, challenging oppressive structures that silence cuir identities and aiming to create relationships based on solidarity and empathy. Their work focuses on creating safe spaces for LGBTQIA+/cuir individuals, fostering political education, collective reflection, and the development of creative and activist projects. They contribute to building a more inclusive and just world, primarily impacting trans, cuir, and non-binary communities.
UBUNTU
UBUNTU is an active initiative seeking to integrate and empower rural communities, particularly the queer and non-binary community, in Puerto Rico. Their focus is on creating self-managed community spaces, mutual support, agroecology, and social and environmental justice. Their main goal is to generate safe and respectful rural areas that promote diversity and personal and collective growth.
Casa BoriCuir is a safe space for cuir, trans, and non-binary individuals, providing basic resources and opportunities for collective creation and learning. They recognize the exclusion and oppression faced by these communities under the cis-heteropatriarchal and Western system and believe in their capacity to engage in the historical and cultural reconstruction of their identities and experiences.
Euphoria Project is a nonprofit organization that promotes gender euphoria in trans and non-binary individuals by facilitating name changes. They offer education, prevention, and activism services to achieve social justice and equity. Their primary focus is assisting participants in obtaining legal documents and overcoming bureaucratic barriers in the name change process.
Why is our grant process participatory?
At María Fund we are experimenting with other ways to make decisions about how to mobilize resources. We understand the importance of centering the voices of people directly impacted by systems of oppression to guide these processes. As part of a participatory effort, we have envisioned the constitution of a committee of Trans and Non-Binary activists, organizers, and community leaders that will make collective decisions annually on SylC's grantmaking with a decolonial and intersectional lens:
The members of this committee:
Will participate in collective study sessions to unpack and build share analysis with the intention of having a common knowledge for decision-making from an intersectional and decolonial lens.
They will support our community’s outreach efforts to identify potential applicant groups.
They will participate in group discussions to evaluate applications that meet the fund's requirements and make collective decisions about the grants.
They will participate in virtual meetings with applicant groups as part of the evaluation process.
They will be part of SylC's evaluation process and provide feedback on its structure, committee process, and resource mobilization strategies.