"Both the compes and organizers at TASSN believe that everyone, especially the most marginalized among us, have the fundamental right to not just merely survive but to live a joyful, abundant life." - Bex (They/She), Member of TASSN
Dear Resister,
For this edition of our Amplify Series, we want to uplift the work of a frontline group working towards liberation in ways that reimagine alternatives to our current harmful and extractive structures in practical, creative, and transformative ways.
Below, you will hear from grantee Trans Asylum Seeker Support Network (TASSN), who organizes for border and prison abolition in the name of liberation, healing, and joy for Trans and Queer asylum seeking peoples.
Keep reading to learn how TASSN is disrupting the prison and detention industrial complex while creating safe and transformative ecosystems of care for Trans folks seeking asylum. Learn how to tap into their radical and necessary work!
The Trans Asylum Seeker Support Network (TASSN) was founded in March of 2019 by Alla, an activist living in Western Massachusetts. Alla founded the network after locally meeting an asylum seeker and her sponsor who was in need of community support. Alla began with organizing item drives, fundraisers, rideshares, and companionship.
In October of 2019, Alla restructured the project into a collection of committees to divide the labor of the project and invite more folks who were dedicated to collective liberation and radical togetherness.
TASSN became a force for freeing Trans and Queer comrades (compes) from detention.
About Trans Asylum Seeker Support Network
[ID: Three members of TASSN pose for a picture inside of a college hall behind a table. There is a large banner that reads: "LA RED DE APOYO PARA TRANS ASYLUM SEEKERS."]
The Trans Asylum Seeker Support Network (TASSN) organizes for border and prison abolition, Trans liberation, and resistance against the inhumane legacies of capitalism and imperialism. Our community organizing supports Trans asylum seekers as they cross the border, while in detention, and once released, and works to build a thriving community based in mutual aid and justice work in Western Massachusetts.
We work to achieve our vision of border and prison abolition and Trans liberation by:
- launching public campaigns to call attention to the discrimination and abuses in ICE detention
- organizing mass letter writing and phone-banking to release Trans asylum seekers
- co-sponsoring and tabling at local events to spread awareness
- finding and connecting sponsors to asylum seekers
- holding political education teach-ins and opportunities for compes to share their experiences
all while weaving a tight-knit web of emotional, material, legal and community support for our compes as they embark on their new lives in Western Massachusetts and nationally.
What impact has this work had on you? What small steps have you taken that have a big impact on your life and other people’s lives?
My life has been forever changed by working with TASSN. Dedicating a few hours week by week to collective and mutual liberation, and freedom for all Transgender people seeking asylum has made me feel like I can make a small but constant contribution toward the world I want to live in. I know the work TASSN does, the work I contribute to even in small ways, has been massively supportive for so many Trans people in our network, whether it’s been getting out of ICE detention, receiving access to gender affirming health care, or being welcomed into a widespread, warm and welcoming community.
[ID: Members of TASSN pose for a picture during a letter writing campaign. They hold a large red banner that reads: "TRANS ASYLUM SEEKER SUPPORT NETWORK."]
Can you describe what a liberated future for Trans and LGBTQ+ looks like and how your work is reimagining alternatives to our current systems to help move us all toward building that future?
Both the compes and organizers in TASSN believe that everyone, especially the most marginalized among us, have the fundamental right to not just merely survive but to live a joyful, abundant life. We understand that white supremacy, borders and capitalism (among other connected forces) have robbed many of us of the possibility of living a life well lived, and we are determined to fight against those forces, for our futures, with radical solidarity and kindness, mutual aid, direct action, and relentless work. In the words of one of our compes, we all have "dreams of a better world where we can all be free from discrimination, where there are no borders, where peace lives."
What kind of support does your collective need and what is the best way for folks to tap in and help?
This is an incredibly dire time for Trans people across the country, especially for Trans women and Trans femme people. The discrimination that’s being written into law is ruining people’s lives - and yet it’s happening, right now. Our work is just one small part of a bigger whole to protect Trans lives.
Anyone can apply to become a part of our collective and work with us by filling out this form. We review applications periodically and will get back to you as soon as we can.
You can also become a monthly sustaining donor by visiting our Givebutter page!
A few more options - follow us on instagram, or send us a one time donation via venmo @transasylumsupport.
Through TASSN we built a comprehensive, collective support system available for asylum seekers in this country, all without becoming a nonprofit. It’s a crucial time for all communities to learn to build that kind of autonomous infrastructure to welcome all immigrants, especially those impacted by the intersecting struggles of social and legal violence against LGBTQ folks and increasing climate apocalypse, going into the future.
Please support our work and help us build a better future for all.
In solidarity,
Kathy
Director of Communications and Storytelling
p.s. There’s a new world coming; Resist grantees are on the ground, ensuring that. Join us in making their vision a reality by becoming a movement sustainer today.
