Is Black Trans Community Support Disappearing? Why I Believe a Practical Definition of Advocacy is Key for the LGBTQ Community

Abstract

This article examines what I refer to as the Zaru Effect, a sociological phenomenon that describes when law enforcement officers close their eyes to harm perpetuated by private actors against trans women. It briefly touches upon law enforcement’s arrest of trans women when they make complaints, and calls into question the lack of advocacy from positional power figures within the LGBTQ+ community, who fail to speak out against abuses that either causes the physical and sexual assault, or the incarceration and death of trans women. This article also raises the question as to whether community support for Black trans persons is disappearing, and offers a practical definition of advocacy, which I believe is key for the LGBTQ+ community.

Keywords: First-person authority, positional power figures sup-advocacy, testimonial injustice, Zaru Effect