Written for TDOV 2024

Each day, that I put the rainbow on
And walk out in the street
you see me, that unabashed tranny
that freak, that weirdo, that thing
And you dare to speak

know that, each day that I’m out there,
wearing the rainbow, wearing those heels
standing with my head held high
I am reminded
That my transition is paid for by my dead sisters

And what that means to me
is that I don’t have the luxury of dulling my shine
Of letting myself break my shimmer
Because I owe it to them, to me
To live my life how I will

So, when you hear one of us say
“Radiate trans joy”
know that we know that this joy
comes with memory, with sadness, with rage
And that we choose to thrive anyway.

Thus, asshole: Laugh if you dare
scream if you must
but I am here, and will not go away
until the only dead sisters are those
who die the same way everyone else does.