When Tabytha Gonzalez’s brother died earlier this year, her Black transgender community rallied around her to “take care of what I needed to get through this process of grief”, she said. The mutual aid collective Black Trans Travel Fund provided her with $250 to buy an outfit, pay for a car service from New York City to New Jersey for the funeral and to purchase food while she was there. “I was able to get what I needed to get there, I was able to have water, I was able to buy things; my basic needs were met in that moment,” Gonzalez said. “Funerals are expensive. It helped me … show up in a way that was respectful.”
Founded in 2019, Black Trans Travel Fund began as a ride program for Black trans people in New York and New Jersey to pay for car services such as Lyft twice a week. It has since expanded to a global funding source for people who need help paying for TSA pre-check, flights, passports and emergencies, with an eye toward self autonomy so that trans people have a say in how they spend the money. Safe transportation is of particular importance to the Black trans community, since they’re at increased risk for harassment and violence when cycling, walking or using public transit. At least 32 trans and gender nonconforming people were killed in 2024, with 56% of them being Black trans women, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
