Black transgender women using social media to celebrate, advocate and connect
In one of the first TikTok videos Kissy Duerré posted of herself, she was combing out her afro-textured hair to a trending song.
The content creator from Saskatoon was just trying to pass the time during the pandemic.
However, when the Black Lives Matter movement ramped up following the murder of George Floyd last summer, Duerré wanted to showcase transgender issues, particularly those facing people of colour.
"That's when I realized there was this lacking of representation of Black transgender women," Duerré said.
She created a video discussing the intersection of being transgender, Black and a woman within the Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ movements.
While Black transgender women have often been at the forefront of these movements, they remain some of the most diminished.
Duerré's open discussion on transmisogynoir — the dislike or prejudice of transgender women of colour —got the attention of many on TikTok, so she started posting more videos advocating for transgender people in a fun, lighthearted way — with some sass peppered in.
"I think it's very important for society to get to know [the issues], be exposed to that and get comfortable with it," Duerré said of her videos.