For my archive submission, I chose to highlight a trans activist in the youth community who has been a great inspiration to me this year. Eli Erlick came out as queer and trans at the age of eight and in 2011, when she was 16, she co-founded Trans Student Educational Resources (TSER), “a youth-led organization dedicated to transforming the educational environment for trans and gender nonconforming students through advocacy and empowerment.” TSER focuses on support for trans students by writing model policies for schools, and facilitating workshops and leadership training. Eli recognizes the vital role that collaborative action plays in ending transphobia and the importance of mobilizing young people to get involved with the movement.
“Interview with Eli Erlick, Director of Trans Student Educational Resources, at Bringing Theory to Practice's national "The Whole Student: Intersectionality and Well-Being" conference, May 2017 in Chicago, IL. “ Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKw7Nv2cxfM
A 2014 Peace First Prize winner, Eli demonstrates the power of collaborative work to help marginalized communities to be effective organizers. Source: https://www.bustle.com/articles/137494-7-young-trans-activists-you-should-know-about-this-year
Along with being the director of TSER and a PhD student, Eli is also an accomplished writer and public speaker. She concentrates her work on queer and transgender justice; writing and speaking on subjects concerning language, media, youth, education, necropolitics, depathologization, and healthcare. Through journal articles, op-eds, and social media posts, she addresses current events, argues against neoliberal politics, and fights for intersectional representation.
“We do not just want the same access to a clearly broken education system as our cisgender peers. We are committed to educating our communities and the public on transgender issues, which will significantly decrease victimization for all trans people.” – Eli Erlick
“The many ways that we can be women, present our gender, and live our lives came into the horizon. I spent years scared that masculinity was unsustainable. I thought people would question and invalidate my gender until I gave up.” - Eli Erlick
Eli and her peers are part of the new generation of activists who are focused on making radical change by addressing root causes of issues that affect the most marginalized communities and framing their work intersectionally. Through her writings and work with TSER, Eli is able to empower the most vulnerable groups and turn them into the social activist leaders of tomorrow.
Compiled by Christi (they/them)
More Sources
Eli’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elierlick/
Eli’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eli.erlick/
Eli’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/elisadolphin/featured
http://www.elierlick.com/about/
http://transstudent.org/
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/eli-erlick/why-equality-is-toxic-to-_b_10319836.html
https://www.bustle.com/articles/137494-7-young-trans-activists-you-should-know-about-this-year
https://thequeerav.com/meet-eli-erlick-a-trans-youth-activist-who-stars-in-tegan-and-saras-new-music-video-faint-of-heart/
“Presenting an essay at the inaugural Trans*Studies Conference in Tucson, Arizona” http://www.elierlick.com/writing/
