Courtesy Douglas Segars/Imara Jones

Imara Jones knows that transphobia is a choice, not a default setting. In a world where we are inundated with anti-trans bills and violent rhetoric, Imara Jones offers a vision of the world we deserve. Imara’s work on her podcast and media platform, TransLash, takes the media narrative beyond where it usually goes by cultivating our awareness of and desire for Black trans futures. This showcases the power of media and storytelling. Imara illuminates worlds where it’s easy to be free; it’s easy to be Black and trans and know your value because you’re being reflected back by Imara herself—through exploring important policy and issues, and also through fun and joy.

In a moment when anti-trans violence is on the rise and there are those seeking to legislate us out of existence, Imara’s work declares loudly and proudly not just that we get to have a future, that our aliveness deserves to extend beyond this moment—but also that it can be pleasure-filled. Imara shows us that our aliveness can and should move from a world of scarcity to one of abundance.

Tourmaline is an artist, filmmaker, writer, and activist

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