Dark Matter shines light on trans people of color

As the music ceased, the audience hushed and New York-based artists Alok Vaid-Menon and Janani Balasubramanian took the stage in boldly colored outfits and vibrant lipsticks. The pair didn’t waste time as they leapt into a passionate spoken-word poem. The audience was immediately captivated.

The South Asian duo, who make up a group called DarkMatter, spoke about the intersection of gender identity, race and politics, highlighting the experiences of trans people of color on their #ItGetsBitter tour at Carnegie Hall Nov. 18. Vaid-Menon and Balasubramanian, both of whom identify as transgender, challenge whitewashed — the practice of using white voices to represent the issues of non-whites — trans and LGTBQ+ politics.

The performance as a whole really opened my eyes to just how white-centric mainstream trans and LGBTQ+ movements have become. Trans activism, in the current modern lens, tends not to be inclusive of marginalized trans people and does not allow for their voices to be heard, thus the visibility of white trans people is far greater than trans people of color.

The trans movement as we see it in the media pushes for integration in the law, but this does not address all the issues trans people of color face. The mainstream trans movement focuses on things such as anti-discrimination laws and gender neutral bathrooms, issues that are of course very important, but it remains largely silent on issues that disproportionately affect trans women of color, such as housing discrimination and incarceration.

DarkMatter represents everything that many high profile trans figures, such as Caitlyn Jenner, do not. Jenner, a wealthy, white, Republican transgender woman, has held much of the general public’s interest regarding trans people since coming out in 2015. The media made her out to be a key representative of transgender lives and activism, despite her several controversial views such as supporting Ted Cruz and saying trans people should conform to gender and sex expectations.

Vaid-Menon and Balasubramanian, however, show in their inspiring spoken-word performances that Jenner is not representative of the whole transgender population and that society continues to ignore transgender, low-income people of color. They place a spotlight on intersectionality, an important aspect of trans activism that outside observers tend to look past.

Throughout the performance, the duo shed light on the origins of racism and homophobia while drawing connections to these issues’ roots in colonialism and white supremacy. DarkMatter articulated the struggle of trans people of color in the United States, who society often silences and marginalizes.

Vaid-Menon and Balasubramanian made it clear that the struggle of trans and gender non-binary people of color is distinctive due to their race. While statistics show that violence against trans people has increased annually, the numbers are higher specifically for trans women of color who are subject to violence at disproportionate rates.

During the first two months of 2015 alone, seven transgender people of color were murdered. In addition, a shocking 45 percent of transgender and gender nonconforming people of color have attempted suicide.

Trans people of color also face discrimination in various ways compared to white trans people. The number of black, Latino and indigenous trans people who are unemployed, homeless or uninsured is nearly double that of white trans people. Although there are few statistics comparing trans people of color to white trans people, the studies that have been done show that trans people of color are more likely to live in extreme poverty, be homeless or lack a college degree. Consequently, trans people of color earn less money than white trans people.  

Overall, Vaid-Menon and Balasubramanian pushed for more awareness about the struggles that trans people of color face and pushed for more divergence from mainstream, white-centric LGBTQ+ and trans movements.

Jenner received a plethora of press coverage and press after coming out as trans, mostly due to her famous family name. Trans women of color, such “Orange is the New Black” actress Laverne Cox, author and transgender rights activist Janet Mock and LGBTQ+ activist Cece McDonald, who have been advocating for trans rights for decades, have rarely received the same type of media coverage specifically for their activism.

As I walked home from the DarkMatter performance, I found myself thinking about a poem the duo performed at the start of the show, before they were even on stage. Only a single orb of light was on the screen as it “predicted” the future from a long-ago past.

“I predict that it was all worth it.”

At the closing of the show, those were the final words that echoed in my ears.

Since then, I’ve realized that people often tend to forget or ignore the specific struggles of trans people of color and leave them to fight alone.

If we could include trans people of color in our activism and the way we think about human rights, we could create a world with less hate, a world that is more equitable and a world that is “worth it.”

Write to Erica at elb116@pitt.edu.