Gender Justice League (GJL) was started in 2012 by a group of long-time trans, queer, and allied activists who were looking to increase the community’s capacity to address cissexism, transphobia, transmisogyny; and the homo/bi/queer -phobias that trans and gender diverse people face. 

GJL has focused on elevating civil and human rights for trans and gender diverse people through advocacy efforts, creating community, and shared leadership development. Recognizing that only 4% of employees in the major LGBTQ+ organizations are trans—and that trans people face nearly double the unemployment rate of cisgender people—GJL operates from a gender justice model, which seeks to empower trans people to combat the structural oppression, discrimination, and violence that we face in our daily lives. Beyond responding to crisis, we aim to build our community’s power, resilience, and autonomy. 

Social, economic, and racial justice is at the core of our work. Our analysis of gender justice focuses on issues that are often left on the sidelines of traditional LGBTQ+ activism, such as incarceration and the prison industrial complex, resisting gentrification, homelessness and housing accessibility, reproductive justice, labor rights, and unemployment.