Transgender community rallies after vandalism
Police investigate message at Baltimore Safe Haven as potential hate crime
On the morning of International Transgender Day of Visibility — an occasion to celebrate trans people and acknowledge the discrimination many of them face — staff of the local outreach organization Baltimore Safe Haven arrived at work to discover a hateful, threatening message scrawled across their office door with purple spray paint.
“[Expletive] pride DIE,” was spray painted in large, messy letters.
Baltimore police are investigating the vandalism as a potential hate crime, officials said. Officers responded to the N. Charles Street building Thursday morning after organization staff called law enforcement.
Founded in 2018, Baltimore Safe Haven provides support services, including transitional housing and food distribution, for members of the trans community, particularly Black trans women.
The group recently announced plans for a 2022 trans-focused Pride celebration this spring. Organization leaders believe the vandalism was a reaction to that announcement.
“We’re devastated, afraid and traumatized,” said Iya Dammons, Safe Haven’s founder and executive director. “But we are not going to cancel Pride. We’re going to stay vigilant and fight like hell. This is one of those moments.”
As a trans woman whose lived experience includes hardships like poverty and discrimination that are all too common within this vulnerable population, Dammons said, she has a clear message for anyone who doubts her resolve: “Every breath that a trans person takes is an act of revolution, both here in Baltimore and across the country. We’re here, and we’re not going anywhere.”
Nicole Wells, a caseworker for Baltimore Safe Haven, found the graffiti when she arrived at the office Thursday morning.
“I just started shaking. It was shocking,” she said.
Wells alerted the rest of the team, and they briefly considered staying home Thursday for safety reasons. But ultimately, they decided to show up.
When reached by phone at their office that afternoon, organization leaders spoke out about the crime.
“Our community deals with violence on a regular basis, but our movement is much greater than the hate,” said Jamie Grace Alexander, policy coordinator for FreeState Justice, a statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization.
She described the challenge of distinguishing between empty threats and real danger — a question that members of the trans community face regularly.
In a statement posted Thursday on Facebook, Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby called the vandalism “doubly heartbreaking” because it was committed on International Transgender Day of Visibility.
“I am disgusted to learn about the transphobic and homophobic graffiti that was painted on the property of Baltimore Safe Haven,” she said. “Hate has no home in our city, and we will work with our partners to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.”
Hours before the Baltimore trans community awoke to news of the vandalism, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation Wednesday evening officially recognizing the March 31 holiday and pledging more protections for transgender Americans. He also pointed to violence, harassment and persistent discrimination facing the community.
“Transgender people are some of the bravest Americans I know, and our Nation and the world are stronger, more vibrant, and more prosperous because of them,” the proclamation reads. “To transgender Americans of all ages, I want you to know that you are so brave. You belong. I have your back.”
Leaders of Baltimore Safe Haven said they plan to remove the graffiti and proceed with their plans for the upcoming Pride celebration. The organization refers to the TLGBQ community, a symbolic rearranging of letters to emphasize their focus on the experience of trans people.
Their Trans Pride event, which will include a grand march and block party, takes place June 4 at Charles and N. 23rd streets.