Three local grassroots organizations, Concerned Citizens for Justice, Intersectional Feminist Alliance of Chattanooga and Tennessee Valley Pride, will be hosting a screening of the documentary Major! "to provide an opportunity for the community to learn about this historic activist for transgender women of color."
Officials said, "The documentary chronicles the life and work of Major Griffin Gracy and investigates how the prison industrial complex intersects with the lives of LGBTQAI+ people and how those intersections can be compounded by race and class.
"The desire to host this screening was prompted by the disproportionate murder of transgender women of color in 2017 and in years prior. As of today, eleven transgender people have been murdered this year in the United States and they are all transgender women of color. The murder rate for this population is at an all time high and continues to rise. The hosts of this screening hope that education on the history of the struggle for transgender human rights will inspire the next generation of leaders to continue the work of Major Griffin Gracy and so many others.
"Born in 1940 on the Southside of Chicago, Miss Major was involved in the LGBT+ community in New York City, including the events surrounding the Stonewall Riot. After spending time in Attica correctional facility, where she endured assault, she moved to San Diego to work at a food bank. Today she is the Executive Director of the Transgender GenderVariant Intersex Justice Project in San Francisco. Her journey through life often took place outside the lines but has resulted in great progress for the transgender community."
The screening will be hosted on Thursday, June 15, at 630 p.m. on the fourth floor of the Chattanooga Public Library at 1001 Broad St. Attendees will be able to find free parking at the library. The Chattanooga Public Library is also on the CARTA bus lines and the free electric shuttle downtown. This showing is free and open to the public.
Any donations for the event will go towards traveling costs for speakers and a retirement fund for Miss Major. Local LGBTQAI+ artists will be showing their work as well.