Our Jewish community is enriched by the diversity, resilience, and unique stories of our members. In celebration of Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV), we had the privilege of sitting down with Alaine Jolicoeur (she/her), an educator, advocate, and leader who has been openly living as a trans woman since 2012.

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So, tell me a little bit about yourself.

Well, I’ll start with where I am right now. I am Jewish, I am an educator — I teach AP Government, Politics, and Civics — and I serve as the Social Studies Department Chair at a high school. I am multifaceted, I exist at many intersections, and I am invested in the work I do for my community, especially our youth. I am also the Vice President of the Young Democrats in Baltimore City, which is something that means a great deal to me.

Even in the face of this abysmal political climate, as dark as it may be, I am still holding onto hope because hope has been the currency I have used to define myself. I believe in the values I hold, even when others try to manipulate or distort them. Because I am unrelenting, I will not capitulate. No matter the consequences, I will stand ten toes down on who I am and what I believe, all while still holding onto hope. 

What has been your experience navigating Jewish spaces as a Black trans woman?

My experience navigating Jewish spaces really depends on the space itself. It has always been about understanding which of my identities is most salient at that moment and how I need to navigate that. But what I have found, as a Black Jewish person who also happens to be trans, is that in most Jewish spaces, my racial identity tends to take precedence. 

I’ve been in spaces where I was the only Blewish (Black and Jewish) person. And as I sit there, my trans identity usually…leaves the room. As if it picks up its purse and walks away. Because in these moments, I have to be at the core of navigating two different aspects of myself, and sometimes, that means one identity steps back while the other takes center stage.

The assumptions and biases tied to race are so overarching that I often do not even have the time or space to consider how my transness is being read or perceived. It is as if my Blackness is the primary lens through which I am seen, and everything else becomes secondary.

What do you wish Jewish institutions, leaders, and community members understood about supporting trans people?

I would hope that our Jewish institutions, leaders, and community members understand the power of deconstructing harmful assumptions and narratives about trans people. If you cannot deconstruct, you cannot build. If you cannot break down biases and beliefs, you cannot fully understand the people in your community.

And so, when trying to understand trans people, you have to be able to deconstruct and embrace that being transgender has different definitions and meanings for different people depending on who they are and where they are in their journey. Remember, every trans person is different from the next. 

We are all at different stages, with very different needs that are continuously evolving. Only through conversation and genuine engagement can we begin to listen to one another, build relationships, and strengthen the connections that make us a community.

That kind of connection and understanding are what will make us stronger as a people. 

Today’s TDOV, how are you celebrating?

Every day for me, for as long as I live…is TDOV. I exist. I breathe. I wake up, move, function, and attend to my existence’s basic needs. That is a celebration.

As a Black trans woman, we have one of the shortest life expectancies among all trans people. So, every day I have lived in my authentic truth is a victory. Every day that I exist, while hearing about the violence being perpetrated against people who look like me, my very survival is an act of celebration. Every moment I am able to live in my authentic identity is celebratory. 

That is why I spoil myself. For me, spoiling myself comes in a myriad of ways, from my skincare to surrounding myself with the most beautiful, priceless, and finely made pieces. And let me tell you, when I put them on this skin, boy, it feels good. My God…

Would that be your advice for other trans people? To spoil yourself?

Yes. Yes. YESSS!! Go and spoil yourself! 

Anything else you’d like to share before we wrap up? 

Thank you to those who came before me. Thank you for the sacrifices you made. I hope that when you look down, you can say, 

“Damn…We did it! Look at our girl!” 

Amen!