Happy 25th Birthday Raquel!

Last year I got to meet this amazing twentysomething trans advocate during an anti-violence conference in Chicago..

When I first met her, I originally thought she was a cis feminine ally until she spoke during one of the discussion sessions and let us all know she was a girl like us.  

I had a chance during the Chicago event to have a long one on one conversation with her, and participate in some discussion groups with her during the conference.  I could tell right away that she was going to do amazing things for our community.  The fact that she was a writer made me even more of a fan of hers, and we exchanged contact information that day.  

That twentysomething I met who so impressed me was Atlanta-based advocate Raquel Willis, and as I figured out after meeting her, my initial impression of her was on target.

 She has been getting well deserved attention for her thoughtful and incisive writing and her efforts as one of the group of trans leaders we are blessed to have in Atlanta doing the education not only on trans issues, but an eloquent voice speaking about a wide range of social justice issues.

Raquel is the bomb as one of our emerging young leaders, and I'm glad people inside and outside our trans   community ranks are recognizing it.

I'm also exceedingly proud of her. .Yeah, she's heard me say this to her in our check in phone conversations, but I wanted to put it in writing so she knows beyond a shadow of a doubt how much I love and admire her.
And what better day than her birthday to do so?

 I also couldn't let her 25th birthday pass without giving her the TransGriot shout out this auspicious occasion deserves.

Happy birthday Raquel!  Thanks for everything you do for our community, and I hope your special day is one filled with love, fun, and maximum fabulousness.    Hope it is also a blessings filled one for you, and you receive the ultimate blessing of being around to celebrate many more of them.