Reina Gossett

Reina Gossett is an activist, artist and writer based in New York City, currently the 2014-2016 Activist Fellow at Barnard Center for Research on Women. She is most notable for her work in transgender activism and economic justice, through her work with the Sylvia Rivera Law Project and Queers for Economic Justice.^[1]

Early life

Gossett grew up in a feminist household in Massachusetts. Her mother is a union organizer and her father is a self-defense instructor and anti-imprisonment advocate. Her sibling Che Gossett is a celebrated scholar committed to AIDS activism and anti HIV criminalization work.^[2]

Gossett and Che went to a bilingual elementary school in the Roxbury where “the teachers were abusive,” and later attended suburban schools where they “went from living in poverty to going to school with wealthy people like Mitt Romney’s kids.”^[3]

Gossett moved to New York City for college in 2002 and has lived there ever since.

Education

Gossett attended Columbia University from 2002 until 2006. She received a B.A. in Comparative Ethnic Studies. While at Columbia, she served on the President’s Council on Student Affairs, a group which sought to advise the president on professors intimidating students amidst the MEALAC Scandal. She was also a chaplain's’ associate and a member of Students Promoting Empowerment and Knowledge (SPEaK). In addition, she taught creative writing classes at Rikers Island in New York. ^[4]

Activism

Gossett is a feminist movement builder, working at various organizations for the past decade on transgender activism, economic justice, and prison abolition. She served as the Membership Coordinator for Queers for Economic Justice. At the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, she served as the Director of Membership, Gossett worked to lift the voice and power of trans and gender non-conforming people across New York City. ^[5] She has been a featured speaker about transgender issues at GLAAD. ^[6]

Along with Critical Resistance, Gossett organized a campaign with low income LGBTGNC that prevented the NYC Department of Corrections from building a $375 million jail in the Bronx. Gossett has done prison abolition work through a video series, titled No One is Disposable: Everyday Practices of Prison Abolition, with Dean Spade.^[7] Gossett also uses her website www.reinagossett.com to distribute materials supporting transgender activism.

Gossett was featured in Brave Spaces: Perspectives on Faith and LGBT Justice (2015), which was produced by acclaimed Marc Smolowitz and screened as a Human Rights Campaign event.

Films

Gosset has made numerous films about trans activism. STAR PEOPLE ARE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (2009), co-produced with Sasha Wortzel documents the life and work of Sylvia Rivera and STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) ^[8] Her next work, also co-produced with Wortzel, is called Happy Birthday, Marsha! (2016) and will explore the life of activist Marsha P. Johnson. ^[9]

Honors

• 2009 Stonewall Community Foundation Honoree
• Awarded the George Soros Justice Advocacy Fellowship
• “Happy Birthday. Marsha” was recognized by filmmaker Ira Sachs and was awarded a fellowship with Sach’s Queer/Art/Mentorship program for the 2012-2013 calendar year.

References