Hey fam, it's Abara.

Welcome to the Translash podcast, our final podcast of the year, a show where we tell trans

stories to save trans lives.

We hear a lot about unmitigated happiness during the holiday season.

You know, lights, stockings, jingling bells, eggnog, hey, with the right rum, it's amazing.

All tied together with the love of friends and family.

But despite these pop culture notions of

togetherness, for trans people, this time of the year can be painful, reminding us of what we

have lost and what it has cost for us to be ourselves. That's why so many of us need a little

extra love and support right now with an emphasis on self-care.

However, much of the self-care advice we receive relies on things that a lot of us just don't have.

Extra money, extra time, or access to specialized providers.

And this notion of self-care treats feeling better as if it was a switch

that, say, a pedicure could fix. But there are more profound ways that we can look after ourselves

and each other that are rooted in the deep wisdom of trans experience. That's why we're talking to first today, Chase Strangio.

You may know him from his work to fight against anti-trans hate with the ACLU.

But he's also a co-founder of Trans-Santa, a project that helps get gifts to trans youth in need.

And even in the face of all of these relentless attacks, the reality is that we are in existence, we are here.

They can't undo our truth.

And so no matter what they do, we will care for each other.

And then we talked to Emmanuel H. Brown about taking care of yourself during this complicated time of the year.

He's the executive director and founder of the Acorn Center for Restoration and Freedom.

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