Earlier this month, the Women Law Students’ Association, outLaw, and the George Barrett Social Justice Program all collectively hosted transgender rights activist Ravanna-Michelle Menendez to celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility. Menendez is a trans rights leader and strategist recognized throughout the Nashville area. Her activism work is centered around ensuring expansive access to trans-friendly health care in Tennessee and all over the United States. Menendez has also worked diligently to increase those efforts through employment strategies to ensure access to treatment for various groups across the United States.
Menendez talked about healthcare and advocacy surrounding the transgender community in her own experiences and highlighted the importance of transgender rights in Tennessee and the United States in general.
Menendez discussed how personal experiences led her to a career in trans advocacy. Menendez transitioned while working at Lyft’s Nashville office. She underscored the significance of visibility and being heard: “I was the very first trans person that they’ve ever seen out in the open” at that particular office. She details how her relationships at Lyft helped her co-workers better understand the trans community, helping create a sense of welcome in her workplace. Menendez was inspired by this experience to further her work as a transgender rights activist; it also provides a source of encouragement when facing challenges in her efforts to promote more gender-inclusive policies in work environments.
Menendez went onto discuss the state of healthcare for transgender individuals and needed policies to improve transgender rights throughout the United States. One of the proposals she believes could effectively improve this is strengthening diversity and inclusion efforts in the workplace. Menendez believes that “the biggest, most important thing that we can do is put people on the ballot. Make sure come November, we get out there and move the line to vote like no other.”
Menendez also argued for the need to put progressive candidates in public office in Tennessee to help improve the position of the transgender community in the state. She believes that advocacy and policymaking are two avenues through which discriminatory laws can be combatted and the voices of the transgender community can be heard.
