Name: Preston Pace
Company Name: Boise Trans Joy
Location: Boise, ID
When did you start getting involved with being an activist or advocate and why?
I’ve been an advocate for mental health and recovery for nearly two decades, but I didn’t get involved in activism and organizing until four years ago when I produced my first fundraiser for overdose awareness. I really dove in the summer before last when the organization I co-founded (Trans Joy Boise) hosted Idaho’s first trans pride march.
When Trump won the last election, I decided to take my activism to the next level and apply to law school, where I could hopefully fight within the courts themselves. I was recently accepted to a school and begin classes in May.
I think that we’re actively watching history repeat itself, and marginalized communities are in danger. We’re seeing discriminatory laws passed, violence, and an overwhelming sense of fear overwhelm our community. More and more people are feeling hopeless and alone. I do this work so that, for one, people see that someone is fighting for them. And two, that they’re not alone. And also, I want trans youth to be able to see that it’s possible to get older and have a life. I know so many trans kids feel that that’s impossible right now.
We need to come together, now more than ever, to fight as a united front.
What are the issues that you focus on?
The issues I focus on are the intersection of trans rights, mental health, and recovery. Specifically, what the government (local and national) is doing to attack trans rights.
How does your work help build our community bigger and stronger?
We’ve created several events that encourage the community to come together, whether to celebrate or mourn (both are equally important). I think that, right now, visibility is crucial. I want every trans person to be able to see that there are so many other people like them, and that they’re not alone in this. This administration’s shock and awe strategy has left many of us feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, and frightened, but there are countless people who will never stop fighting.
Holding events that educate the public on what’s happening in our local government, and encouraging people to get involved is creating a stronger, more informed support system for our community.
It’s undeniable that more and more people are showing up to help, and the community is growing. Knowing that we can rely on and count on each other is how we’re going to get through this. The love that we have has always been our greatest asset.
What is the greatest achievement you have had in the work you are doing?
The greatest achievement I’ve had in this work so far has been highlighting the trans community in such a red state. Being unapologetic in fighting for our rights and bringing the community together has been beyond rewarding. I’ve had several people tell me, “The first time I was ever out in public as myself was at one of your events”, and it takes my breath away every time.
Being out in a state like Idaho is incredibly challenging and, at times, even dangerous. Our state government is doing everything it can to strip us of not only our rights, but our dignity. We’ve had several anti-trans bills passed into law that are already affecting our daily lives, with even more extreme bills being introduced.
Living in a state that has a bathroom ban, for example, is disheartening and isolating. And it’s easy to feel like we don’t belong. For a community already at heightened risk of substance use disorders and suicide, this is dangerous. So, knowing that we have a strong community that cares about each other and shows up for each other is incredible.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced in doing your work?
The biggest challenge has definitely been the bigotry and hatred I’ve faced in this state. I think that most people don’t fully comprehend how bad it is here. Last session, in a hearing for an anti-trans bill, a republican Senator surprisingly voted against it. His reasoning? He thought that an anti-trans bill would validate that trans people exist, and that wasn’t the direction he wanted Idaho to be moving in.
We have a bathroom ban that is in the process of being expanded. We have an indecent exposure law that was created specifically to target trans people. When we were organizing last year’s trans pride march, the city threw a roadblock at us at every opportunity.
Being harassed in public is now a common occurrence. And the online hate is relentless. It can be overbearing to the point of asking yourself if it’s even worth it. But that’s what they want to happen. They want us to give up. Being able to stay informed, but not too informed, and taking a step away at times has been a necessary challenge.
