Janetta Johnson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Janetta Johnson
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| Born | 1964/1965 (age 60–61) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Honorary Ph.D |
| Occupation | Transgender and human rights activist |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Organization | TGI Justice Project |
Janetta Louise Johnson is an American activist. She works for the rights of transgender people and human rights. She is a transgender woman.
Janetta is the Executive Director of the TGI Justice Project. She also helped start the non-profit group TAJA's Coalition in 2015. With Honey Mahogany and Aria Sa'id, Janetta co-founded The Transgender District in 2017.
Janetta's main work is helping transgender and gender-non-conforming people. This includes those who are in prison or have been in prison. She believes that changing how police and prisons work will make transgender people safer. She is known as an abolitionist.
Contents
Janetta Johnson's Story
Early Life and Mentorship
Janetta Johnson knew she was a transgender woman from a young age. She wanted to medically transition when she was about seventeen or eighteen. She came out as a transgender woman in the 1980s.
In 1997, Janetta moved from Tampa, Florida, to San Francisco. She wanted to learn from Miss Major Griffin-Gracy. Miss Major is also a transgender rights activist and works to change prisons. She used to be the director of the TGI Justice Project.
Janetta calls Miss Major her "adopted trans mother." Miss Major taught her a lot and gave her support. When Janetta first arrived in San Francisco, she did not have a home and stayed in a shelter. But she still worked closely with Miss Major.
For three years, Miss Major taught Janetta about politics and community organizing. Janetta said this experience "changed her life." She also moved to San Francisco because it was the first time she saw transgender women "living their lives authentically."
In 2012, Janetta became more involved in activism. She focused on the rights of transgender women and gender-non-conforming people in prison. In 2015, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy retired from the TGI Justice Project. Janetta Johnson was then hired as the new Executive Director.
Janetta's Beliefs
Changing Police and Prisons
Janetta Johnson believes in changing how police and prisons work. She wants to see police departments, especially in San Francisco, use their money differently. She suggests putting that money into housing, education, and healthcare for the community.
Janetta herself has been in prison. Because of this, she is against large prison systems. She wants to change how prisons work. Instead of using prisons to deal with crime, she supports restorative justice. This means focusing on repairing harm and helping people.
She strongly believes in changing San Francisco's prison system. At a 2018 rally, she called for closing a jail. She said San Francisco should be a leader in finding new ways to deal with crime. She believes we need other options instead of jails and prisons.
Janetta is working to reduce the prison system by 65% through new laws and policies.
Fair Chances for Everyone
Janetta Johnson also believes in getting fair chances for transgender and gender-non-conforming people. She thinks that for this to happen, transgender people need to own their own businesses and homes.
One way she works towards this is through The Transgender District. This district helps transgender people gain economic power. It helps them own homes, businesses, and important cultural places. It also has a program to help transgender people find jobs.
She also helps by hiring transgender and gender-variant people who have been in prison. This gives them work experience and an income.
Janetta's Activism
TGI Justice Project
About the Organization
The TGI Justice Project is a group of transgender, gender-variant, and gender-non-conforming people. They work together, both inside and outside of prisons. They fight for survival and freedom. They focus on many issues important to transgender people. These include laws, human rights, and police actions. They also work on racism, poverty, and how society treats transgender people.
The organization believes in changing police and prisons. They work to support Black trans leaders. They help Black trans people get important roles in the organization. They also help community members return to society after being in prison. The TGI Justice Project helps transgender and gender-non-conforming people understand laws and policies. It is one of the first groups led by transgender women of color who have been in prison. Miss Major Griffin-Gracy was the Executive Director from 2005 to 2015.
From 2009 to 2012, Janetta was in prison. During this time, she helped connect people to the TGI Justice Project. Miss Major talked to Janetta often while she was in prison. She told Janetta that she wanted her to be the next Executive Director. In 2015, Miss Major retired, and Janetta became the Executive Director. The TGI Justice Project does not have enough money to hire many staff. So, Janetta does most of the work herself.
While working at the TGI Justice Project, Janetta started "Black Girlz Rulez." This program brings Black trans women together from all over the country. It helps them build a community. It also helps them deal with issues that affect Black trans women.
Helping People After Prison
Janetta started the TGI Justice Project's re-entry program. This program helps transgender and gender-variant people. It supports them right after they are released from prison. This helps prevent them from going back to prison.
When Janetta was in prison, she met many transgender women. They told her they had been in prison many times. This was because they did not have enough support when they got out. Janetta was inspired to create the re-entry program. She said, "I'm going to create a program so that Black trans women don't fall through the cracks." Now, Janetta runs this program to help Black trans women.
The re-entry program helps people with housing, food, and money. It also helps them get mental and physical health care. This support lasts for sixty to ninety days after they are released. Janetta works with community members to pick up people from prison. They bring them to temporary housing in hotels or motels. The program also pays its members at least $25 an hour. This helps them financially as they return to society. Janetta says, "Reentry must come with a paycheck." She notes that finding housing for the program has become harder during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Impact of COVID-19
Janetta noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has created special problems for transgender people. She said, "any type of disease or stigma is always attached to trans people." Because of this, the TGI Justice Project has focused more on helping people in crisis. They also provide general community care for transgender people during the pandemic.
One major way they help is with housing. This became an even bigger problem during the pandemic. Janetta says seeing people without homes has inspired her to help. During the pandemic, Janetta has spent many days finding hotels. Many hotels refuse to rent rooms to transgender people. Or they raise the price once they know the person is transgender. As of June 2020, the organization housed thirty transgender and gender-non-conforming people.
The TGI Justice Project also has volunteers. They bring meals and groceries to people housed in hotels. They also bring food and hygiene products to transgender people living on the streets. Janetta noted that donations to the TGI Justice Project increased after the protests about the murder of George Floyd.
TAJA's Coalition
Janetta Johnson helped start TAJA's Coalition in February 2015. This group was formed after Taja Gabrielle de Jesus was murdered. Taja was a transgender woman of color who lived in San Francisco. TAJA's Coalition works to make transgender women and gender-non-conforming people safer. They do this by helping them get more education and housing.
The Transgender District
In 2017, Janetta Johnson helped create the world's first legally recognized transgender cultural district. This is The Transgender District in the Tenderloin area of San Francisco. She co-founded it with Honey Mahogany and Aria Sa'id. All three are Black transgender women. Today, Aria Sa'id is the only co-founder still working with The Transgender District.
The District covers six blocks in the Tenderloin. It also crosses over Market Street to include two blocks of Sixth Street. It has several important historical places. One is the former location of Compton's Cafeteria. This was the site of the Compton's Cafeteria Riot. This riot happened at the corner of Turk Street and Taylor Street. These streets have been renamed by the District as “Compton’s Cafeteria Way” and “Vikki Mar Lane.”
Janetta and the other founders were inspired to create the District. A real-estate company planned to build new homes and a hotel in the Tenderloin. This would have changed the area and made it more expensive. Brian Basinger, who leads a group helping people with HIV/AIDS, spoke out against these plans. He gathered support from groups like the TGI Justice Project, led by Janetta Johnson.
Brian's first efforts did not stop the company. But the company later provided money to help establish The Transgender District.
The District was first called Compton's Transgender Cultural District. This name honors the historic August 1966 Compton's Cafeteria Riot. This riot was one of the first times transgender people stood up for their rights in the United States. It was a response to police bothering transgender and gender-non-conforming people. At that time, it was illegal to "cross-dress." This law led to a lot of police unfairness against transgender women. A transgender woman in a documentary said she could be arrested for having buttons on the "wrong" side of her shirt.
Newspapers did not report on the riot at the time. But the Compton's Cafeteria Riot was "rediscovered" and made famous by Susan Stryker. Her 2015 film Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria led to the creation of The Transgender District.
The Transgender District wants to create a place that celebrates the history and culture of transgender people. It aims to help transgender people gain financial stability. This includes helping them own homes, businesses, and safe community spaces. Janetta's main hope for the District is to create a "safe space" for transgender people. She said, "I believe in creating a space without violence, discrimination, and over-policing." She also wants to make sure Black trans women have chances for ownership and cultural spaces where they feel safe.
Legal and Policy Work
Janetta Johnson worked on a California law called Senate Bill 310. It is also known as the Name and Dignity Act. The TGI Justice Project helped support this bill. It passed in October 2017.
This law allows transgender people in California prisons to ask a court to change their name and gender marker. Janetta says this makes it easier for them to return to society. She explained that having identification documents that match who they are helps them get important services. It also helps them avoid unfair treatment.
During the pandemic, Janetta and the TGI Justice Project have helped people in two prisons. These are Mule Creek State Prison and Kern Valley State Prison. Janetta has also been a member of the Transgender Law Center's national group.
