As a 58-year-old transgender woman of color, I feel incredibly fortunate to have reached this age. I've faced immense injustices, including employment and housing discrimination, and medical disparities that led to dangerous black-market injections. I've survived three violent physical attacks.

In the 1990s, after one attack left me with two black eyes, a split lip, and bleeding, I lay in bed weeping, questioning why I was transgender, almost blaming myself for the violence. By the grace of God, I escaped. That night, I could have easily died. It was then I resolved to dedicate myself to activism, to improve conditions for the transgender community.

When I saw momentum building for trans civil rights, a profound sense of relief washed over me. It felt as though our collective blood, sweat, and tears had not been in vain. For a time, I felt relatively safe venturing out in public.

However, the current backlash my community is experiencing has brought back a deep sense of fear. I now feel like a target when I go out. I'm terrified of how much worse this could become, and I question: Do enough people care?

Since childhood, I've always approached the world with a smile, driven by a desire to positively impact others. I've been blessed with a light that, despite my obstacles, has allowed me to connect with so many in loving and uplifting ways. But now, I wonder if my light is bright enough to pierce these incredibly dark times.

Rajee, seen on Dr. Phil, Botched, and Trisha Goddard, turned her experience with black-market injections into global advocacy. Through film, her single “Stumble,” and memoir Beyond Face Value, she spreads love and works to save lives worldwide.