As a Black transgender woman from Miami, my life is a testimony of survival, resilience, and transformation. From childhood, I carried trauma I never asked for, molestation, rejection from family, and verbal abuse that no child should endure. As I grew older, violence became familiar: I faced guns, robberies, betrayal from loved ones, and abandonment by people I once trusted. Survival was instinct. With no safety net, I turned to sex work, hustling, and whatever means kept me alive.
In 2010, the ballroom scene introduced me to the community, but it also exposed me to harsh realities. Drugs circulated freely, and I hustled, selling weed and coke, not out of glamour but necessity. Through betrayals and broken trust, I learned to build a chosen family and lean on those who stood by me. Fierce and unapologetic, I fought for myself and my community, carrying both scars and strength.
My HIV diagnosis was another turning point. For five years, I sank in denial, burdened by stigma, pain, and ignorance. Healing came only after I embraced care, giving me not only survival but purpose. This shift led me to rediscover myself as more than a hustler, I was a creator.
Hair became my craft and my calling. Learning from icons like China the Hair Designer, Paulette and Felicia Green, and ultimately Debbie Scissorhands, I discovered the transformative power of beauty. Debbie, especially, taught me how styling could restore dignity for people with alopecia and beyond. From her, I absorbed the lesson that creating beauty could also be an act of survival and healing.
My story is filled with racism, homophobia, transphobia, homelessness, and violence, yet it is also rooted in resilience, chosen family, and growth. I did not let my hardships define my ending. Instead, I planted seeds in the cracks I was forced into, and those seeds have grown into a garden, both literal and symbolic.
This is what resilience looks like. This is the truth of a Black trans woman who refused to be erased, who transformed pain into power, and who chose to keep thriving against all odds.
Born in Liberty City, Miami, Jasmine McKenzie is a Black trans woman, HIV survivor, and founder of The McKenzie Project, leading transformative housing, advocacy, and healing initiatives that empower Black TGNCNB+ people to thrive with joy and dignity.
