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Freedom To Be: Joy, Family, & Transgender Rights

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Freedom To Be Monument

The Freedom To Be Monument is a powerful, living testament to trans resilience, community, and joy. Explore the monument, witness these powerful stories, and join us in the fight to defend trans freedom.

This installation took over the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on May 17 as a bold act of resistance to transphobia, trans erasure, and anti-trans legislation. It stands as a declaration that trans people deserve the freedom to be—loved, safe, and in control of our own health care decisions.

Inspired by the legacy of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, this installation combats erasure and ensures that trans voices, stories, and existence are seen and honored. It directly challenges those who seek to strip away trans rights, boldly affirming that trans lives are here to stay.

Spelling out the words “Freedom To Be,” the monument consists of 250 panels—each 6 feet by 6 feet—created by hundreds of trans folks and allies across the country. Every panel is a response to the question: What does freedom to be mean to me? Over the past year, in partnership with the ACLU, trans storytellers and allies have poured their hopes, fears, and dreams into this collective work of art.

Fast Facts

1,000

Artists and activists contributed artwork to the installation

250

Panels designed by artists and activists

35

Participating states across the country + DC

ArtworkAbout The MonumentAbout The CampaignIn The News

Featured Art

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Background of milo and clouds on a blue sky. Resembles a bathroom sign with three "people" and the word "Family" underneath
Image of a house in Trans Pride colors with text reading "We demand the freedom to thrive-to experience joy, dignity, agency, and safety at home within our bodies and beyond regardless of county or country"
A four color (pink, white, red, blue) illustrated acrylic panel featuring interwoven flowers witht he message "trans folk belong everywhere".
Pink panel with quilted block depicting a pink and blue hosue with a trans flag out front on the porch with green grass and a blue sky. Above the blcok there are clouds and there are blue raindrops on either side. Black text at the bottom reads "Free to Be: Loved, Happy, Safe"
Trans icon Marsha P. Johnson lays on a half AIDS Quilt / half Freedom To Be quilt with roommate and chosen family Little Brave, William Brashear.
Outlines of people with collaged facial features. A glowing person in the center with dividing lines made of gender selection screens.
Connected hands surrounded by flowers & plants, pink + white + blue fabrics,
A pattern alternating quilt blocks in a border. In the center, a pink triangle with the text.
A celebration of trans joy and perserverance

What Does Freedom Mean to You?

The “Freedom To Be” campaign shows transgender people and their families from across the country finding joy and community, grounded in the basic principle that we all deserve the freedom to control our own families, bodies, and lives.

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Freedom To Be: Dr. Russell Toomey (he/him)

For Russ, the freedom to be means feeling the power of belonging and fighting to make that accessible for others.

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