The Transgender Advocates for Justice and Accountability (TAJA) Coalition was founded in February 2015 in response to the brutal murder of Taja Gabrielle de Jesus, a transgender woman of color and resident of San Francisco.

The organization has been in continuous operation since its founding.

At its inception, TAJA's Coalition was one of the only organizations led and driven by transgender women of color in San Francisco.

The Coalition consists of individuals and organizational allies committed to the shared mission to stop the genocide of trans women of color.

Mission

TAJA Co. is organized to provide services that identify and fulfill the immediate needs of transgender women of color through the lens of social equity by increasing education and understanding of the transgender experience to the general public, eliminating violence, creating employment opportunities, and a leadership pipeline, and supporting existing programs that provide services to transgender women.

Vision

The vision of TAJA Co. is safety for trans women and GNC individuals in a world free of the prison industrial complex and state violence, an economy centered on the needs of people, and arrangements of power and space that center interdependence.

Nonprofit Status

Transgender Advocates for Justice and Accountability Coalition is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit.

Remembering Taja Gabrielle de Jesus

Taja de Jesus

Taja Gabrielle de Jesus was a beautiful soul who was unapologetically unafraid, always to be herself. She had an infectious energy that, combined with her sweet nature, made her a delight to everyone whose path she crossed. And when she did cross your path, she always had a story to share. It might have made you laugh or made you cry, but it was always, truly, authentically her. She was well-loved by everyone for her kind heart, inspirational spirit, and impeccable style--she loved to rock those flashy outfits.

On Sunday, February 1, Taja was brutally stabbed and became the 5th trans woman murdered in the US in 2015. That's more than one murder a week. And all of them were women of color. She is also the fourth trans woman of color in California to be murdered in the last four months. We must put an end to this continual dynamic. It saddens and angers us whenever someone from our community is taken from us. It devastates us when it's someone we know and love.

The Transgender Advocates for Justice and Accountability Coalition ("TAJA") is united in anger and outrage over her murder. TAJA's Coalition includes leadership from TGI Justice Project, El/La Para Translatinas, Trans March, Community United Against Violence, Transgender Law Center, St. James Infirmary, The SF LGBT Center, Trans Employment Program (TEEI), TRANS:THRIVE at the API Wellness Center, Dimensions Clinic, Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, and Trans Life at the SF AIDS Foundation.

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