Lily will be on our stage on 15 May for Outrageous: Shata Mata.

But before that night, she wrote a letter. Relating what too many trans women know intimately: the feeling of moving through the world without ever being fully safe. Outrageous is a celebration, but it's more than just a great party.

Lili, my name is Lili. I'm a Moroccan trans woman, a proud Amazigh. I did not choose activism, but activism found me. I did not choose my gender, I did not choose my nationality. I did not choose my family, but I did choose my name, Lili. Like a blooming flower, I choose my happiness, my life, and my future.

My name is Lili. I grew up in a place that pushed me away, hostile to me, to everything I am. A family that rejected me, a society that refused me, refused me my basic rights. An ID, healthcare, education, and safety. My name is Lili. I choose me.
I choose me in the morning. I choose me at night. I choose me again and again. I choose me a new start, a new chance, a new home. And it's called Belgium.

I'm Lili. I did not feel safe in my hometown, Casablanca. And I don't feel safe in my new home either. My name is Lili. I'm a Moroccan trans refugee, and I keep moving from city to city, carrying my name like a promise, looking for a new place where I can feel safe, a ground soft enough to finally let me rest.

With love, I'm Lili.

This edition is dedicated to her, and to all trans women who continue to exist, create, and shine despite hostility, exclusion, and violence. Protect the dolls. In our spaces. On our dance floors. In our communities. In real life.