I’m both excited and heavy-hearted to share the paperback cover of my memoir, The Risk It Takes to Bloom. It’s available for pre-order. June 9th is the date. raquelwillis.com/bloom

Despite extraction, exploitation, and violence, indigenous, enslaved, AND migrant folks endured and helped build this country. That’s the truer statement. But we also need to be clear that patriotism and pride in empire will not save us, will not make us more worthy, will not lead us to liberation.

"Our liberation is bound together, and that understanding carries risk. It’s no coincidence that King was killed at the height of his intersectional critique of racism, militarism, and economic exploitation."

“They definitely expanded their efforts,” said @raquelwillis.com of @genderlib.com, suggesting that anti-trans efforts to sway Dems toward skepticism on trans youth in sports added to the anti-trans crowd’s numbers Tues. there were transphobic signs from both Dems and gay cis people at the crowd

MLK’s dream was never this small. A reflection from outside the Supreme Court on trans youth, civil rights, and the work that never ended. Subscribe, if you vibe.

New York Was Never My Center. A life update on ambition, belonging, and coming home. open.substack.com/pub/raquelwi...

MY MAYOR MY MAYOR MY MAYOR MY MAYOR MAMDANIIIIIII

With Zohran Mamdani on the verge of winning the NYC mayoral race, after Cuomo and so many others leaned on post-9/11 era Islamophobia to discredit him, it feels cosmic that Dick Cheney died today. The arc of empire bends toward reckoning.

In the audience tonight is Charlotte Bennett, one of the 13 women that Andrew Cuomo is credibly alleged to have sexually harassed while they worked in his government. She can't speak for herself because Cuomo's lawyers have hounded her. So I confronted him.

People say Cuomo beats Mamdani because he has more experience. But if that experience includes a record of sexual harassment, retaliation against colleagues, and weaponizing antisemitism & Islamophobia. But what kind of experience is that, really?

CUOMO: I’M THE REAL DEMOCRAT IN THE RACE NEW YORKERS + ZOHRAN:

If able, please consider donating to help care for baby Asiah: fundly.com/missmajor Please at least share this post if unable to contribute! 🫂

I’ve been saying forever that true love feels like a D’Angelo song. So wild that he passed. 🙏🏽

Rest in power, Mama Major! 💜🙏🏽 It was a blessing to live in the same earthly timeline as you. A true freedom fighter, you never stopped reminding trans people—especially Black trans people—of our worth and our power. Because of Major, our foundation is unshakeable and our liberation inevitable.

We’re so close to winning a Signal Award for Afterlives: Marsha P. Johnson. Voting closes tomorrow. Every vote honors Marsha’s legacy and keeps trans and queer stories at the forefront. Vote here. Takes approx. 10 seconds. Let’s finish strong. 💜 vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

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Any Dems still acting like the rules of decency, decorum, and precedence still apply need to be ousted with the outright fascists.

Has the demon been spotted yet? 👀

HBD, Queen Marsha P. Johnson! Thank you for your love, light, and legacy of liberation! Celebrate her; it would have been her 80th! time.com/7295713/how-...

Back to being cisgendered tomorrow 😪 I feel like Cinderella at midnight.

If a politician insists on the antisemitic notion that Jewish people have some inherent loyalty to a foreign state. If a politician presents genocide as a Jewish value. If a politician only cares about judeism when weaponized against Muslims. I can't take their stances on antisemitism seriously.

If a politician never discusses Islamophobia or anti-Blackness, I can’t take their takes on anti-Semitism seriously.

lol Zohran is all over my timelines. The new it girl for sure!

I invited @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social to this event, and so proud of it! I originally invited him (as part of the organizing team) hoping he would speak. I wanted more people to hear him, hoping more people would support him. We decided not to have politicians speak, but Zohran came anyway.

If the Establishment is mad, you’re doing something right.

Let’s also remember how out of touch much of legacy media is too.

Omg Cuomo conceded?!

NO MO’ CUOMO

Vote Zohran or you’re str8!

Trump proving once again how dangerous a stunt queen can be.

ZOHRAN. That is all.

It's been five years since Brooklyn Liberation / the March for Black Trans Lives. A seismic day that shifted the course of many lives. Let’s remember that we are battle-tested + ready. The fight will be long, but our history, our community, and our collective vision of liberation will win.

This was a great overview of why Marsha P Johnson is such a beloved trancestor Also, comrade Time Magazine over here, lately, wow

If an 11,000-word story has a major, factual error in the fifth graf, it probably should be seen for the biased, hit-piece it is.

For your Juneteenth reading pleasure. Here’s why 2025 is the Summer of Marsha P. Johnson for me. time.com/7295713/how-...

The SCOTUS ruling in U.S. v. Skrmetti confirms what we know: this government is crooked and ignorant. Trans kids deserve care, safety, and bodily autonomy. We must remind them of their history, the sacredness of community, and that no government gave them their power—and no court can take it away.

Beware of those that tell you trans liberation is “too much” or that you should shrink. That’s just assimilation and it has never worked for those on the margins.

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An ode to trans lives—then, now, always. For our June digital cover, 22 trans leaders, artists, and organizers came together to share the seeds they are planting with @raquelwillis.com and form a tree of life with photographer Camila Falquez. Read more here: atmos.earth/the-fruits-w...

More in @atmosmag.bsky.social : @raquelwillis.com pens an ode to trans lives past, present, and future, performed by the cast of our June cover story. atmos.earth/an-ode-to-tr...

“Oh, trans people of now, what fruit will you bear?” For our June digital cover, writer @raquelwillis.com pens an homage to trans histories and futures: atmos.earth/the-fruits-w...

Afterlives is back for a whole new season all about the Queen, Marsha P. Johnson. It’s been an honor to delve into rare archival interviews and intimate conversations with elders, friends, and historians. We’re covering her childhood, art, and activism! First episode is out now. pod.link/1715577597

It's an immense honor to keynote the Schomburg Centennial Festival later this month. Join us for a fiyahhhh conversation all about my memoir, The Risk It Takes to Bloom. thecitylife.org/2025/06/03/t...

This Pride Month, the LGBTQ+ community must commit to ending state violence in all its forms—domestically and abroad. We can't forget that our historic struggle against the police state is inseparable from resisting militarism and empire. There is no liberation without a Free Palestine, period.

Another year ‘round the sun—feeling blessed, bold, and beautiful. Still riding high after serving some YA YA ovahness at the Cowboy Carter tour. Thank you, Queen, for making it a night to remember! Here’s to another year of demanding more from life, finding joy in the chaos, and living defiantly.

Happy Asian American Native Hawaiian Desi Pacific Islander Heritage Month! 🌱 Resistance to colonization & imperialism is our heritage. 🌱 Ancestral knowledge & technologies that keep us safe is our heritage. 🌱 Trans, Queer & Femme leadership is our heritage.

Raquel Willis is a guidestar in these pale times. Congratulations Raquel!!!

Grateful for another TIME honor. The fight continues at @genderlib.com. time.com/collections/...

omg Black Mirror s7 ep2 took me out. the best one since san junipero tbh