Unify, reclaim, empower. Those are the goals of the Baltimore Transgender Alliance, which, in its own words, “works to uplift the voices of transgender and gender non-conforming people in Baltimore City.” Ava Pipitone serves as executive director of the alliance, and she talked about the meaning of those outlined goals and working to overwhelm mainstream narratives of trans people by telling their own stories. Founded in 2015 by Bryanna Jenkins, the Baltimore Transgender Alliance is a coalition of organizations that has garnered attention for events like 2015’s Baltimore Trans Uprising protest. Ava, who’s also a worker-owner at Red Emma’s Bookstore and Coffeehouse, is a Maryland native, and she talked about her childhood and the ways her extensive travels have shaped her. She also discussed the so-called “trans tipping point,” the Women’s March on Washington and the importance to her of observability. (Photo courtesy of Tehya Faulk)