Every year, the anniversary of Layleen’s death is a reminder to ask: has anything really changed? Many organizers have been personally touched by Layleen’s story and have spent years advocating for policy changes that would prevent a tragedy like hers from happening again. Major headlines have surrounded Layleen’s death: from steps taken towards decriminalizing consensual sex work, to the claim that New York City ended solitary confinement, to the creation of an unit at Rikers dedicated to LGBTQ+ advocacy. But these initiatives have had mixed results in practice. We’ll look at the strides that have been made in Layleen’s name as well as the effects of compromises, rollbacks, and resistance.

Every year, the anniversary of Layleen’s death is a reminder to ask: has anything really changed? Many organizers have been personally touched by Layleen’s story and have spent years advocating for policy changes that would prevent a tragedy like hers from happening again. Major headlines have surrounded Layleen’s death: from steps taken towards decriminalizing consensual sex work, to the claim that New York City ended solitary confinement, to the creation of an unit at Rikers dedicated to LGBTQ+ advocacy. But these initiatives have had mixed results in practice. We’ll look at the strides that have been made in Layleen’s name as well as the effects of compromises, rollbacks, and resistance.

The life and legacy of Layleen Xtravaganza Cubilette-Polanco is at the heart of Afterlives, a podcast about trans lives we’ve lost and the ways their stories have reshaped our world. Known to light up a room, Layleen was an Afro-Latina trans woman in New York City who was sentenced to the city’s notorious jail complex on Rikers Island. She died there in 2019, at the young age of 27.



Hosted by Raquel Willis and inspired by her award-winning work on Out magazine’s Trans Obituaries Project, this 7-episode series celebrates Layleen’s vibrant life through memories from her family of origin and the community she discovered in New York’s famed ballroom scene. The series unpacks the systems that failed Layleen leading up to her death at Rikers through in-depth interviews with activists fighting against the criminalization of sex work, solitary confinement, and the epidemic of anti-trans violence.



Afterlives is the story of Layleen’s life, and the fight that continues in her name today.

The life and legacy of Layleen Xtravaganza Cubilette-Polanco is at the heart of Afterlives, a podcast about trans lives we’ve lost and the ways their stories have reshaped our world. Known to light up a room, Layleen was an Afro-Latina trans woman in New York City who was sentenced to the city’s notorious jail complex on Rikers Island. She died there in 2019, at the young age of 27.
 
Hosted by Raquel Willis and inspired by her award-winning work on Out magazine’s Trans Obituaries Project, this 7-episode series celebrates Layleen’s vibrant life through memories from her family of origin and the community she discovered in New York’s famed ballroom scene. The series unpacks the systems that failed Layleen leading up to her death at Rikers through in-depth interviews with activists fighting against the criminalization of sex work, solitary confinement, and the epidemic of anti-trans violence.
 
Afterlives is the story of Layleen’s life, and the fight that continues in her name today.

Afterlives: The Layleen Polanco Story

Episode 6: A Rallying Cry

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/8cbdc5fe-d77b-4c8c-8d9f-b0dd01033fa6/transcript

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