Afterlives: The Layleen Polanco Story Outspoken

Layleen Polanco was full of energy and always up for an adventure. From her love of music, to the first time she expressed her girlhood, we’ll explore how Layleen came to discover her sense of self and found her way to New York City’s ballroom scene. As a picture begins to form of her vibrant life, we also see how it took a turn and why her demise could have been prevented.
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Layleen’s mid-twenties weren’t easy. In the years leading up to her death at age 27, she was denied job opportunities, spent periods of time incarcerated, and struggled with her physical and mental health. Sex work was one way Layleen could support herself; but a sex work arrest set off a dehumanizing battle with the criminal justice system that led to her death.

Layleen’s story is not an outlier. Decades of transphobic policies made her arrest feel familiar. We’ll hear from trans women who were devastated by the loss of Layleen, in part because they felt her fate could have been their own.
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Dysfunctional, transphobic, dehumanizing. These are just a few ways people we interviewed described Rikers Island. We’ll take a look inside this notorious jail complex, hearing about the conditions firsthand from people who have worked there and been detained behind its bars. It’s not somewhere Layleen should have ended up – failed attempts at reform within the criminal justice system led to a $500 bail which Layleen couldn’t afford. As her first few weeks at Rikers unfolded, the chaos inside the jail took a toll on Layleen. 
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An ominous email thread among correction officers led to Layleen’s placement in the Restrictive Housing Unit, which politicians and advocates alike agree is just another name for solitary confinement. Inside cell #6, Layleen’s day started like any other on Friday June 7. But as the afternoon unfolded, video footage shows Layleen left unattended by correction officers when she suffered a fatal seizure. The manner of her death was documented as natural, yet it seems anything but.
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June 2019 was especially deadly for trans women of color. Amidst a celebration of World Pride and the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a crowd of 600 people came together to mourn Layleen Polanco. Just days after receiving the news that her sister died, Melania Brown found herself fighting her fear of public speaking to address the crowd and lead the call for justice. As weeks and months passed, organizing efforts continued to gain momentum, as did investigations and lawsuits surrounding Layleen’s death - some culminated in disappointing decisions, while others marked historic wins.
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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.
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