WHO WE ARE
Gender Liberation Movement (GLM) is fighting to free all people from harmful and limiting gendered expectations.
Gender Liberation* serves as our organizing framework, centering gender as a system that governs who is protected, punished, and allowed to live with dignity.
GLM brings together organizers, creatives, and community members to build power for gender liberation in culture, organizing, and policy. We are rooted in direct action and movement building, and we work across generations to develop leaders equipped to meet this moment and shape what comes next.
We exist to confront real harm, respond to escalating political attacks, and build the people and strategies needed for long-term liberation.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
GENDER LIBERATION is the power to defy* or transcend the gendered expectations that harm and limit us.
OUR WORK
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We grow people power through direct action, political education, and leadership development. Our work includes our Affirming Adult and emPOWERed Youth circles that support families in building political clarity, confidence, and collective capacity.
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We intervene in dominant narratives about gender through storytelling, media, and cultural strategy. Our cultural work challenges fear-based narratives and expands the public imagination around gender, freedom, and possibility. This includes narrative interventions today—and long-term visions for deeper cultural production.
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We respond to legislative and judicial attacks on bodily autonomy and gender freedom by advancing public demands, mobilizing communities, and holding institutions accountable. Our policy work is rooted in defense, defiance, and the protection of people most targeted by political violence.
LEADERSHIP
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CO-FOUNDER / STRATEGIC DIRECTOR
Raquel Willis is an award-winning trans activist, journalist, and media strategist working at the intersection of gender liberation, racial justice, and cultural change. She is a co-founder and strategic director of the Gender Liberation Movement, where she guides long-term vision, organizing strategy, and narrative direction.Raquel has held national leadership roles across advocacy, media, and philanthropy, including senior editorial and communications positions at major U.S. institutions. She is the author of The Risk It Takes to Bloom: On Life and Liberation and the host of multiple podcast projects exploring trans life, history, and justice.
Her work has been recognized by organizations including GLAAD, ADCOLOR, and TIME, and her writing appears in major publications and anthologies focused on gender, race, and liberation.
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CO-FOUNDER / COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
Eliel Cruz is an award-winning organizer, writer, and advocacy media strategist with extensive experience leading police accountability, anti-violence, and LGBTQ justice campaigns. He is a co-founder and communications lead of the Gender Liberation Movement, where he shapes narrative strategy, public engagement, and media response to gender-based political attacks.Eliel is a co-organizer of the Brooklyn Liberation March for Black Trans Lives and the Brooklyn Liberation March for Trans Youth. He has been recognized by the Stonewall Community Foundation and Out Magazine for his contributions to movement building and gender justice advocacy.
His writing and commentary on organizing, culture, and liberation have appeared in major national and international outlets.
Our Funders
