Who would you be if you had the freedom to live into the fullness of who you are?

That’s the question a new art installation put to transgender and nonbinary Americans across the country, asking them to weave all their joys, frustrations and hopes into more than 250 panels that will form a massive quilt.

The “Freedom to Be” project, led by the American Civil Liberties Union, will be unveiled in Washington, DC, later this spring in conjunction with WorldPride celebrations.

It comes at a time of escalating attacks on the rights of transgender and nonbinary Americans, and a looming Supreme Court decision that could determine the future of their access to gender-affirming care.

But that’s precisely why the quilt is necessary, said Gillian Branstetter, a communications strategist with the ACLU who helped conceive the project.

The quilt, she said, allows trans people — especially children — to reclaim their story and imagine a life of freedom where they can embrace and celebrate who they are without fear of repercussion.

In honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility, CNN spoke to trans activists and advocates involved with the project about the importance of channeling joy as a form of resistance.

“Trans people are so often the topic, but we’re rarely the voice,” Branstetter said. “A big goal was synthesizing the full scope of that diversity into one loud display of not just what we're fighting against, but what we're fighting for.”

The quilt “represents the kind of creativity and joy that is needed for us to survive this era,” said Raquel Willis, a trans rights advocate and co-founder of the Gender Liberation Movement.
The quilt “represents the kind of creativity and joy that is needed for us to survive this era,” said Raquel Willis, a trans rights advocate and co-founder of the Gender Liberation Movement.
ACLU
Each panel in the quilt is 6 feet by 6 feet. When it’s completed, the installation will spell out the words “Freedom to Be.”
Each panel in the quilt is 6 feet by 6 feet. When it’s completed, the installation will spell out the words “Freedom to Be.”
ACLU
Memorial quilts have become a deeply rooted tradition among the LGBTQ community, stretching back to the <a href="https://www.aidsmemorial.org/quilt" target="_blank">height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic</a>, when activists in the United States displayed a quilt on the National Mall to recognize and honor the thousands of lives lost.
Memorial quilts have become a deeply rooted tradition among the LGBTQ community, stretching back to the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, when activists in the United States displayed a quilt on the National Mall to recognize and honor the thousands of lives lost.
ACLU
Willis said the fear among today's LGBTQ community is understandable and mirrors previous moments throughout history — like the <a href="https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2016/summer/lavender.html" target="_blank">Lavender Scare</a> and the Holocaust — when the rights and lives of queer and trans people were attacked.
Willis said the fear among today's LGBTQ community is understandable and mirrors previous moments throughout history — like the Lavender Scare and the Holocaust — when the rights and lives of queer and trans people were attacked.
ACLU
“We look back to our ancestors and what they did in these times when their communities were under attack,” said Kayla Gore, a trans advocate from Tennessee who runs a housing and social services nonprofit for her community.
“We look back to our ancestors and what they did in these times when their communities were under attack,” said Kayla Gore, a trans advocate from Tennessee who runs a housing and social services nonprofit for her community.
ACLU
“We have to show people that there is joy in our community, that there are reasons to go on and there are reasons to unify,” Gore said.
“We have to show people that there is joy in our community, that there are reasons to go on and there are reasons to unify,” Gore said.
ACLU
The project aims to collect panels from each state and US territory.
The project aims to collect panels from each state and US territory.
ACLU
“The possibility that trans people can lead joyful, meaningful lives” terrifies some people, Brandstetter said. That’s why these days, she added, it’s even more important to find strength in community.
“The possibility that trans people can lead joyful, meaningful lives” terrifies some people, Brandstetter said. That’s why these days, she added, it’s even more important to find strength in community.
ACLU
“It’s good to have some visibility in this light that inspires hope, inspires dreaming and inspires desiring to live and thrive as a trans person,” Gore said.
“It’s good to have some visibility in this light that inspires hope, inspires dreaming and inspires desiring to live and thrive as a trans person,” Gore said.
ACLU
“I think that the quilt also just serves as a visual reminder that every trans and nonbinary person’s story is just one panel in a larger collective fight,” Willis said.
“I think that the quilt also just serves as a visual reminder that every trans and nonbinary person’s story is just one panel in a larger collective fight,” Willis said.
ACLU
“I spent too much of my life, too many years ... afraid of what the world might think,” Willis said. “When I finally made it out of that closet or box, I have been hell-bent on owning my power as much as possible, and that's something that is almost too fulfilling to quantify.”
“I spent too much of my life, too many years ... afraid of what the world might think,” Willis said. “When I finally made it out of that closet or box, I have been hell-bent on owning my power as much as possible, and that's something that is almost too fulfilling to quantify.”
ACLU