Written by MARIE-ADÉLINA DE LA FERRIÈRE
Equalpride's own Marie-Adélina de la Ferrière tells us why she created a micronation for her and her chosen family.
As a Black trans woman, I know and embody the adversities transgender individuals face. Marginalization, discrimination, inequity, loss of human rights and dignity, and increasingly faced with our lives being cut too short and too soon. And yet, in these times of trans sorrows, we find ways to find trans joy. For some, it’s a night out with friends. For others, exercise and meditation. I chose to start my own country.
Micronations are dotted across the globe, though you may be unable to spot them on any map. Sometimes confused with microstates like Luxembourg, Monaco, and Vatican City, micronations claim to have all the functions of a sovereign nation. Still, they often lack recognition from the world’s governments or organizations. Molossia, Westarctica, Sealand, Ladonia, and others are just a few micronations in the world.
In 2017, anti-trans rhetoric was slowly on the rise. The Trump administration banned transgender individuals from serving in the military; state and local legislatures planned or passed laws that limited transgender people from using the bathroom they identified with; and transphobic crimes and deaths were the highest recorded then. Founded on September 13, 2017, and with a small group of friends, the Kingdom of the Navasse came to fruition.
Wholly inspired by the former Kingdom of Haiti — my family’s native country — the micronation was founded on escapism, in part, from the world around us. We enshrined in our constitution equal rights to all, “regardless of race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, or creeds.” We also guaranteed The Crown would not engage with businesses or groups that have expressed or supported racist, homophobic, or transphobic rhetoric or entities. But we also wanted to do something more.
On this Transgender Day of Visibility, now more than ever, we need to share and amplify trans joy as much as we share trans sorrows. In a time of increasing hatred, marginalization, and violence, we must use our collective voice to fight against the volumes of hate. It shouldn’t take me or others to create a micronation to find such acceptance. In a country that praises itself as the land where anyone with a dream and determination can make it, transgender individuals should be able to maintain and enjoy peace, prosperity, and the pursuit of our happiness.
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