Collage includes photos by Bethany Young, Andrew Sherrill, Alexandrea Delgado, and Steph Montelongo. *ID: digital collage with photos of Cole from their five years at Freedom Oklahoma.*

Friends,

One of the weird things about working so much of my early career on campaigns, was that the thing that was most limited was time. You could build a great team, a great program, but then election day came and it was over, time to find the next job. When I left the ACLU of Oklahoma in 2021, it was the longest I’d ever been at one job, 4 years. And while I had hopes and dreams for what came next, I don’t think I could fully conceive of a life where I get to lead the work of Freedom Oklahoma still, five years later, the longest serving Executive Director in the history of the organization.

It’s an honor and a privilege. And it’s also some of the most consistently difficult work I have ever done (and continue to do).

A lot has changed in the last five years. But one thing that hasn’t is that so many of you invest in the work to build a future where all 2STGNC+ folks have the safety, resources, and community to thrive, in and beyond Oklahoma. Even as corporations and foundations continue to divest from supporting trans-led and trans-centered work, so many of you are making meaningful contributions that allow us to continue to build towards that future safety, through real action on the ground in the present.

And I’m hopeful you’ll continue to give so that we can expand our capacity to meet the needs of this moment and beyond. So we can continue to collaborate across movements to build power rooted in solidarity. So we can fight towards our collective liberation.

*ID: digital collage of photos by Cole from their first five years in the role as Freedom Oklahoma Executive Director.*

Thank you for investing in this work through my first five years at Freedom Oklahoma. I cannot believe it has already been five years. I cannot believe it has only been five years. I’m truly grateful.

In Solidarity,

Cole McAfee