Eli Erlick

Eli Erlick (born July 10, 1995) is an American activist, writer, academic, trans woman and founder of the organization Trans Student Educational Resources.

Eli Erlick was born on July 10, 1995.

Her parents met while protesting, which she cites as a background behind her activism.

She is of Jewish heritage and grew up near the rural community of Willits, California.

She came out as transgender when she was 8 years old, when she started to experience harassment, isolation, and violence.

She could not use her school's restroom and was threatened and bullied for years after.

At age 13, she publicly transitioned to female, keeping her birth name.

She medically transitioned shortly after.

She then began her work in advocacy and writing at 15 and founded the organization Trans Student Educational Resources at age 16.

Erlick cites starting activism at age 15, in 2010, when she became a board member for an LGBTQ youth conference.

She became public in media over a year later while advocating for California's School Success and Opportunity Act, the first state bill to protect transgender students.

That year Erlick co-founded Trans Student Educational Resources, an organization "dedicated to transforming the educational environment for trans and gender nonconforming students through advocacy and empowerment."

While advocating for admissions for trans students at women's colleges, she spoke about the importance of remaining skeptical of all policy work.

In 2011, at age 16, Erlick co-founded Trans Student Educational Resources, an organization "dedicated to transforming the educational environment for trans and gender nonconforming students through advocacy and empowerment."

It is the only national organization led by transgender youth.

It is one of the largest transgender organizations in the United States.

She attended Pitzer College in Claremont from 2013 to 2016, where she graduated early with honors.

In 2015, Erlick published an article on why equality should not be the goal of the transgender movement.

For her organizing, Erlick has been recognized in Refinery29 and The Advocate among other publications.

In 2015, she led national efforts with Trans Student Educational Resources to admit trans women at women's colleges.

She also co-authored Trans Student Educational Resources' model policy for admissions of trans students at women's colleges.

Erlick also co-founded Trans Youth Leadership Summit, a program run through Trans Student Educational Resources.

It is the only national fellowship program in the United States for transgender youth.

Several of its fellows have gone on to become prominent media advocates, activists, and organizers since its launch.

In 2017, she began publicly advocating for self-expression of gender-nonconforming transgender women.

Erlick and a group of transgender activists erected a bronze sculpture of activist Marsha P. Johnson in 2021 in Christopher Park.

The sculpture was not authorized by New York City Parks but later received a use permit, making it the first sculpture of a transgender person in New York City.

The sculpture received positive reviews from art commentators, citing the criticism of George Segal's Stonewall National Monument for "whitewashing" the Stonewall Riots.

The New York City Mayor's office announced plans for a statue of Johnson and her collaborator, Sylvia Rivera, in 2019 but the statues never came to fruition.

In February 2022, Erlick alleged that conservative political commentator Matt Walsh was "attempting to dupe dozens of trans people and doctors into participating in an anti-trans documentary under false pretenses".

She uncovered that Walsh created a front organization, the Gender Unity Project, after his producer attempted to recruit her into the project.

Walsh later revealed the project was part of his then-upcoming film, What Is a Woman?.

In March 2023, multiple Washington, D.C. transgender sex workers contacted Erlick to allege the owner of the security firm responsible for the suicide of Eden Knight hired them.

Later that month, Erlick recovered, restored, and colorized numerous photos from LGBTQ history.

She attributes black-and-white photography as a factor in the erasure of trans people of color from history.

In May 2023, filmmakers attempted to recruit Erlick to another right-wing documentary alongside Nebraska Senator Megan Hunt.

After discovering that far-right pundit Robby StarBuck was behind the film, Erlick posted warnings on her social media.

Senator Hunt, who was also recruited, then dropped out of the movie.

Rolling Stone alleged the film "tried to dupe LGBTQ Allies into participating" without knowledge of their intent.

The documentary was later revealed to be StarBuck's 2024 film The War on Children