If there’s one thing we know as a trans community, it’s that the systems in place often fail to meet our needs. Whether it’s access to healthcare, housing, or basic survival, many of us have had to find alternative ways to care for each other when institutions don’t. That’s why for this edition of the Trans Bookworm Series, we’re diving into Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next) by Dean Spade.
This book lays out a powerful argument: survival under capitalism, white supremacy, and state violence requires collective action—not just for protest but for direct support. Spade challenges us to rethink how we show up for each other, not through charity but through solidarity. Mutual aid is about redistributing resources, redistributing power, and creating structures that allow us to thrive together.
Table of Contents
What is Mutual Aid? What Does Mutual Aid Do?
Spade defines mutual aid as collective coordination to meet each other’s needs, recognizing that the current systems we rely on—whether governmental or nonprofit—are designed to leave many of us behind. Unlike charity, which is often conditional and reinforces hierarchies, mutual aid is about direct, grassroots action. Examples include community-led food distribution, bail funds, harm reduction networks, and rent strikes.
Mutual aid is not new—it has been an essential survival strategy for marginalized communities for generations. From the Black Panther Party’s free breakfast programs to trans-led housing networks, mutual aid ensures that no one is left behind. It is built on the principle that we all have something to offer: time, money, resources, or skills. Spade emphasizes that mutual aid is not just about emergency relief but about creating sustainable networks of care that exist beyond times of crisis.
Why It Matters: Trans people often experience disproportionate rates of homelessness, unemployment, and healthcare discrimination. Mutual aid ensures that people meet their basic needs without jumping through hoops or proving their “deservingness.” It also fosters community ties, creating networks of care that persist beyond times of immediate crisis. More than just survival, mutual aid allows trans communities to reclaim agency and build autonomy outside of state-controlled systems.
Solidarity, Not Charity
One of the book’s core messages is the distinction between solidarity and charity. Charity often comes from a place of control—where those with privilege decide who is “deserving” of help. Think of nonprofits that require sobriety to access housing or those that push assimilationist narratives to justify inclusion. Mutual aid, in contrast, rejects the idea of “deservingness” and instead prioritizes collective care and empowerment. We care for each other because we must, not because we want to feel good about it.
Spade critiques how many mainstream nonprofits operate under the same logic as capitalist systems—offering temporary relief rather than addressing root causes. Charity often upholds power imbalances, positioning specific individuals as saviors while reinforcing the dependency of marginalized groups. Mutual aid, however, challenges these dynamics by centering collaboration, autonomy, and shared power in decision-making.
Why It Matters: The trans community knows what it’s like to be judged and deemed “undeserving.” Many of us have faced rejection from family, social services, and even LGBTQ+ organizations that cater primarily to cisgender people. Mutual aid models empower us to support each other without judgment or bureaucracy, ensuring that care reaches those who need it most. When we embrace solidarity instead of charity, we build relationships rooted in mutual respect, not pity.
Mutual Aid Challenges Systemic Failures
Mutual aid doesn’t just fill in the gaps left by broken systems—it actively calls out why those gaps exist in the first place. Spade argues that government policies and corporate greed create and maintain crises, whether it’s lack of affordable healthcare, over-policing of marginalized communities, or inadequate disaster response. By engaging in mutual aid, communities directly act against the structures that keep them oppressed.
Spade highlights how mutual aid has historically been criminalized. From the FBI targeting the Black Panthers’ free breakfast program to the state cracking down on harm reduction initiatives, governments have repeatedly suppressed community-led survival efforts. This opposition exists because mutual aid directly undermines the state’s monopoly on resources and control.
Why It Matters: For trans people, systemic failures aren’t abstract. They show up in healthcare policies that deny gender-affirming care, in policing that targets Black and brown trans people, and in economic systems that leave us struggling to survive. Mutual aid doesn’t just help people survive these injustices—it exposes them and builds momentum for systemic change. Whenever we create networks that meet our needs outside of state control, we chip away at the legitimacy of oppressive institutions.
Collective Decision-Making Builds True Community Power
Organizing anything as a group isn’t easy. Spade lays out some common pitfalls mutual aid projects face, from burnout to internal conflict, and provides strategies for sustainable organizing. One of the key elements he emphasizes is collective decision-making, where power is distributed among participants rather than concentrated in a single leader or hierarchy.
Mutual aid groups often function without traditional leadership structures, opting instead for consensus decision-making. This approach ensures that all voices are heard, particularly those most impacted. Spade discusses various decision-making models and the importance of setting clear expectations, resolving conflicts constructively, and preventing burnout.
Why It Matters: Trans people are often excluded from decision-making spaces, even within LGBTQ+ and activist organizations. Learning to create horizontal power structures ensures that our communities can advocate for ourselves rather than rely on gatekeepers. Building skills in consensus decision-making also prepares us for broader fights, whether it’s workplace organizing or policy change. By practicing collective governance in mutual aid projects, we develop the skills necessary to create broader systemic alternatives.
Mutual Aid is a Pathway to Liberation
Ultimately, Spade argues that mutual aid is about more than survival—it’s about building a new world. By creating structures of care outside of oppressive systems, we weaken those systems’ control over our lives. Mutual aid teaches us that we don’t have to wait for governments or nonprofits to save us—we can build the communities and support systems we need right now.
Rather than seeing mutual aid as a short-term solution, Spade urges us to recognize it as a long-term strategy for social transformation. By embedding mutual aid into our daily lives, we create care infrastructures independent of capitalist and state institutions. This is not just about resisting oppression but actively constructing alternatives prioritizing equity, dignity, and self-determination.
Why It Matters: For trans people, especially those who are Black, Indigenous, disabled, or undocumented, waiting for institutional change isn’t an option. We need support now, and we need it in ways that affirm our dignity and autonomy. Mutual aid provides a roadmap for creating those systems ourselves, ensuring no one in our community is left behind. When we invest in mutual aid, we actively participate in creating a liberated future—one where care is a shared responsibility rather than a privilege.
Reading Mutual Aid is an invitation to think critically about how we support one another and how we can do it better. If you’ve ever felt disillusioned by nonprofits or wondered how to take action outside of electoral politics, this book is for you. More importantly, it’s a reminder that we have the power to create the world we want—together.
