Last year was the deadliest year ever for the Trans community, and already, anti-Trans homicides have increased by at least 300%. In addition to the violence, Trans people often face discrimination and bullying in their workplace, community, school, and even at home. Kindness is showing your support to the Trans community to help break this cycle of violence and disenfranchisement. You and your kindness have the power to foster safer environments, affirm everyone for who they are, and encourage others to spread love.

Here are 3 ways you can get started today:

1. Be An Ally and Educate Yourself + Others

An ally is someone who is not Transgender but supports and sticks up for people who are. As an ally, you have the opportunity to spread kindness by uplifting Trans voices, sharing their work, ensuring they are heard and validated, and respecting their pronouns.

Allyship is pushing for support and inclusivity, and by being an ally, you are reminding the Transgender community that they are important and their lives matters.

Community Resource Guides:

• The Trevor Project has a Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth. It includes educational information about the basics of gender, tips to better support Transgender and nonbinary loved ones, and common mistakes to avoid.
• Check out resources from GLAAD for Transgender people and their allies
• Read the Trans Agenda for Liberation, a community-led guide from the Transgender Law Center.
• For a primer on gender and expression, check out Beyond the Gender Binary, by Alok V Menon

Watch:

• Disclosure, a documentary exploring how representations of Transgender people in media inform our conceptions of gender.
• Watch the video stories from  I AM: Trans People Speak, a campaign created by the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC).
• Check out TED’s playlist of 12 Ted Talks that “celebrate and (deconstruct) the gender spectrum,” including:
  • “A short history of transpeople’s long fight for equality” by Transgender activist Samy Nour Younes
  • “Scenes from Black Trans Life” from scholar and activist D-L Stewart
  • “Why I must come out” from fashion model Geena Rocero

Listen:

• The T Pod is an educational podcast that tells the stories of Trans people in their own words.
• One from the Vaults is a Trans history podcast, hosted by Morgan M Page.
• NB: My Non-Binary Life is a podcast that explores what it means to be non-binary, hosted by radio producer Caitlin Benedict.
• Gender Reveal is a podcast that uplifts the stories of Trans and nonbinary people, hosted by Molly Woodstock.

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2. Amplify Trans Organizers +  Creators 

The Transgender community has a long history of being silenced, so we encourage you to use your voice, privilege, and platform to amplify organizations and activists to ensure their voices, stories, and messages are heard.

If you can, donate to any of the organizations below, share their work, or follow and amplify the following Trans voices!

Organizations to Support:

• Support the Audre Lorde Project, an organization dedicated to community organizing for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans, and Gender Non Conforming People of Color. 
• For the Gworls, a Black Trans-led collective that helps pay rent, gender-affirming surgeries, and other necessities for Black Transgender people.
• G.L.I.T.S., an organization that provides residential, health, and other support to Transgender sex workers and the larger Transgender community
• T.G.I Justice, an organization working to fight against human rights abuses, imprisonment, and police violence against Transgender, gender variant, and intersex people. 
• Sylvia Rivera Law Project, a legal services and political advocacy organizations for low-income Transgender people and/or Transgender people of color.  
• LA LGBT Center’s Transgender Economic Empowerment Project (TEEP), a project that provides job readiness, career development, and other services to help Transgender and gender-diverse people achieve economic stability. 
• Trans Lifeline, a Trans-led organization that offers peer support and microgrants to Transgender people. 
• The Transgender Law Center, an organization that pursues Trans justice through impact litigation and providing legal resources and guides to Transgender people. 
• The Emergency Release Fund, a mutual aid project that focuses on getting LGBTQ+ and high-risk folks out of Rikers Island and ICE detention. 

Trans Voices to Follow:

• Alok V. Menon, writer & performer (Instagram and website) ‘
• Raquel Willis, activist & writer (Instagram) 
• Aria Said, advocate & political strategist (Instagram and website) 
• Lillian Lennon, activist (Instagram) 
• Janet Mock, writer + author of the memoir “Redefining Realness” (Twitter and Instagram)
• Mara Keisling, the Executive Direction of the National Center for Transgender Equality (Twitter)

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3. Do Your Civic Duty

Transgender rights are human rights. As an ally, you can practice being kind by protecting Transgender people against discrimination, advocating for their rights, and voting! Remember, kindness means advocating for a world in which Transgendered people are respected and protected.

• The way the media portrays Transgender people can often perpetuate violence and discrimination. You can do your part by reporting unfair and/or defamatory coverage to GLAAD.
• Find out what legal protections exist for Trans folks in your state by texting TRANS to 2133 (via GLSEN)
• To ensure you can advocate for Trans lives and protect their rights, register to vote in your state!