Local Organizations You Can Support for Transgender Day of Visibility
Stand in solidarity with these nine groups.
Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), an annual holiday held on March 31 to empower trans and nonbinary people across the globe, also raises awareness about the discrimination and violence that the trans community faces.
In Houston, several events are held to honor TDOV. But how else can we celebrate the local trans community, now and always?
Activists have called on us to promote trans equality by becoming educated on trans issues, reaching out to lawmakers to pass trans-affirming legislation, and denouncing transphobia. We are also encouraged to donate to trans-led organizations, which currently only receive 4 cents of every 100 dollars donated to other LGBTQ groups.
The OutSmart staff has compiled the following list of Houston-based organizations led by trans community members. If you’re aware of a group that has been left off of the list below, email editor@outsmartmagazine.com.
Since 2012, this organization has been committed to empowering the Black trans-feminine community with programs and resources to help inspire individual growth and contribute to the greater good of society. Houston’s own Diamond Styles is the executive director of this national group.
To donate, go here.
Based here in Space City, Gender Infinity’s services are grounded in gender-affirming approaches for transgender, nonbinary, genderqueer, and gender-nonconforming people, along with their families and providers. Each year, they host the nation’s largest annual conference in the South for trans youth and their families.
To donate, go here.
Three friends come together for a podcast every Thursday to share opinions and perspectives that center the Black trans perspective. The podcast is hosted by Houston-based Black trans digital strategists, feminists, and civil-rights advocates.
To become a patron, go here.
Organización Latina de Trans en Texas
This organization is dedicated to defending, protecting, and ensuring the equal rights of trans people in Texas. The Houston-based organization is run by trans Latina women and provides resources to the trans community.
To donate, go here.
Founded by Houston trans activist Eden Torres, Pride Portraits is dedicated to representing the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies, one photograph and story at a time.
To donate, go here.
Save Our Sisters United, Inc. and Save Our Sons & Brothers
Breaking barriers and stigma while standing in solidarity and holistically empowering Black individuals of trans experience is the mission of Save Our Sisters United, Inc. (SOSU). The organization was founded by several trans women of color from Houston.
SOSU’s spin-off organization, Save Our Sons & Brothers, is a Houston-based social network for trans men and transmasculine people of color. SOSB provides a space to share experiences, resources, and exist as our most authentic selves.
To donate, go here.
Founded in 2017 by Verniss McFarland III, The Mahogany Project, Inc. aims to reduce social isolation, stigma, and acts of injustice in TQLGB+ communities of color. The organization also recently opened Houston’s first resource center for the Black trans community.
To donate, go here.
Transgender Education Network of Texas
Dedicated to furthering gender-diverse equality in the Lone Star State, TENT works to accomplish its mission through education and networking in both public and private forums. Houston-based executive director Emmett Schelling leads a statewide team that strives to end discrimination through social, legislative, and corporate education.
Inspired by the popular Transgriot blog run by the late Houston-based Black trans journalist and activist Monica Roberts, TransGriot L.L.C. is an online publication that hires, supports, and empowers Black trans contributors.
To donate, go here.
