As the Trot for Trans Visibility officially enters its third run on March 21, the goals of the event have expanded to include new vendors, a variety of resources and entertainment, and an ever-growing sense of community. For founder Lou Weaver, the run’s growing community presence that he’s seen has been emotional to witness.

“The first time we did this, I almost cried because every time I refreshed the screen, we had more people registered,” Weaver recalls. “We had 125 people sign up that first year, 200 the next, and then 350—we hit capacity for the space we had last year, so we’re blocking off the street this year because we’re anticipating over 400 people.”

Proceeds from the run will go to the Trans Legal Aid Clinic of Texas and the Triple A Alliance, two organizations that Weaver has co-founded in response to issues faced by the transgender and nonbinary communities. Though recent Texas legislation has restricted the revision of gender markers on identification documents, the Trans Legal Aid Clinic of Texas is still able to assist with legal name changes and other services.

“We’ve been around for around 11 years and have helped close to 3,000 people,” Weaver says. “We’re still helping with name changes because that can make a huge difference for folks, and we also provide financial assistance for the court fees that come with a legal name change.”

The Triple A Alliance was established five years ago as a counterpart to the Trans Legal Aid Clinic of Texas, aiming to provide more social opportunities for transgender and nonbinary folks to connect and build community through field days, dinners, and fundraisers aimed at assisting with surgical transitions. The organization’s goal is to move allyship and advocacy into action—a mission statement reflected directly in the Trot for Trans Visibility.

Weaver works alongside co-leads Sarah Cardnell, Emory Powers, and Hann Schaible to organize the charity run, which will include a market that includes free breakfast, mental-health resources, HIV/STI testing, drag performances, sports clubs, tattoo artists, bookstores, and other queer-affirming groups, reaching over 30 vendors in total. Inspired by Cal Dobbs’ Trot for Trans Lives in Austin four years ago, Weaver says that making the run accessible for Houstonians was the motivation for coordinating the event with so many community organizations.

“We need visibility, but we also need to know where we can go to the doctor and what businesses we can go to that are not going to discriminate against us,” Weaver says. “This run brings us together, but it also highlights other safe spaces to carry forward with us after the run.”

The inclusion of HIV/STI testing, mental-health resources, rent and utilities assistance, and other resources is intentional, Weaver says. “The purpose of having these at our run is to reduce the stigma of getting tested and help people who may not normally have access to learning about these resources get them.”

Last year, the run received just over $10,000 in proceeds. This year, they have already accumulated over $4,000 for their current goal of $15,000. Despite not having many corporate sponsorships, Lululemon has supported the Trot for Trans Visibility since its initial run and will provide free merchandise for the first 250 people registered for the event.

Through growing collaborative efforts with queer and ally organizations alike, the Trot for Trans Visibility has been able to provide scholarship opportunities for transgender and nonbinary athletes who would like to participate in the run. Weaver says that this is an aspect of the run that truly showcases how the community can show up even when they’re unable to do so physically.

“The mom of a trans kid who couldn’t be here this year has sponsored five athletes,” Weaver reveals. “And that’s the amazing thing—when you see a person saying, ‘I wish I could be there but I can’t, so let me find another way to support you,’ that is huge because we can turn around and share that with
the community.”

As the run continues to grow, Weaver envisions a future where the Trot for Trans Visibility becomes a destination charity run for all allies and queer folk throughout Texas and its neighboring states.

“We want more visibility—we have space and we should be taking up space,” Weaver says. “I want people to know they’re not alone and this is a place where they can explore what it means to feel authentically themselves in a group that’s rooting for them.”

What: Third Annual Trot for Trans Visibility
When: Saturday, March 21, 8:00 a.m.
Where: Frost Town Brewing, 1719 Ruiz St.
Info: On Instagram, @trot4transhou or register at bit.ly/40InH4x

Partnership Spotlights

Come As You Are

Christen Coco Valentine
Event emcee

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Christen Coco Valentine has always been a part of activism and politics. “My mom used to have me at the polls passing out flyers,” Valentine says. “Community has always been something that’s been embedded in my soul.”

After taking the reins of emcee last year, Valentine has been exploring what it means to work behind the scenes and in front of the camera. As a freelance makeup artist, podcast producer for Our Point of View with Chevelle Brooks, a researcher with the Transgender Allyship Collective, and a former healthcare navigator, Valentine says stepping into the limelight as emcee has given her an opportunity to affirm herself as an entertainer. It’s also a sign of the progress that the Black transgender community has made in Houston.

“When I first moved here, I didn’t feel like there was a big sense of community around Black trans women,” Valentine says. “After meeting Lou and seeing the work the Trans Legal Aid Clinic of Texas has done, we’ve really flourished in spite of the way the administration has treated us. That’s why I love events like this that give people a chance to come and see that we’re just as human and deserving of respect as they are.”
To keep up with Valentine, follow her on her Facebook @coco.love1.

Mindfulness Matters

Anna Eastman
Event vendor representing Autumn Counseling

As the Ally grand marshal in Houston’s 2015 Pride parade, Anna Eastman has a long record of advocating for the LGBTQ community. The former Texas State representative (and a practicing social worker in clinical supervision with Autumn Counseling) has worked with Lou Weaver on a nondiscrimination policy inclusive of gender and sexual identities for the Houston ISD School Board. But Eastman’s relationship with Weaver came full circle after her daughter came out to her as trans.

“Lou was one of the people I went to when she first came out to me,” Eastman recalls. “We’ve been there for each other throughout the years, so I have loved being able to support this annual trans-visibility run.”

Through her Autumn Counseling practice, Eastman offers trauma-informed, queer-affirming care to queer individuals and their families. She is also a member of Nurturing, Empowering, and Supporting Together (N.E.S.T.), the parent support-group counterpart to the Montrose Center’s Hatch youth group.

Eastman believes mindfulness is a key aspect of both her practice and the charity run. “As human beings we suffer, and that’s inevitable,” she says. “But giving ourselves an opportunity to pause and build the muscle to walk through suffering and support other people when they’re going through it too is important, because it’s how we get through these hard times together.”
For more info, visit autumncounseling.com.

Finding Community Through Sport

Gina de la Garza
Event sponsor with Space City Pride FC

As a queer Latina woman from McAllen, finding community in Houston came about serendipitously for Gina de la Garza. “I was lonely when I first came to Houston in 2022, so my therapist encouraged me to join a soccer club since I had played in college,” de la Garza recalls. “I ended up finding Space City Pride FC by accident—they weren’t called that at the time, but I started to realize everyone in the club was queer like me. I ended up joining the club’s board of directors.”

Coming to Houston for work as an accountant, de la Garza was able to help Space City Pride FC gain 501(3)(c) status, which has led to a variety of community events and fundraisers for the club, including crawfish boils, underwear auctions, and drag shows. The club has also co-run a benefit with the Trans Legal Aid Clinic of Texas, ultimately leading to Space City Pride FC becoming a vendor for the Trot for
Trans Visibility.

“Our missions support each other,” de la Garza says. “Last year we won the title of biggest team, and we’re so proud to be able to support their cause.”

In addition to their tournament on April 4, de la Garza says Space City Soccer FC hopes to continue building community through events like the Trot for Trans Visibility. “I hope people feel a sense of community—whether they’re a trans person or an ally—so they have people in their corner who will fight to back them up.”
Keep up with Space City Pride FC  on Instagram @spacecitypridefc.