TAKE ACTION: Fund TGNC Communities of Color

By Sarah Hamilton February 24, 2021

LISTEN TO:

As funders working on the forefront of social justice and equitable funding, it’s critical that we understand what is happening in transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) communities of color. The violence, lack of access to good healthcare, and obstacles to employment are unacceptable, and we as funders can do more to work in partnership with community on these issues.

COVID-19 has layered on a new life-threatening challenge for these already disproportionately impacted and under-resourced communities.  

FCAA’s most recent FCAA Connect webinar – COVID-19 at the Intersection of Black & Brown TGNC Lives – provided an important opportunity to learn not only about the nature of this marginalization, but also the strength and ingenuity TGNC communities of color possess. The webinar was the second in a two-part series that started with Gender Justice is Trans Justice.

There is no way to adequately summarize the powerful conversations that took place across these this webinar series – but fortunately the recordings are available.  In this most recent webinar, panelist Ryan Li Dahlstrom (Borealis Philanthropy) asked us to think about what funding an ecosystem of trans movement building, organizing and liberation work could really look like, and noted that there are many different paths and roles for all funders.   

As a next step, we encourage you to truly listen to these recordings.  Then consider these calls to action[1] from the panelists:

  1. There is no Trans liberation without investing in Trans Leadership.
  2. Go into the communities you fund and find out directly what, and how, they are doing.
  3. Continue to do your own learning and political education to be as equitable as a funder as you can be.
  4. In addition to being trauma informed, consider be healing informed: fund sustainability, resiliency and wellness in communities that face multiple intersections of oppression.
  5. Make one new general support grant today to a BIPOC and Trans-led organization (and then keep doing it).
  6. The call to action IS action. Act – this community cannot wait.

Will yours be the next organization to sign the GUTC pledge?

Thank you to our amazing panelists and to our partners – the Women’s Funding Network, Funders for Reproductive Equity and Funders for LGBTQ Issues – for reaching across funder networks to help support TGNC communities on the path to liberation.

[1] At roughly 1:10:00 the webinar dives into additional best practices for funders to consider when resourcing TGNC communities.