Blog
Search
Trans Awareness Week 2022
November 14, 2022
Why Peer Support is a Political Act Every November 13-19 is Trans Awareness Week, an observance to educate about trans issues and commemorate our community’s progress. This year, we are reflecting on the crucial ways...
Is it weird to be trans and feel indifferent about my genitals?
November 4, 2022
Is it normal and valid, as a trans woman, to feel indifferent to my genitals as they are? Thanks so much to the brave person who wrote in to ask the Trans Lifeline team this...
The Limits of Language in Describing Our Identities
October 27, 2022
The Limits of Language in Describing Our Identities As a person who learned English as a second language, I am fascinated by the complexity and nuances of words and meanings, and the attachment (or disgust)...
What Does “Non-binary” Mean?
July 13, 2022
What Does “Non-binary” Mean? Although “non-binary” (sometimes shortened to NB or phoneticized as “enby”) is becoming a more commonly used term in the trans community, for a lot of folks it’s still an unfamiliar concept....
Am I still non-binary if I don’t want to change how I appear?
May 26, 2022
Am I still non-binary if I don’t want to change how I appear? How do I know if I’m non-binary? Is it ok to be non-binary while not dysphoric about my current appearance and male...
On Being Trans & Autistic
February 2, 2022
On Being Trans & Autistic Autism Awareness Day Guest Blog by Katy H. April 2, 2022 I was visiting a friend from Tumblr irl (in real life) for the first time and she would not...
Safe Hotlines: Meet Our New Advocacy Department
January 26, 2022
Safe Hotlines: Meet Our New Advocacy Department We sat down with Yana Calou (they/them), Director of Advocacy, to learn more about what’s in store for Trans Lifeline’s new advocacy efforts. Sign up for news on...
A Letter To Our Community From Our New Interim Executive Director, Taegen Meyer
November 24, 2021
Dear Trans Lifeline Community, It is an honor to serve you as Interim Executive Director through this transition period of growth and change. I deeply cherish this opportunity to shape the change that is happening...
Binding Guide
November 10, 2021
Chest binding is a gender-affirming practice done by all kinds of different people. Some people bind to reduce gender dysphoria. Some bind to present in a way that feels more aligned with their gender identity....
Oct 2021 letter from Jen Orthwein, Board Chair
September 29, 2021
Oct 2021 letter from Jen Orthwein, Board Chair Dear Trans Lifeline Community, My name is Jen Orthwein (all pronouns) and I’m honored to serve as the Chair of Trans Lifeline’s Board of Directors. I’m writing today...
Elena Rose Vera’s Outgoing Letter to Our Community
September 23, 2021
Dear beloved community, It is with the deepest dedication to the collective well-being and liberation of trans people everywhere that I’m writing to let you know that after over three years of serving Trans Lifeline–first...
Remembering Maia Leonardo, our Board Co-Chair
September 16, 2021
Remembering Maia Leonardo It is with immense sadness and pain that we grieve the unexpected loss of our Board Co-Chair, Maia Leonardo (she/her). Maia was kind and thoughtful, she deeply cared about community and justice...
Trans Lifeline Staff Break & Services Update
July 27, 2021
Trans Lifeline Staff Break & Services Update Updated 11/30/21 Dear Community: We hope summer has brought you some return to community, joy, and reconnecting after these heavy months. At Trans Lifeline, we are investing in...
Introducing our 2021 BIPOC Peer Support Fellows
June 3, 2021
Introducing our 2021 BIPOC Peer Support Fellows We are very excited to introduce the Hotline’s inaugural BIPOC Peer Support Fellows Program to our community! We created this fellowship to in order to: Increase the number...
Everything You Need to Know About HRT Resources, Microgrants, & Needs Self-Assessment
May 5, 2021
Everything You Need to Know About HRT Resources, Microgrants, and Needs Self-Assessment We believe that trans-affirming health care should be universally accessible, fully covered by insurance companies, with zero out-of-pocket cost to trans people. Until...
Trans Broadcasters Launch Peer2Peer.Live, Opt-In Discoverability Tool to Connect Marginalized Users on Twitch
March 23, 2021
On March 20, Trans Lifeline launched Peer2Peer.Live to fill gaps left by Twitch’s lack of identity-based tagging that left minority streamers with limited to no discoverability options on the platform. As the #TransTagNow demands for identity-based tags...
Taking Control of Your Digital Identity
October 28, 2020
If you’ve ever googled your name, maybe feelings of surprise and anxiety sprang up after seeing the first page of results. There’s a chance that information that you didn’t share or maybe even forgot came...
How to Spot and Remove Apps Installed to Spy on You
September 9, 2020
Stalkerware, a type of spyware, that enables remote access by a person to monitor the contents of another device, such as a mobile phone, tablet, or laptop. This access goes way beyond apps that are...
Digital Privacy for Trans Folks
July 2, 2020
For many of us, the first step in seeking support in our trans journey is with an internet search. That’s how we find funds to update and correct our names and/or gender markers on legal...
La extensión en español de la línea directa de Trans Lifeline se lanza el 1 de julio / Trans Lifeline’s hotline is going bilingual!
June 29, 2020
Artículo original en inglés por Eliot Olson. Traducción y edición en español por Gaela Solo. Gaela Solo es una operadora voluntaria bilingüe de Trans Lifeline, un servicio comunitario operado enteramente por gente transgénero en los...
TL honors a historic SCOTUS ruling for trans workers
June 15, 2020
Today, the Supreme Court ruled on behalf of LGBTQ workers in a ruling that prevented employers from firing LGBTQ people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Join us and movement leaders today at...
Trans Lifeline’s Data During a Pandemic
June 12, 2020
by Oliver Stabbe Oliver Stabbe (he/him) is a volunteer at Trans Lifeline, a trans-run organization offering emotional and financial support to trans people across the US and Canada. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, Trans Lifeline...
Supporting a Trans Friend in Crisis: What you can do instead of calling 911
June 10, 2020
Listen. Your friend has told you for a reason. They trust you to be there, so listen and hear what they’re saying. Don’t freak out. Suicidality has a lot of stigma around it, but it’s...
Why to not call the police on trans people in crisis: Things to consider when supporting a friend
June 9, 2020
Trans Lifeline does not engage in non-consensual active rescue. Since our founding, we have been divested from the police. That means that if you call us and are in crisis, we will not call 911...
Justice for Tony McDade: Supporting Black Trans Leadership against Police Violence
June 1, 2020
Our community is outraged and mourning the police murders of several Black people in the US, including Tony McDade, a trans man killed in Tallahassee, Florida. Tony’s death comes as one of many in a...
Welcome our new Bilingual Hotline Services Coordinator, T Peña
April 23, 2020
T Peña (they/them) joined Trans Lifeline to launch and steer our trans-led hotline services in Spanish! We’re so pleased to have them as our new Bilingual Hotline Services Coordinator. If you could pick up a...
Welcome our new Microgrants Director, Kanoa Arteaga
April 23, 2020
We are so excited to welcome Kanoa Arteaga (he/they) as our new Microgrants Program Director. Kanoa will lead the Microgrants team’s vision of economic justice for trans people as we equitably distribute funds directly to...
Trans Community and COVID-19
March 19, 2020
Dear Trans Lifeline Community, We know a lot of trans people are facing real challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of us have loved ones who are already sick, or are facing traumatic medical...
Welcome our new Communications Director, Yana Calou
January 24, 2020
We are thrilled to welcome Yana Calou (they/them) as our new Communications Director. Yana has been a labor organizer, grocery store cashier, communications director, archivist, studio assistant and program director in their work life. They...
Trans Lifeline signs on to Save .ORG
December 3, 2019
Last week, Trans Lifeline added our name to a growing list of over 11,000 individuals and 100 organizations to an open letter urging the Internet Society, Public Internet Registry (PIR) and Internet Corporation for Assigned...
IV Leads the Hotline
November 25, 2019
IV is our Hotline Program Director, and has been with Trans Lifeline since 2015. As a non-binary intersex immigrant, they are invested in helping those who feel they are on the fringes of the LGBTQ...
1 Operator, 10,000 Callers
November 22, 2019
This blog post is part of a series of narratives in which we invite you to learn more about our Hotline work from the perspective of our operators. In order to meet increased need for...
How Veronica Understands Helping People
November 19, 2019
This blog post is part of a series of narratives in which we invite you to learn more about our Hotline work from the perspective of our operators. In order to meet increased need for...
Karleigh Answers The Call
November 15, 2019
This blog post is part of a series of interviews in which we invite you to learn more about our Hotline work from the perspective of our operators. In order to meet increased need for...
Álvaro Gamio Cuervo talks Spanish Language Services and the Future of the Hotline.
November 11, 2019
This blog post is part of a series of interviews in which we invite you to learn more about our Hotline work from the perspective of our operators. In order to meet increased need for...
Trans Employment and the Supreme Court
August 19, 2019
To Our Dear Community — Last Friday, the Trump administration issued a brief to the Supreme Court asking it to rule that it is legal for employers to fire people for being transgender. Trump’s Justice...
Highlight in Philanthropy: Ramona Sharples’ Amazing Buttons and Pins
July 29, 2019
Fed up with not seeing bodies like hers represented, even in body positive spaces, Ramona Sharples took matters into her own hands — and created something uniquely beautiful. To make the pins extra sweet, Ramona...
In the Wake of the Supreme Court and HHS Announcements, Trans People Are Not Alone
April 24, 2019
On days like today, it can feel like trans people never get the chance to fully heal. The US Supreme Court — stacked with conservative justices — announced Monday that it plans to examine whether...
Trans Military Ban — Ugly, Unprecedented, and Unsurprising
March 13, 2019
This is a wonderful and bittersweet letter to write to you — today, Trans Lifeline’s Board of Directors announces that as of March 15th, our Interim Executive Director, Sam Ames, will be stepping down from...
Passing the Torch
March 11, 2019
Dear Trans Lifeline Community, This is a wonderful and bittersweet letter to write to you — today, Trans Lifeline’s Board of Directors announces that as of March 15th, our Interim Executive Director, Sam Ames, will...
The Leadership Transition, 2017 Taxes, and How We’re Moving Forward
February 21, 2019
This past summer, we sent a letter to our community detailing the departure of our founders. Now that we’ve learned more about the situation and have taken necessary steps to remedy it, we want to...
Trans Lifeline’s Microgrants Program Has Given Over $200,000 Directly To Trans People
January 25, 2019
Today, we are excited to announce that Trans Lifeline’s Microgrants program has reached a huge milestone: In just two years we have given out over $200,000 in Microgrants to our community!
Supreme Court Temporarily Allows the Trans Military Ban to Proceed; Trans Lifeline Vows to Keep Fighting
January 22, 2019
Today, the Supreme Court of the United States voted to allow the Trump administration’s transgender military ban to proceed. Meanwhile, the battle over the constitutionality of the ban itself plays out in lower courts.
Trans Lifeline Surpasses 20,000 Calls in 2018
December 20, 2018
2018 has been rough for so many trans people. But, in a year when our Hotline call volume increased by 25%, our amazing team of staff and volunteer operators — all of whom are trans...
The Holiday Commissary Campaign
November 27, 2018
Trans Lifeline was built on the radical hope that when we take care of each other, we can move the whole world. That no matter what we’re up against, no matter how long the night,...
Happy Intersex Awareness Day!
October 26, 2018
October 26 is Intersex Awareness Day! We wanted to take a moment to honor our entire intersex community. While most intersex people aren’t trans, many of the issues that our communities face are the same,...
We Won’t Back Down
October 22, 2018
To Our Beloved Community, Yesterday, the New York Times published an article detailing the ways the Trump administration plans to legally redefine sex and gender, starting with our youth. This plan, while not yet officially...
October 18 is Spirit Day
October 18, 2018
On Spirit Day, LGBTQ+ people and allies wear purple to show their support to LGBTQ+ youth. We encourage everyone to wear purple and speak out against bullying. Click here for more information on Spirit Day...
We Believe Trans Survivors
October 6, 2018
Today’s vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, and the weeks of debate leading up to it, have been stark reminders of the ways in which our systems of power can preserve and...
Trans Lifeline Solidarity Statement with the National Prison Strike
August 22, 2018
The National Prison Strike begins this week, continuing until September 9.
Prison abolition is queer liberation; for that reason, Trans Lifeline is in solidarity with the prison strike.
Celebrating 50,000 Calls
August 2, 2018
Since we launched in late 2014, Trans Lifeline’s Hotline has fielded calls from all 13 provinces and territories in Canada, all 50 states in the United States, and 61 other countries alloverthe world. in that...
Reason for Hope
June 27, 2018
It’s been another rough week in the news, and we know each new headline can feel like another reason to lose faith. But, tonight, we at Trans Lifeline want to remind you that there is...
Microgrants Program Celebrates $100k in Disbursed Funds
June 11, 2018
As we welcome you to our new website, one that reflects the merging of two lifesaving projects into one exciting new vision, we would also like to welcome those who have not heard of our...
Why No Non-Consensual Active Rescue?
June 2, 2018
That is of the most common questions we get from callers. And one of the most common questions we get from people who work in crisis intervention and the general public, is why our answer...
Trans Lifeline Has New Leadership!
May 30, 2018
We believe in a future where trans people have the support they need and the access to resources they deserve. As an organization, we understand that we can’t make this future a reality without talented...