Trans Organisers Fund Appendix 1: Full theme list
What do you want to achieve as a trans organiser in Greater Manchester?
Bringing community together
Celebration
Show of solidarity and strength
Resistance to increasing structural and institutional transphobia
Changing how institutions and businesses treat marginalised people
Awareness raising
Creating specific/safe spaces and opportunities for trans people
In sport
In nightlife and entertainment
For that space to be inclusive of disabled people
To ‘access community care, peer support, and advocacy work for benefits, employment, education, medical apts etc’
Better sex education
Fundraising directly for other trans people in the community
Support for housing insecurity
Fundraising for individuals
Co-operative housing project
What are the barriers that stop you from achieving what you want to achieve?
Volunteer capacity and struggling to find core organisers
“We are all overloaded and tired!”
This came up again and again
Financial barriers
Funding events while keeping financial barrier to entry low – recognising that trans people often have less access to funds so knowing the importance of keeping resources, events, low-cost.
Not being able to pay staff or collaborators
Lack of time due to needing to spend more time working
Structural disempowerment as trans people and small organisations
Harassment from the government
The police as an obstacle
Higher education being profit based and expensive
Discrimination “i.e. transphobia, transmisogyny, transmysogynoir, lack of awareness and support for disabled trans people, discrimination based on protected characteristics in general”
Having to rely on personal connections
Not being able to find suitable, accessible venues
Not knowing where to promote events to other trans people
Disability and higher support needs impacting all plans
What is your vision for the world you want to live in?
Safety and peace
Ending violence against minorities and discrimination in any form
Financial security and eradication of systemic transphobia
Having needs met “such as housing, healthcare, transportation etc”
Access to gender affirming care
NHS reform to eliminate waiting lists
Community care and mutual aid led
“people supporting others in their communities in whatever way they can, and creating spaces where people can ask for help eg getting to appointments, getting an energy medication etc”
Enjoying hobbies without harassment
Accessible and intersectional spaces
Energy to thrive not just survive
Being seen as whole individuals rather than reduced to one-dimensional caricatures
“A world in which we can just be”
More trans only spaces
Celebration of trans-ness
How has your group been funded so far and what challenges have you faced?
A grant from LGBT Consortium
Other unspecified grants
Selling t-shirts and pins
Unsolicited donations
Self-funded
Often working alongside
Ticketed events
Speaking at events
Personal loans
Want to access grants and donations but not successful yet
Other reflections
Trans Mutual Aid Manchester
Intersectionality should be at the forefront to avoid leaving anyone behind
Visions go beyond the capabilities of TOF
Community led care is feasible
Either through empowering existing communities or creating new ones
Lack of established base of trans-first communities that can provide community care on a consistent basis
Funding is a big issue
Creating sustainable revenue streams
Our own reflections as people administering the fund
Groups don’t feel like they can take a grand, need a lot of coaching and encouragement
A sense things get scarier when you accept money
Fear of cancellation
Personal lives are stressful and intersect with all of the issues raised here – lack of capacity, self-funded projects, struggling to find core organisers
Structural issues with funders