Transcend Tennessee
Educate. Advocate. Empower.
The Williams Institute at UCLA estimates that more than 71,000 Tennesseans aged 13 and older identify as transgender, placing Tennessee among the states with the highest proportions of transgender residents, surpassing states such as New York, California, and Colorado, and comparable to Washington and Oregon. Of the state youth population in Tennessee, 3.3% identify as transgender. However, the Volunteer State has consistently met trans people with hostility and danger, with one of the highest rates of anti-trans legislation being introduced, and a state government that has time and again chosen to prioritize trans oppression over the needs of everyday people.
Despite the dismissive attitudes of some elected officials, and the simple lack of familiarity by many Tennesseans with what it means to be transgender, being trans reflects a genuine and lived human experience.
The TRANScend Tennessee page leverages public education and community outreach and support to help change the overall narrative about trans people in Tennessee. By sharing the real human experiences of transgender and gender non-conforming Tennesseans, we hope to create greater understanding and empathy on trans topics for our community members, our active allies, and our people who want to learn more about trans issues.
The program has three major pillars:
Community outreach and education for organizations, institutions, businesses, and individuals, particularly in rural and suburban areas of Tennessee, that may need support in understanding transness and could be powerful allies.
Community outreach and engagement with trans organizations/groups/individuals in rural and suburban areas in Tennessee.
Dismantling of the public narratives that actively harm trans and gender-nonconforming people in Tennessee and replacing them with affirming and positive ones.
These pillars are made to uplift and prioritize trans voices while also meeting people where they are when it comes to knowledge of trans issues. The firm foundation of our program is in empathy and knowledge.
Tennessee is a national leader in fighting anti-trans legislation and rhetoric and, through our proactive approach to this inequity, we're hoping that the power of people joining together can help to interrupt, and actively prevent, these types of sentiments from being embedded in our state’s public policies.
NOTE: The language on this page and in the linked resources should not be considered legal advice.
Contact Us
For legal assistance, please complete our intake form.
For speaker requests, please complete our speaker request form.
For media requests, please email communications@aclu-tn.org.
For other inquiries or more information, please email us at transcendtn@aclu-tn.org, call us at 615-320-7142
Educational initiatives supported by TAWANI Foundation.
