At a time when anti-trans legislation and hostility are on the rise, how do we live into our principles and values of worth, dignity and inclusion? Many have asked, “what can we do?”
In December, we’re bringing in the Transforming Hearts Collective, a collective of Unitarian Universalist queer, transgender and nonbinary faith leaders who provide support and educational programming, to offer Canadians a free 3-part program on building safer, more welcoming spaces for trans and queer people.
We’re inviting allies, accomplices, and advocates from each congregation and community to take part. All are welcome, and we especially encourage each congregation/community/organization to send at least two ally representatives who can bring the learning back to their communities so we can flourish in this work together. In this time, we’ll learn from the program’s creators, connect across our networks, and equip our communities with the tools to act with courage and compassion.
There will be 4 sessions all together. On December 2, 4 and 9, CUC staff will host the 3-part “Responding to the Anti-Trans Movement” course*. This online course has 25-35 minute videos by Alex Kapitan, accompanied by reflections and resources. CUC staff will play the video and facilitate the reflections.
On Saturday, December 13, the series will finish with a Q&A session with Transforming Hearts Collective co-creators Alex Kapitan and Teo Drake**.
Why is CUC staff offering this series? Partly as a response to “what can we do?” This is a key justice moment, one of the ways we can live into our 8th Principle of dismantling systemic barriers to full inclusion. It is one way that we can all be better equipped in informed, sensitive ways to be allies, advocates and accomplices.
Registration is free, and you also have an opportunity to contribute an amount of your choice, which will be added to the CUC’s payment to THC. 50% of program fees to THC go towards the Pink Haven Coalition, a US group which works to resource trans people in crisis due to current political and legal threats.
Register now!
Not sure if this is for you, or if you are ready to be part of a supportive ally group? If you want to be more informed, this IS for you. Or not able to make it to all the sessions? That’s ok – register for the ones you can attend.
*Course description:
- I: Trans 101 – covers what it means to think of gender as a spectrum rather than as a binary, some of the many ways trans people experience and describe their identities, some important pitfalls to avoid in how you think and talk about trans folks, and how embracing and celebrating gender diversity helps all of us get free.
- II: What You need to Know About the Anti-Trans Movement – provides an overview of the anti-trans political movement, where it came from, and some of the threats that trans people in the U.S. are currently facing, then offers facts to counter some of the worst misinformation that is a central part of the anti-trans movement’s tactics to erode public support for trans people.
- III: How To Ensure Your Congregation (or group or community) is Truly Trans Welcoming – covers both basic and deeper actions that are needed in order for UU congregations to uphold their commitment to be Welcoming Congregations and offer spaces of safety and belonging to trans people and our families in this moment, and what you can do to help.
We recommend participating in all three sessions plus the Q&A. If you’re not able to, come for the Q&A; the courses can also be accessed from the Transforming Hearts Collective website with a donation.
Editor’s note: although the course material were designed for an American context, these have relevance, learnings and applications for Canadians.
**THC Co-Creators:
Alex Kapitan (ze/per) is a community minister, educator, consultant, and activist. A trans and queer lifelong Unitarian Universalist, Alex does interfaith LGBTQ work and supports congregations in becoming places of radical welcome for all. Ze previously worked at the national headquarters of the Unitarian Universalist Association supporting the Welcoming Congregation program, anti-racism programming, and social justice campaigns, and also served on the steering committee for TRUUsT, an organization of trans UU religious professionals. Ze is a co-founder of the Transforming Hearts Collective.
Teo Drake is a community organizer, a teacher, and an artisan who works in wood and steel. His work largely focuses on collective healing and communal care, drawing from embodied practices such as yoga, Buddhist teachings and philosophies, somatic work, and 20+ years of training and teaching in martial arts. As a queer and trans long-term HIV/AIDS survivor, his collaborative work to broaden access to resources for healing from trauma while working to end systems of violence that necessitate healing is deeply personal.
Teo is a founding member of the national advisory board of Positively Trans, a project of the Transgender Law Center that seeks to mobilize and promote resilience among trans people most impacted by HIV/AIDS, and also serves on the steering committee of the US People Living with HIV Caucus. His writing can be found at the blog Roots Grow the Tree and his artisan crafts can be found at The Tinkering Gnome.
