Montclair nonprofit offers self-defense, other workshops for transgender, nonbinary people
New Jersey’s transgender, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming communities can find classes and support created just for them starting this week through Out Montclair, a nonprofit that supports and advocates for the local LGBTQ+ community.
The organization announced several fall workshop series to serve gender-diverse people. The programming comes amid attacks, both physical and legislative, targeting transgender people across the U.S. The programs were created to address issues of everyday life and help gender-diverse people live authentically.
Many workshop facilitators are transgender and nonbinary professionals and leaders in their fields. Celeste Fiore, the New Jersey attorney who founded and chairs the Trans Affirming Alliance, will guide participants through the legal name change process and provide expert advice.
Gender-affirming voice training
Another offering includes gender-affirming voice training, led by a certified speech language pathologist. Meredith Cozzarelli will coach people to change aspects of their voice to match their gender expression using this non-surgical approach.
Additional programs invite families and provide outlets for the creative sides of local trans and nonbinary participants: a poetry workshop and a support group for parents of transgender youth and adults exploring their gender identities.
80 anti-trans bills in US
Although New Jersey laws provide protections for transgender people, 80 anti-trans bills have passed in other states, with many more awaiting decisions, according to Trans Legislation Tracker. Many of the laws and introduced bills make it difficult for transgender people to obtain gender-affirming care, such as hormones that alter one’s voice.
This unprecedented spike in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation led the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, to issue a state of emergency on June 6 for the first time in its 40-year history. The organization reported that at least 15 trans and nonbinary people have been killed in 2023 by acts of anti-trans violence.
Self-defense workshop
Out Montclair’s final workshop will equip people with tools to keep themselves safe during dangerous, potentially violent encounters. New Jersey Tai Chi founder Harry Legg will coach a self-defense workshop using a method derived from tai chi.
Rather than cramming many techniques into one session, Legg said, the method he teaches focuses on one component that makes the method unforgettable. The tried-and-true method helps participants avoid freezing under pressure, learn to dodge hits and confront an opponent twice one's size.
Legg, a gay man, said he felt a sense of responsibility to share his tai chi skills and knowledge with other people under the LGBTQ+ umbrella.
"I'm mortified by how often people are being attacked for being who they are," Legg said. "I think everyone should be able to defend themselves. I feel a sense of responsibility because I have the skills and the knowledge to share."
Legg's training takes place on Oct. 14 at 2 p.m.
Some programs begin Aug. 19, and prices range from free to $50. Out Montclair also welcomes people to “pay it forward” by funding participation for financially insecure community members. Find the full workshop schedule and more details at outmontclair.org/events.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Montclair nonprofit hosts workshops for transgender community
