Springfield organizations to host first public Trans Day of Visibility event
Update: Organizations involved with this event posted on social media Thursday that the event is being moved to National Avenue Christian Church because of weather and will begin at 5:30 p.m., instead of 4:30 p.m.
In celebration of Springfield's transgender community, a coalition of organizations is hosting the city's first public Transgender Day of Visibility event.
The event is Thursday, March 31 from 4:30-7 p.m. at Park Central Square. The event is presented by Springfield's three transgender support groups: Refuge, Embrace Springfield and Sandbox. Other supporting organizations are The GLO Center, PFLAG Springfield, MO, Free Mom Hugs Southwest Missouri, Missouri State University's Office of Multicultural Programs, Ekklesia Campus Ministry and National Avenue Christian Church.
Speakers from each of the supporting organizations will discuss the resources they provide, and members of the local trans community will share stories. Tables managed by a variety of organizations with information will also be available. Emilia Stauffer, cellist for the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and Charlie Becker, a folk jazz artist, will perform.
Tonya Claiborne, co-organizer of the event and facilitator of Refuge, said smaller Trans Day of Visibility events have been held by individual organizations in the past, but this is the first, that she is aware of, that will be held publicly in Springfield.
Jaclyn Cox, co-organizer of the event and founder and president of Embrace, described the event as a social gathering for trans folk and an educational opportunity for the community of Springfield.
"Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformation out there about transgender people," Cox said. "I think most people would be more accepting of trans people if they ever just met one of us, got to know us. I say it over and over again, that 99.9 percent of us, we don't want exception, we just want acceptance. We want to live, laugh, love, play, pay our taxes just like everybody else without all of the stigmatism that goes on."
Cox added that many trans people go through the process of discovering their true self, coming out and transitioning alone.
"Maybe more members of our community will come out and show up, and then people from (the support groups) will be there and we can say, 'Yeah, come on. Why are you doing this alone? We're here to help you out. You don't have to do this alone,'" Cox said.
Claiborne came out about two years ago, after feeling this sense of isolation.
"I finally accepted myself when I was in my 50s and started transitioning," Claiborne said. "I slept through my whole life, basically. What I would like for other trans people, is to know that they're not alone. I was ashamed of who I was. Deep down I knew who I was, but I thought it was just something horrible and wrong. People need to know that there are other people out there like them and that we're just normal, everyday people. Our gender identity and who we are inside just doesn't match the bodies we were born into."
Refuge is a transgender, nonbinary, gender expansive support group managed by The GLO Center. The group meets every Sunday from 3-5 p.m. at GLO, located at 518 E. Commercial St. Refuge is an open group; members of the public are welcome to walk in and join. For more information about Refuge, visit GLO's website or email refuge@theglocenter.org
Embrace Springfield is a non-profit gender variant empowerment support group. The organization meets every Saturday evening but is closed to the general public.
Cox said those interested in joining the group should contact organizers on Facebook or email embracespringfield@yahoo.com to schedule an interview. Interviews are conducted to ensure safety for all members.
Sandbox is also a closed support group. According to Cox, those interested in joining must have a contact inside the group to arrange an interview. Similar to Embrace, Sandbox is closed to the public to keep its members safe. For more information, contact co-founder Becca Reynolds at beccazoe31@gmail.com.
In addition to the three support groups, a private Facebook group, "Springfield Missouri Transgender Support" is available for those seeking resources.
International Transgender Day of Visibility was established in 2009 by Rachel Crandall-Crocker of Michigan, according to The 19th News, an independent, nonprofit news organization that covers gender, politics and policy. At the time, the only annual event for transgender communities was Transgender Day of Remembrance, started in 1999. Crocker wanted a day to celebrate the living all over the world. For the last 13 years, Transgender Day of Visibility has been celebrated each March 31.
For updates on the local event, visit the "Transgender Day of Visibility: A Multi-Organizational Community Celebration!" Facebook event page.
Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Trans Day of Visibility event aims to educate, provide support
