The Grand Rapids Trans Foundation sits near the heart of Eastown, neighboring local restaurants and coffee shops alongside art galleries and crystal stores. The small office, residing in the backside of the Grand Rapids Pride Center, has become a pillar of support for residents of the city who identify as LGBTQ+.
Founded in December 2015, the GRTF is a non-profit that offers a multitude of resources for transgender and non-binary individuals. The oldest of these resources is the Trans Academic Scholarship.
“We have given out $100,000 over the last 10 years to trans and non-binary students who are going to school in the area, including some (Grand Rapids Community College) students,” Ximón Kittok, Executive Director of the GRTF, said.
The Trans Academic Scholarship is awarded to non-cis-gendered applicants in financial need. Applicants write a 500-word essay focused on their academic aspirations as well as some barriers they have faced as a trans student. In the most recent award cycle, three GRCC students received a total of $6,000.
Other resources include providing those in need with name change support and assistance updating legal documentation, along with self-defense education. The GRTF also provides free gender-affirming clothing from the “gender junk closet.”
Transgender and non-binary people can take an unlimited amount of in-office items from the closet, such as gently-used binders, bras, shapewear and wigs. The GRTF also offers to pay for two brand-new items ordered online. People are able to order gender-affirming items such as new binders, packers and swimwear.
“A big part of the way that we operate is we know that statistically, because of discrimination… the trans community is lower income, struggles with housing (and) employment, things like that,” Kittok said. “So all of our services and all of our items are free.”
Kittok shared that the GRTF also provides a free transportation program, allowing for unlimited bus rides through a monthly renewal service, as well as Uber rides to select appointments. A resource guide has been compiled for those looking for gender-affirming doctors, barbers, tattoo artists and more.
Providing the community with resources has always been at the heart of the Trans Foundations’ mission, as Kittok said the center was originally founded out of necessity.
“The foundation of this organization originally came about because myself and some of my friends saw that there (were) gaps in care that were not being addressed (in) other places and that the trans community deserved more support, especially in the broader LGBTQ spaces,” they said. “A lot of those were still very heavily focused on LGB folks and not so much on trans folks.”
Since the opening of the Trans Foundation, the organization has received “pretty large community support” according to Kittok, who will be celebrating their tenth year as the executive director this December. They shared that some local businesses have been strong allies, initially putting up trans pride flags during Trans Week of Visibility and then leaving them up year-round.
The majority of Americans are in support of transgender people having the same rights as their cis-gendered counterparts. However, on his first day in office, newly re-elected President Donald Trump signed an executive order stating that only two genders would be legally recognized in the United States, giving way to an onslaught of anti-trans legislation.
“(The) trans community is a very small community percentage-wise and has been scapegoated by the current administration for a lot of things,” Kittok said. “Lots of misinformation and lies (are) out there about the community.”
Since the election, there has been a notable change in the atmosphere at the Trans Foundation. According to Kittok, a lot of clients have been coming in with a heightened sense of anxiety and fear. In times of uncertainty, the Trans Foundation steps in and helps to mitigate worry by shining light on exactly what is known as opposed to what is not.
A frequent concern of the community due to legislative attacks is that people who are transitioning will no longer be able to update their names or other legal documents. In the state of Michigan, however, Kittok explained that there are some protections.
“Those processes to update name and gender marker(s), including “X” gender marker in Michigan, have not changed, and we don’t foresee them changing in at least the next couple of years,” Kittok said.
GRTF will continue to provide the trans and non-binary community with name-change resources, along with a safe space for the community. The foundation hosts “T time” socials which helps to create community for those identifying under the trans umbrella.
Community, as Kittok puts it, has always been a strength for the LGBTQ+ community at large.
“Historically things have not been great for the queer and trans community and we really found our strength, our joy, our stability, resources, mutual aid, in community,” they said.
An important part of the ongoing fight for trans rights comes from those who do not identify as trans. Kittok says being a good ally comes from everyday actions, such as using someone’s preferred name and pronouns as well as being supportive and offering a listening ear. They also encourage allies to be vocal with their support of the community.
Along with leaning into community, Kittok encourages anyone who may feel fearful to lean into their identity.
“There are people out there that love you just the way you are. And I would encourage people to not dim (their) shine, even though it might be tempting to hide,” Kittok said. “Obviously, gauge your own circumstances how you will and stay safe. But our community has been loud and joyful and proud for a long time. And I think that is what should be motivating us more than fear right now.”
