By Ella Ware
The Grand Rapids Trans Foundation (GRTF) has been serving the transgender community in Grand Rapids since December 2015.
Ximón Kittok, 40, is the Executive Director of the GRTF. They grew up on a farm in Minnesota, but have been residing in Grand Rapids for over 20 years.
“The Grand Rapids Trans Foundation has been around for about 11 years,” said Kittok. “We, simply put, support and celebrate the local trans and nonbinary community. We have an academic scholarship for trans and nonbinary folks who are going to school or training in the area.”
Kittok added that they also have a program that helps people navigate legal name changes and document updates, as well as a program that gives out free gender affirming items to the community. The GTRF also offers a transportation program that helps folks access bus fare, Lyft rides, and free bikes.
The GRTF is located in the back office of the Grand Rapids Pride Center Building, which is a separate organization that works closely with GRTF.
The non-profit is in need of urgent funds to continue providing resources to the Kent County area.
“I think there are three big ways that folks can support the organization through a financial donation,” Kittok said. “We are a really small organization that runs a lot of programs that puts material, tangible support back out into the community. So, you know, we cover all the fees for name changes. We provide gender affirming items. We refill people’s bus cards. And a financial donation really helps keep those programs robust and getting the resources into the hands of low-income trans folks in the area.”
Kittok also added that the foundation is always looking for volunteers. “There’s a number of volunteer opportunities throughout the year. And the third way is just to stay involved with the organization, come out and support events when we have them, follow us on social media, boost our posts,” Kittok said. “Those are all really helpful for getting the word out about our programming and about our events to the broader community.”
Kittok also noted that the actions of the Trump administration have impacted the GRTF and the work they’ve been able to do for the community. In the second term of Trump’s presidency alone, the administration has implemented sweeping executive actions targeting transgender people.
“Yeah, this administration has been particularly antagonistic towards and harmful to the trans community. The trans community has been scapegoated in a variety of ways when really trans folks just want to survive, live their lives,” said Kittok. “With the anti-trans rhetoric coming out of this administration, we have seen an uptick in anti-trans rhetoric in our communities. We’ve seen support dry up, federal and state grants are very few and far between now. So yeah, I do think that it’s been a very difficult year.”
Kittok shared a sentiment for young trans people who may be having a hard time with the current administration.
“You’re loved, you’re wanted, and there is space for you in this world,” Kittok said. ”Right now, we are going through a really difficult period of history. However, the trans community has been through many difficult periods in history. And what’s going to get us through this is leaning on each other, supporting each other, finding community. We will survive this. The trans community will survive this. And I know that it can be easy to feel hopeless in the face of such cultural antagonism, but there is a path forward. There are brighter days ahead. And, yeah, the Trans Foundation is here to help ensure that happens.”
There are numerous ways for students to get involved with the GRTF.
“Grand Rapids is where it’s at currently, as far as trans and queer support systems and organizations, because the community stepped up and really invested back into this area,” Kittok said. “So I just encourage your readership to get involved with local nonprofits, with hosting events that they want to see in the area. Grand Rapids has a lot of potential to be better. And we like to think of ourselves as a piece of that, you know, movement change.”
The GRTF has an events calendar on their website listing upcoming events. There are two social events every month called Cheers Queers. One of them is held at a local brewery, Brewery Vivant, and the other is held at a coffee shop, Lotus Brew.
“These are just really chill, casual social gatherings for queer and trans folks to meet other people in the community. So if any of your readership are looking to create community, find new friends, those are really good monthly events that folks can very easily tap into,” Kittok said.
