Gender Spectrum Day 2: Build It and They Will Karaoke

A Case Study from Rockland County Community Center

Running a Meeting:
-Share names and pronouns
-Share something magical in your life
-Share gay/queer history or community leader
-Dinner
-Social time

Other Features: community agreements, themed nights, coping and emotional development skills, community building and advocacy skills, life skills, presence of trained crisis intervention staff, leadership by Black Trans people and other ppl of color
-If you don't know who the black trans people who are already doing the work--THAT is

*CLAPPING for people on all their wins (grades, showing up, community validation)
-baking validation into every aspect of communication and

*This is not therapy*

SUCCESSES:
-Chosen family
-Support Black and Trans leadership
-Creativity and play
-There is not therapy, this is not a support group--it is AFFIRMATIVE
-Holiday wish list (not charity but community caring in a reciprocal way)

EVENTS:
-Drag night
-Couture night (making couture pieces on mannequins out of newspaper--then they wrote the words that people have used against them on the newspapers)
-Dear queer elder letters asking for holiday presents

PANDEMIC SUPPORT:
-Food/nutrition support
-Providing technology
-Socially distanced in-person meeting

ALLIES:
-Mentorship program through a community program
-Not everyone can just come into the space
-Teachers
-Be careful about who you allow in
-For youth, we don't turn people away--they might be showing up as allies and then come out later