Dear Beloveds,

Our Adrian Ballou (LGBTQ and Gender Justice Programs Coordinator) is still out on medical leave. Let us send him good vibes and well wishes in his time away. As such, I am dropping in to let you know about a few things and to remind you of some truths in hopes of helping guide us in the tumultuous times we are experiencing currently and will be for the unseeable future.

Transgender people have always been here and we will continue to be. We are inheritors of a rich legacy of elders and ancestors who are always rooting for us, but especially now. I hope in your deepest moments of despair, you feel the shield of protection and guidance of our cloud of witnesses who faced similar survival issues long before us. There are also a lot of cisgender allies working alongside our trans/non-binary+ kin to help make sure we have resources and accommodations for the difficult months ahead.

Together, we are nurturing an invisible mycelium, creating necessary underground communities for connection, mutual aid, and collaboration for resource sharing. One of those resources is the public facing Pink Haven Coalition*, which has multiple levels of security to ensure our safety. In full transparency, Pink Haven Coalition is not UU led, but the UUA and UUSC are collaborating with Pink Haven in shepherding the relocation of trans/non-binary+ folx from toxic and unsafe situations to better living environments.

UUA staff is also coordinating with TRUUsT leadership who have already provided spaces for pastoral care and gathering opportunities and will continue to support us. Additionally, UPLIFT Programs that include Trans/Nonbinary+ Gatherings & Pastoral Care Space are ongoing, and Mylo Way is hard at work carving out spaces for our trans/non-binary+ youth. These are just a few snapshots of the trans+ centered spaces for us to be with one another - with more to come!

I want you to know that you are seen, heard, and held right now and always. Please know that there are people who love you and care about you deeply. So many folks we know and folks we don’t are continuing to organize to ensure our full liberation. The unspeakable injustices that continue to rock our community are serious and scary. I hope you are taking care of your soul, so that you have the energy to continue on the long road ahead. We are stronger than we know and I believe in you and I believe in us.

In faith,
Rev. Jami A. Yandle

*Pink Haven Trans Survival Guide (PDF)