Transgender-allied advocacy organizations have done some really great work in improving conditions for our community.
Many transgender-run organizations are founded and primarily operated by one person, who eventually moves on or burns out. When this happens, many historically significant organizations severely curtail or even stop operations after the founder leaves.
Generally speaking, local community centers are going to be more active and more in tune with the specific issues and resources in your area.
This site concentrates on consumer and personal issues that affect all of us individually, but the resources below focus on political matters that affect the community as a whole.
You can be involved and stay private!
While I hope you will get involved in helping the community, I know a lot of trans people either don’t want to or can’t get involved in public activism because they are not out. You can help anonymously by writing up your personal experiences and advice for others. You can also donate anonymously to the groups below. We have all benefited from these organizations, and they need your help!
Political advocacy
National Center for Transgender Equality (transequality.org)
- A US-based group designed to keep a permanent presence in the US capitol.
The Williams Institute (williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu)
- Think tank on law and public policy for sex and gender minorities.
Legal advocacy
Transgender Law Center (transgenderlawcenter.org)
- Excellent legal resources.
Transgender Law and Policy Institute (transgenderlaw.org)
- Excellent legal resources.
Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (transgenderlegal.org)
- Excellent legal resources.
Sylvia Rivera Law Project (srlp.org)
- Excellent legal resources.
Press for Change (pfc.org.uk)
TGI Justice Project (tgijp.org)
Trans Justice Funding Project (transjusticefundingproject.org)
Immigration Equality (immigrationequality.org)
ACLU (aclu.org)
LGBT Bar (lgbtbar.org)
Youth and student advocacy
Please see this site’s section on gender diverse and transgender youth for additional information and resources.
The Trevor Project (thetrevorproject.org)
- Crisis and suicide prevention hotline.
- 24/7 hotline: 866-488-7386
- Text “START” to 678678
- Chat options available as well
Trans Lifeline (translifeline.org)
- Crisis and suicide prevention hotline.
- US: 877-565-8860
- Canada: 877-330-6366
GLSEN (glsen.org)
- LGBTQ Youth resources.
Trans Student Educational Resources (transstudent.org)
- Trans and gender nonconforming youth resources.
GSA Network (gsanetwork.org)
- Trans and queer youth support groups.
PFLAG (pflag.org)
Gender Spectrum (genderspectrum.org)
TransYouth Family Allies (imatyfa.org)
Trans Youth Equality Foundation (transyouthequality.org)
Transkids Purple Rainbow Foundation (transkidspurplerainbow.org)
Gender Diversity (genderdiversity.org)
Campus Pride (campuspride.org)
Race and ethnicity advocacy
Lavender Rights Project (lavenderrightsproject.org)
Black Trans Advocacy (btac.blacktrans.org)
Trans Women of Color Collective (twocc.us)
TransLatin@ Coalition (translatinacoalition.org)
LULAC (lulac.org/programs/lgbt)
Bienestar – Transgéneros Unidas (bienestar.org)
Asia Pacific Transgender Network (weareaptn.org)
National Black Justice Coalition (nbjc.org)
El/La Para TransLatinas (ellaparatranslatinas.yolasite.com/)
Media & arts advocacy
GLAAD (glaad.org)
NLGJA (nlgja.org)
Outfest (outfest.org)
ONE Archives (onearchives.org)
FAIR (fair.org)
Media Matters for America (mediamatters.org)
Trans Media Watch (transmediawatch.org)
GenderMedia Foundation (gendermedia.org)
Lambda Literary (lambdaliterary.org)
Digital Transgender Archive (digitaltransgenderarchive.net)
Workplace advocacy
TransTech Social Enterprises (transtechsocial.org)
- Trans-focused advocacy in the technology sector.
Transgender at Work (tgender.net)
- This is a grassroots civil rights group seeking to secure and protect the rights of all transgender persons.
National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (nglcc.org)
Out & Equal (outandequal.org)
Pride at Work (prideatwork.org)
Transgender Community of Police and Sheriffs (tcops-international.org)
Trans Educators Network (transeducators.com)
Military advocacy
OutServe-SLDN (outserve-sldn.org)
SPART*A (spartapride.org)
Tawani Foundation (tawanifoundation.org)
TAVA (transveteran.org)
Healthcare advocacy
WPATH (wpath.org)
GLMA (glma.org)
GATE (transactivists.org)
Center of Excellence for Transgender Health (transhealth.ucsf.edu)
FORGE (forge-forward.org)
Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference (mazzonicenter.org/trans-wellness)
- Excellent annual conference
Elevated Access (elevatedaccess.org)
- US nonprofit that arranges private air travel for people living in areas where trans healthcare is unavailable.
LGBTQ advocacy
The LGBTQ organizations below include trans issues as a significant part of their work.
The Task Force (thetaskforce.org)
- This US-based group has written several great white papers on trans-related issues.
Human Rights Campaign (hrc.org)
Lambda Legal (lambdalegal.org)
SAGE (sageusa.org)
Victory Institute (victoryinstitute.org)
GLAD (glad.org)
- GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders works in New England and nationally to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation.
NCLR (nclrights.org)
- Since 1977, The National Center for Lesbian Rights has advanced the civil and human rights of our full LGBTQ community and their families through impact litigation, public policy, and public education.
National Coalition for LGBT Health (healthlgbt.org)
It Gets Better Project (itgetsbetter.org)