The Trans Tell Your Story Project

Lambda Legal recently hosted an event in Atlanta to share some of the stories we've collected as part of our Trans Tell Your Story project. It's part of a partnership with StoryCorps, a nonprofit organization that provides ordinary Americans the opportunity to record their life stories for posterity.

Holiday Simmons, Lambda Legal's National Community Educator, has been helping transgender and gender-nonconforming people record and share their stories, giving a voice to a segment of our community that is often underrepresented or misrepresented in mainstream media. Simmons uses the recordings in his trainings for educators, law enforcement officers and health care professionals.

Cheryl Courtney-Evans, one of the participants, said at the event:

Our community does not get the respect and acknowledgement deserved. It’s 2012, but most people haven’t been introduced to a transgender man or woman, that they know of. In order for there to be services, police, and legislation [for our community], there needs to be more representatives of the trans community. People need to get an idea of our numbers. I’ll be one voice, part of the number.

You can hear one of the stories, which was broadcast on public radio, and see pictures of the event at the StoryCorps blog.