Take a look to see who is organizing for trans kids in school in Portland and nationwide.

In Portland:

EqualityMaine Political Action Committee—Founded in 1984 as the Maine Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance, EqualityMaine is the state’s leading LGBT rights organization. It was created by LGBT people in Maine in response to the murder of a gay man in Bangor. Decades later, EQME now includes a Political Action Committee, which is comprised of Maine LGBT people and youth peer leaders who lobby in Augusta, educate parents and students, and build LGBT visibility/community in the state of Maine. (https://equalitymaine.org/)

Maine TransNet—Maine TransNet is a small organization of trans and gender-nonconforming people in Maine that seeks to build power and protection for Maine trans people through peer support groups and public dialogue. Founded in 2005, it is staffed and overseen entirely by Maine trans folks, and organizes through peer support networks and training, outreach, and education for the broader community. (http://www.mainetransnet.org/)

GLSEN of Southern Maine–GLSEN works on a national scale to champion safe and affirming schools for LGBT students and their families. GLSEN provides resources for families, students, and educators, including inclusive curriculum and guides to trans rights in schools. The Southern Maine chapter seeks to build power, community, and safe schools for trans people, trans youth, and their families in Portland and all of Southern Maine more broadly. (https://www.glsen.org/chapters/southernme)

Portland Outright–Outright is a queer and trans youth movement based in Portland that describes its mission as “fighting oppression with tenderness.” Outright is a youth and peer-led group that goes beyond just support, and seeks to build community power through active organizing for collective liberation. They describe themselves as “are a community of people who are invested in each other, building deep connections, sharing both our struggle and joy, while fighting for each other’s dignity and survival” (https://portlandoutright.com/).

 

Beyond Portland:

Freedom New Hampshire–This group is a grassroots organizing effort based in New Hampshire; it has built a coalition of religious leaders, law enforcement, community advocates, schools, and local stakeholders in order to further transgender anti-discrimination law in the state (https://www.freedomnewhampshire.org/).

BAGLY–Boston Alliance of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Youth is a youth-led social justice and support organization that seeks to build power and community among LGBTQ youth in Boston. From a free clinic, to events like queer prom, to community building across the city, BAGLY is committed to both fostering inclusive LGBTQ youth community and fighting injustice. They also work to build coalitions with other youth organizers in New England (bagly.org). 

TENT–The Transgender Education Network of Texas is a coalition of transgender people in Texas who are working to fight the state’s oppressive, religious laws surrounding LGBT identity. They focus on “furthering the gender diversity equity in Texas” through education, advocacy, and empowerment. In 2017, they fought the state’s discriminatory anti-trans bathroom bill by collecting the testimonies of trans, intersex, and gender-non-conforming Texans, and then reading them at the Senate Committee on State Affairs. (http://www.transtexas.org/). 

Mass TPC–The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition was founded by trans folks in 2001 in order to empower and organize transgender people in Massachusetts. The MTPC is governed my a group of transgender peers; they recently partnered with schools, superintendents, and other local stakeholders in order review and revise guidance related to supporting transgender kids in Massachusetts public schools (https://www.masstpc.org/).