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2025

December

November

Hello everyone, and happy November! We hope you enjoyed the spooky season or are able to catch a few events before fall officially rolls in. We had a great time seeing folks sing their hearts out at our special edition Early Bird Karaoke: Scary-oke at Lucia. We had a great time hearing all you ghouls sing your hearts out at our special-edition Early Bat Scaryoke event at Lucia! Congrats to Miss Frizzle and The Cursed Viking for winning first and second place at the costume contest. Many thanks to Lucia for providing us with some amazing prizes.

As you’ve most likely heard, the current government shut-down is going to be delaying SNAP benefits, which impacts folks’ access to groceries. Trans Lawrence Coalition recognizes that food security is a basic right. We have been fortunate to receive support from the Lawrence community and we want to send it forward.

We are donating money to Food Not Bombs, the ECM Veggie Lunch Program, and Sunrise Project. These 3 organizations provide consistent free vegetarian meals in Lawrence. We are also donating to Just Food, which is a local food pantry that serves the city.

If you are in need of food assistance, please check out bit.ly/dgco-food-resources for more information about food and meal programs in Douglas County. If you have the means, please consider donating or volunteering with any of these organizations.

Now onto our monthly events! If you haven’t already heard, Dragon’s Hoard is moving locations to 1800 E 23rd, Lawrence, KS. We are excited for them and appreciate their continued support in providing space for our community! If all goes well, they’ll be open and ready in their new space for our November Board Game Night. Watch our Instagram or Facebook for any other updates on this event.

We are also starting to plan our annual Winter Social. If you have any ideas, hopes, or dreams you’d like to see, please let us know! If you have any activity ideas, venues in mind, or grand snow-dusted dreams for it you’d like to see realized, please let us know! You can join our Discord Server, email us at TransLawrenceCoalition@gmail.com, or attend our regular business meeting on November 10th at the Lawrence Public Library or virtually through Discord. We are always excited to come together as a community and want to make this party the best it can be for everyone, so make your voice heard!

Now for some unspoken facts: we feel it is particularly important these days to make intentional efforts to engage in community, but we know how daunting it can be even when the outlook is good. We strive to make our events inclusive, all-age appropriate, and to reduce cost barriers as much as possible. We’ll take you as you are, no matter where you’re at in your journey, no matter how chipper you feel. At the end of the day, being immersed in support and solidarity is exactly the tool we need to rise to the challenge of our current moment. Sometimes, that just means spending time meeting new friendly faces beneath the autumn leaves.

You can do that and much more at Queer-Trans Teatime! In recognition of that and to create even more opportunities for connection, starting in November, QTT will now happen weekly!

For information about other upcoming events, please check out our website and the calendar below.

Lastly, there is an awesome opportunity to participate in our upcoming documentary, “TLC: Building Trans Community.” Here’s the pitch as written by our Director and Visual Media Chair, Kay:

“Calling all videographers and photographers! We need YOU to help document our history and tell the tale of Trans Lawrence Coalition for the big screen. We are producing a documentary about building community, intersectional solidarity, grassroots political action, and trans joy. This is a dramatic undertaking for a dramatic time, and we can’t do it alone! True to our name, we want this story to reflect the perspectives and voices of our collective experience to act as a self portrait of our resilience and lived realities.

“If you’re thinking, “Does this mean me?” the answer is YES! We encourage and desire collaborators of all experience levels with access to any type of recording equipment. Opportunities ranging from live event photography to self-taped interviews to home movies to images of protest signs (and even more) are available.

“We’re stronger together, and our story will be too. Please submit your work samples to tlcdocumentary@gmail.com.”

If you’re reading this on a smart phone, guess what! You’ve got all you need to get your perspective up on the big screen and we would love to have your help.

Alright, I think that’s all for now! We hope to see you at our upcoming events!

Tyler

(He/Him)

Treasurer

October

Welcome back to another newsletter from Trans Lawrence Coalition! We’re doing a bit of rotating, and so I will be your writer today. If we haven’t met yet, I’m Tyler (he/him). You may recognize me from June’s edition of our Member Spotlight, as well as my role as TLC’s Treasurer. I’m honored to share all our latest exciting happenings with you.

First, I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who participated in our third annual Clothing Swap! We could not be more grateful to have such a large and caring community. By the time the drive closed, we’d received 50 bins and bags of clothing donations and had the record-setting help of 20+ generous volunteers. Let’s give a round of applause to everyone who helped sort donations, tabled, and hyped others up when picking out clothes. Special shout out to PFLAG Lawrence and Rainbow Kids and Families who volunteered, provided car transportation, and financial assistance for this event. On Saturday, September 27, we saw LPL’s Auditorium fill with 100 folks finding clothes that better align with their gender(s). So thank you, dear reader, for coming out to support us and connect with our community—we could not have done it without you. Everyone deserves to express themself in ways that feel true and authentic and we believe finding items through a clothing swap is a great way to pay that care forward.

All remaining clothes from the swap have been distributed to the Lawrence Community Shelter, the Willow Domestic Violence Shelter, and KVC Kansas for foster youth.

After the Clothing Swap, we will be taking a break from large events until our Winter Social, but regularly scheduled events will be ongoing, and you can look forward to a particularly spooky Early Bird Karaoke on the 29th with prizes for the most ghoulish costumes! We hope to see you there! If you’re interested in seeing what we have upcoming, check out our website for more information.

Have you seen our Visual Media and Design Chair Kay floating around with a camera recently? As you may have read in our last newsletter, we applied for the Charlotte Street Foundation’s Rocket Grant. We are proud to announce that we have been chosen as one of the grant recipients! We feel so privileged and grateful to have had so many folks contribute to this project already, and we are looking forward to continuing the work of making this documentary a success. More information on the project’s progress will be available in the coming months along with info on how you can be a part of it! For even more behind the scenes sneak-peeks, check out our new Substack, where we will share insider information on the process. Take a look at some photos of a few of the TLC chairs at the grant reception.

Speaking of grant funding, we are happy to share that we are accepting second round applications for Mutual Aid Funding! If you have previously applied for funding from TLC when it opened, you can apply for a second round 6 months after your first disbursement. We are fortunate to have many grants, donors, and organizations who have contributed, and we are excited to be able to share even more with our community.

If you would like to see where our money comes from and how we’ve been able to help support our community, check out our recent post here [link to website page with graphics].

The last thing I want to highlight before our member spotlight is our member spotlight! We’ve previously interviewed TLC’s chairs, and now we are extending that offer to you! If you are a queer activist, advocate, artist, small business owner, or community member and you’d like to share a bit about your experience and story, email us at translawrencecoalition@gmail.com. We would love to continue sharing about the wonderful people who make up this community.

I think that’s all for me. I hope to see you around at future events!

Tyler

(He/Him)

Treasurer

September

Okay, deep inhale everybody… hoooo… did you feel that? Did you notice the slight chill at the tip of your nose? Did you notice autumn whispering on the wind? Is it making you long for the crackle of crimson leaves beneath your feet? Maybe it’s just me, but when the heat gets turned down, my love for the outdoors gets turned way up… along with my inner poet.

Let’s get right to the main event of the month; our annual Clothing Swap event is nearly here! Three years in the running, the Clothing Swap has become one of our headline events where attendees can come and fill bags to their closet’s content with new duds for fresh fits. This is a no-cost event where—contrary to the name—you don’t actually need to bring anything to ‘swap’ in order to participate. You are free to bring totes, boxes, or bags of your own, but our good friends at PFLAG have graciously offered to co-host the event and supply paper sacks to stash your new slacks. Clear out some space in your closet and come join us at the Lawrence Public Library’s auditorium the afternoon of September 27th— oh, and when you leave, don’t slip on the drip!

Trans and Gender Nonconforming Parents’ Support Group is going on indefinite pause due to lack of attendance. We recognize the need for a parental community, but the upside is those most in need already seem to have support systems in place! For now, our volunteers remain vigilant in meeting the needs of our community members and their families and are willing to reassess as those needs change. We sincerely thank Ericka, our Communications Chair, for her willingness to create and hold space for parents in need all these months.

We have so much gratitude to give this month, and we owe even more to the KU Screenprinting Club. On August 28th, the Screenprinting Club held a fundraiser on KU campus selling—you guessed it—screenprinted pronoun patches to benefit Trans Lawrence Coalition! While the weather was pleasant, gusts across the Hill sometimes try to whisk things away, and pronouns are no exception. The organizers of the event had placed sturdy weights atop the stacks of neatly arranged fabrics to hold them in place. As pastel hues of pinks and blues whipped from side to side in the breeze, you might have noticed a metaphor about resilience mixed among them.

On the regular events side of things: let’s revisit Board Game Night! Thanks to our incredible community partner, Dragon’s Hoard, we have a dedicated space for trans gaymers to throw dice, cards, and laughter all around every month. It’s even become a recent tradition to demolish a pizza or two, or three (or four) depending on the crowd and whether or not the moon is full and our inner wolves hunger for more. It’s always a grand and merry way to make new friends! Do note though that Dragon’s Hoard will soon be relocating to a (larger) space, and while we will be sad to see the forest-green walls and open rafters go, we’re excited for the bigger and better possibilities the new location will provide.

Now, some exciting news: you might have already caught wind that the documentary about the Trans Lawrence Coalition is under way. After months of flatly calling it ‘the TLC documentary,’ we finally have a title! TLC: Building Trans Community aims to portray not just the history of our trans community here in Lawrence, but of grassroots resistance, political action, and (most importantly) the joy and humanity we continue to find in one another despite trying times. In even exciting-er news, our design chair and treasurer, Kay and Tyler, were invited late last month to give a proper project pitch to the folks at the Charlotte Street Foundation. You can read all about their legacy of offering opportunities and to historically excluded creatives at https://charlottestreet.org/. Keeping our fingers crossed for now—but we hope to have an update to share with you soon!

Kay and Tyler dressed their best for this very special occasion– sporting their tie-dye TLC shirts, no less!

That’s all for now, let’s pass the mic off for Member Spotlight! – Kay (she/they)

TLC Media and Design Chair

This month’s Member Spotlight is on Alexander Quackenbush:

Alexander holds up a gigantic hand-crocheted TLC banner at Dragon’s Hoard large enough to cover his body.

Alexander is trans masc and uses he/they pronouns. Alexander’s life is a story of resilience. Alexander’s dad was one of the most important people in his life. He was outgoing and knew someone almost anywhere they went. He was kind and funny and Alexander wanted to be like him when he grew up. When Alexander was sixteen, his dad committed suicide, leaving a huge hole in Alexander’s life. Despite the pain, Alexander went on to achieve both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees through the drama of bad experiences with an ex and the Covid lockdown.

One of Alexander’s two main hobbies is playing Dungeons & Dragons. In fact, he met his husband, Devin, by playing D&D at the Dragon’s Hoard. The second hobby that Alexander enjoys is crocheting. He’s been crocheting for about 13 years now. After creating a TLC banner, he started using the leftover yarn to make mini crochet stuffed animals.

Alexander’s favorite memory was something he found embarrassing at the time, but his dad pretended they were the first group of the 4th of July parade one year while they were walking back to their seats. Alexander’s resilience and strength and kindness make him the man he is today, one his dad would be proud of.

– Ericka (she/her)

TLC Communications Chair

TLC visual calendar september 2025.pdf
You will find a visual edition of our September Events calendar attached to this e-mail, and you can access the web version on our website at tlcks.org.

August

Salutations to all– ladies, gentlemen, theydies, and gentlethems! It’s already August, can you even believe? Let’s prepare a farewell to the summertime sweats and crack open our textbooks in preparation for fall! We have some cooler winds on the horizon and—fingers crossed—that translates to other things, too. Here’s a look at all that’s going down this month and last in Trans Lawrence Coalition.

July was a relatively quiet month for us, which really isn’t saying much! Our flagship United States vs. Skrmetti coverage event, After the Gavel, was hosted in collaboration with Loud Light and Equality Kansas and was well attended. We discussed the immediate effects of the Skrmetti ruling and how it would affect the legislative environment of trans healthcare. We archived some media coverage the event received here on the TLC blog for future reference.

TLC continued to make headlines this month, including some love for our recurring Aerial Silks class hosted by our Secretary and resident circus freak, Monroe! Wulfe Wulfemeyer offers theirjournalistic lens to document one of our longest-running and most colorful communal activities. You can read their account and see our attendees suspended in a photographer’s frame in this article published in the Lawrence Journal World.

We also want to shout-out one of Lawrence’s newer community advocates, the Kansas Association for Social Housing (abbr. KASH)! On July 15th, we were invited to co-host and co-habit the grass at South Park. Gays of every stripe littered the lawn with folding chairs and widespread blankets as giant soap bubbles and charcoal plumes drifted lazily through the trees. Laughter and screaming cicadas fought in the low hum of passing traffic, altogether painting a portrait of queers in community. Those in attendance had the loveliest of times and made a motto of the phrase “oh hey, I recognize you!”—a trend I hope becomes a tradition. For future events and news about KASH’s unique mission, you can follow them on Instagram or check out their website.

Efforts to build joyful and intentional communities like this could not come at a better time. However, we also recognize the need to stay informed and on top of the newest legislation and shifts in public policy. SB125 is one of the newest directives out of the Kansas legislature that mandates the removal of gender-identifying pronouns and “ideology” from government employee e-mail signatures, among many other places. You can read Isaac’s policy breakdown about (non-) compliance methods here at the TLC blog.

Trans Gym Day has temporarily found a new home with the Lawrence Recreation Center. While it fits the bill, it isn’t an ideal space, and we would like to take a moment to remind our readers of the financial restructuring facing the public Recreation Centers that would soon make it inaccessible for those who use its services most regularly. We encourage your civic engagement on this issue and appreciate your continued patience while we find a new structure and routine for our communal fitness activities. Keep an eye on our socials for further announcements and how the future of this event will continue to shape!
If this edition feels short—that’s because it is! We have no special events (currently) planned for the month of August. After a relentless barrage of social functions, legislative recaps, and public crafting events, we’re taking a well-earned break in programming to enjoy these dog days of summer. Of course, you can still find us at Early Bird Karaoke and Youth Crafternoon, but maybe you’ll also join us at our newest social event for a shot (of espresso) at QT Teatime? We’re keeping our schedules light for now, but expect major news on our biggest annual events soon—and maybe clear up some space in your wardrobe in the meantime?

Until next time!
– Kay (she/they)

TLC Media and Design Chair

We’re breaking tradition to break tradition—it’s Kay again! Here this time, to introduce the unsung hero and author-founder of the TLC Spotlight: Ericka the Awesome. Take it away!

My name is Ericka (she/her) and I am cis-het woman. I joined TLC in November 2024, after the election, and I am the Communication Chair. When I was growing up, my dad was the most important person in my life. I always knew that whatever was going on, Dad would be on my side. He was a part of my life until 2021, when he passed. My greatest accomplishment was finally earning my bachelor’s degree in 2002. I missed two semesters when my son was born, I dropped out when I had to get a second job to support my family, and other life events just kept holding me back. But even then, I realized that I would never forgive myself if I did not finish.I took 10 years to earn my four year degree and I am proud that I kept pushing until I made it. I have raised three great human beings who all value their fellow human beings regardless of any ways they might identify themselves. If I could only ever accomplish one more thing, I would teach the rest of America the importance of valuing each other as people because of our variety and diversity, not in spite of it. For fun, I love to read, write, paint, sing, play board games, and go to concerts. The most important part of the fun for me is being with the people I care about. I have family (biological and chosen) who have carried me through some really rough places. I cannot imagine where I would be without them now. Some of my favorite memories are my adventures with Olivia. She’s my youngest daughter, and she’s 18. She would come home from work or school and yell, “Adventure!” We might just go to the grocery store, to Plato’s Closet or Arizona Trading Company, or find someplace to go and try a new food or beverage. Adventures were all about just being silly and fun together, no matter where we ended up.

Thanks for filling in with your own incredible narrative, Ericka! Now, the all-important question: who’s up next? TLC Spotlight aims to highlight one member of our community every month and draw attention to their life and accomplishments. Perhaps you’re a small business owner who could use some free publicity? Perhaps you’re a wise ally with words of wisdom to share? Perhaps you’re a nonbinary log in a bog where the bullfrog jumps from bay to bay? All are welcome to inquire!

Please contact us at translawrencecoalition@gmail.com with subject line “TLC Spotlight Submission” and share a few lines with us about who you are. If you are someone we can offer the spotlight to, we’ll be in touch with a few questions to guide along the process.

We look forward to hearing from you!- Ericka (she/her)

TLC Communications Chair

You’ll find our August 2025 events calendar attached to this e-mail, and you can access the web version on our website at https://tlcks.org/calendar-of-events/

July

Break out the charcoal and crack open a cold soda because July is here and it’s been a sweltering summer so far! Sadly, that signals that Pride month is over. Storefronts may not be plastered with rainbows any longer, but they’re beaming bright in our hearts and– oh, on our calendars, too! Read all about our month-in-review and new events on the horizon here in this edition of the Trans Lawrence Coalition Newsletter.

The month began with a monsoon! Maybe not literally, but it did (literally) rain on our parade. Lawrence Pride 2025 kicked off in a wildly wet way and made for some excellent photography. Despite our best efforts to prepare, TLC’s tabling space at South Park became a lake beneath our very feet. We made the difficult decision to pack up and save what tabling materials and merchandise we could– but the party didn’t end there! Members of TLC and Pride attendees made their way over to Dragon’s Hoard for an unofficial afterparty with plentiful pizza and dried off with friends and tabletop games. Despite our presence being cut short, TLC made headlines and appeared front-and-center in the Lawrence Times’ coverage of the marshy march down Mass street.

The TLC Banner is front and center with fresh tie-dye from May’s Print at the Park event! These colors (thankfully) don’t run.

Early Bird Karaoke is one of our longest running events, and this past meeting on the 25th was such a sight to see! If you were in attendance, you probably noticed Kay running around with a camera and squatting at unusual angles to record performances throughout the night. We’ll take this opportunity to announce that we’re in the early stages of shooting a documentary about our organization and the trans community here in LFK! We expect this will be a long ongoing effort, so your presence and participation is very appreciated. Of course, we want to respect all our attendees’ privacy so please reach out to us if you would not like to appear in the video captured at this event. Rest assured we will be sure to make regular privacy statements at all future events where we will be recording.

Pictured: An exclusive view of Early Bird Karaoke Karaoke performances captured with a vintage Hi-8 camcorder.

Later on in the month, our community partners assembled under the direction of Loud Light, an organization to promote youth involvement in activism. Kay and Ericka, our Social Media chairs, attended to make some face-to-face connections and spread the good word on all the fun activities we operate. You might have walked away with a souvenir sticker and an invitation to join our mailing list– hey, it worked! If you happened to make it out, we offer you a sweaty salute and look forward to spending more time with you next time because the room was a balmy 90-degrees or so. (We have heard through the grapevine that the ECM is in the process of ordering and installing air conditioning for the second floor– that’s great news!)

Pictured: Kay discovered that the TLC lino prints make for an excellent fan to combat the heat. We love functional art.

There’s no shortage of opportunities to relax in community these days, look no further than Queer Kickback, a big collaborative effort on part of KASH, Lawrence Tenants, Lawrence Mutual Aid Network, and us at Trans Lawrence Coalition to literally just vibe and be at peace amidst the trees. Please come join us on Tuesday, July 15th from 5PM until sunset at South Park to eat snacks, relax, and get to know the gayborhood in a chill way.

As much as we love to shine a joyous light on trans life in Lawrence, we also need to acknowledge new and harsh realities we face legislatively. The supreme court’s decision on United States vs. Skrmetti was not our desired outcome. In a 6-3 decision, the court upheld the constitutionality of healthcare bans for trans youth. This is a painful blow not just for our community, but for every American’s right to bodily autonomy and respect for privacy in our researched and well-advised healthcare decisions. This fight is far from over though, and we are mobilizing in response. TLC is working in collaboration with Loud Light and ACLU Kansas to host an educational event covering the current legislative hurdles around gender markers on legal documents and a deep dive on the ramifications of the Skrmetti decision. The event will be held July 14th at a time and location yet to be finalized, so keep an eye on our socials for a formal announcement.

In times like these, it’s important to recognize the role of resilience. Resilience isn’t just a thing that comes from within, it comes into and through us when we surround ourselves with loved ones, friends, chosen family, and community. Despite this legislative loss, we are as impassioned as ever to create fun social spaces and opportunities to fill your cup– metaphorically but also literally– which is why we’re excited to announce QT Teatime, a new recurring event you’ll find on the events calendar below! We will meet biweekly at various coffee shops, meeting spaces, and public parks around Lawrence to socialize and build lasting bonds. Please join our Discord server for details on where we’ll meet each week.

As the host, I’d be very happy to see you there and I’m excited to share space with the lovely folks we work so hard to serve. I’ll be co-hosted in this effort by none other than this month’s Member Spotlight feature! You’ll find this new event series reflected on our events calendar attached to this e-mail (and on our website) for your reference. We’ll see you around town!

– Kay (she/they)

TLC Socials Co-chair

For July’s Member Spotlight, let’s have a warm round of applause for our Events Coordinator, Devin (he/him). Devin, a trans man, recently married his husband, Alexander. Congratulations, gentlemen! Devin is definitely a cat person. His favorite memory was the day he acquired his “demon child”, Bean. He got Bean as a foster who had a terrible upper respiratory infection. After nursing the tiny little guy back to health, he just couldn’t give him up. Devin hosts Dungeons and Dragons, plays a lot of board games, crochets, works full time, goes to school, and is actively involved in TLC. He loves having the opportunity to plan activities and getting to know other TLC community members.

When Devin was a teen and came out as trans, he was fortunate to be involved in both youth groups and support groups where he met many wonderful queer and trans folks of all ages. Growing up with so many role models drives him to be very involved in the community. Devin’s personal accomplishments go to show how important that involvement really is to him.

One of his two greatest accomplishments is when he met Governor Kelly. He was representing TLC at her signing of the Trans Day of Visibility Proclamation, so that the state of Kansas now officially recognizes that observance. He is also proud of graduating from Johnson County Community College with his Associates of Liberal Arts degree. He will be continuing his education at the University of Kansas this fall, studying social work and criminal justice. He has done all of this while working full time, moving, and volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for youth who need someone on their side while navigating the court system. When asked what else he would like to accomplish, he said “If there is only one more thing I could accomplish, it would be permanent federal protections for the trans community, especially our youth. Making sure that all of my trans siblings and I can grow old and live safe fulfilling lives is a major part of my advocacy work.”

Let’s have another round of applause for Devin!

– Ericka (she/her)

TLC Socials Co-chair

June

Happy June and HAPPY PRIDE! It’s time again already, Pride Month is upon us and those rainbows won’t hoist themselves. See below how you can get involved with TLC for Lawrence Pride, and of course, read up on all the fun events we have in store for you. There’s a lot to cover this month, including a look-back at some unexpected collaborations and important history that happened in May.

A social media graphic inviting community members to walk in the Pride Parade. Remember to bring water and sunscreen!

We invite you to walk alongside us June 7th at 10:15AM near the intersection of 7th and Rhode Island in our homegrown Lawrence Pride Parade! If you yourself are trans, are family to a trans person, or are an outspoken ally, all are welcome to bolster our presence with your support as we march down Massachusetts Street. With our basic civil liberties under assault, it is now more important than ever to show up in solidarity and loudly– proudly declare that trans rights are human rights. We encourage you to show up boldly, wearing a TLC shirt (if you own one), donning trans colors (pink, white, and blue), holding signs with supportive messaging, or simply as your beautiful self in any way you are comfortable. To find our group, look for tie-dye and a large vinyl banner with our name on it! At the time of this writing, weather is forecasted as hot and sunny… or cloudy and rainy, in true Kansas fashion. Keep one eye on the sky and another on our social media for on-the-fly updates about the parade.

A photo compilation detailing the TLC-ification process: laying the ink with the stamp, dyeing the fabric, and examples of finished, dyed TLC logo shirts.

Our landmark event last month, Print at the Park went off without a hitch! On May 30th, we gathered at South Park in Lawrence for our first-ever apparel workshop that featured the debut of a hand carved linoleum stamp and plenty of tie dye to colorize attire. The weather was gorgeous, and we had an abundance of free snacks for attendees who traveled from near and far to TLC-ify their wardrobe. Those who were able to make it out walked away with the very first official Trans Lawrence Coalition shirts, each one a unique work of art that we hope to see many of at Lawrence Pride– and speaking of…

Pride is on the mind, and thanks to the inclusive effort from partners at Equality Kansas, TLC was invited to attend a Proclamation signing in recognition of Pride Month from the Governor’s Office in Topeka on May 28th. If you recall from the April edition of our newsletter, our events chair Devin was present for the signing of the Trans Day of Visibility Proclamation. This time, our social chair Kay attended wearing her Wednesday best and was able to meet and greet representatives from other charitable and action-oriented organizations working to protect the civil rights and livelihoods of LGBTQ+ Kansans. Recognizing the historical significance of this moment, we are working on framing and preserving both documents because we consider them an important recognition of each and every member of Trans Lawrence Coalition. You will find a scanned copy attached to this newsletter for your observation.

Representatives from all across Kansas gathered in front of the John Brown mural outside the Governor’s office at the capitol pose with a copy of the Pride Month Proclamation document.

TLC was honored with a unique opportunity to attend the Kansas City Roller Warriors’ season finale bout “The Rink of Fire” at Memorial Hall on May 31st as the beneficiary of the 50/50 raffle! Each match, the raffle is held to incentivize donations to local nonprofits and charitable organizations (hey that’s us) and add some extra spice to the viewing experience. This guest appearance also came with the opportunity to vend our artistic wares and remaining attire from Print at the Park. We were overjoyed at the response and it happened to be the first time many of us attended a roller derby match. Between both of these events, we raised over $1,500 in donations towards our mutual aid fund! As though that weren’t cool enough, Kay was tasked with blowing the starting whistle for the season finale bout.

Apply for Mutual Aid

You can stream recordings of both matches on YouTube!

Bout 1: Kansas City Roller Warriors vs Big Easy Roller Derby

Bout 2: Strawberry Helllions vs 18th & Vines

Lastly and not leastly, an important update regarding one of our regularly recurring events. Due to the closure of First Step Fitness, Trans Gym Day is undergoing a change in structure and venue. We have collected some initial feedback on how to organize a new group fitness activity to best serve our community and those most interested in attending, so please stay tuned on our social media for updates very soon.

Kay (she/they)

Social Media Co-Chair

The June Member Spotlight is shining on Tyler! Tyler is a trans man, uses he/him pronouns, and is the Treasurer for TLC. Growing up, Tyler said that he had a lot of important adults in his life, but the one who stands out most is his staff advisor for the PRIDE Alliance in undergrad. She is the reason Tyler wanted to work in higher education. Not only did she take time off from work to be with him during the hearing for his name change, but she also helped Tyler navigate the health insurance labyrinth.

So, what makes Tyler so cool? His greatest accomplishment in life is finding friends, loved ones, hobbies, and work that are fulfilling and make life meaningful. This man has got his priorities in the right place! Not only that, he is highly focused on helping others. When he was rock climbing at a free little gym in Germany, not only was he having a great time and building one of his favorite memories, he was also taking a look at making sports more financially accessible for others. Love that!

For his next feat, Tyler is looking forward to traveling to all seven continents (although we know he’s already made it to two of them)! You might have already guessed that Tyler is really into rock climbing and that is something that he does because he loves it. However, did you guess that he hosts a Queer Climbing Night once a month? One more way he’s looking out for others and creating safe spaces. You may have also guessed that Tyler loves to travel. He enjoys playing tabletop games and can often be found at the TLC Board Game Night on the first Monday of the month.

Another fun fact about Tyler is that he likes to eat fun food. He said that he might like trying unusual chip flavors, different shaped sour gummies, and different pasta shapes because he’s a nerd. Nothing wrong with that! Although he’s never had green eggs and ham, he did recently try a banana flavored corn puff. He has since decided that a banana flavored corn puff was a once in a lifetime experience. Let’s have a big round of applause for the focus of June’s Member Spotlight, Tyler

Ericka (she/her)

Social Media Co-Chair

May

Hey hey hey, it’s May, and Spring is well under way! There’s no shortage of news as this edition of TLC Newsletter comes at you hot off the heels of the official launch of our Mutual Aid Fund. As always, there’s plenty of regularly scheduled programming to get you out the door, but we ALSO have a very special artsy apparel workshop to TLC-ify your ‘fits for the coming summer season. Let’s dive in!

This month has more than flowers to offer, but you may want to come with some tucked in your hair for our tie-dye workshop: [Print at the Park] is slowly taking shape. This is a fundraising crafts event and comes with the awaited reveal of a hand-carved linocut printing block to create on-the-fly, totally custom TLC’d attire. The linocut features the logo you already know and love, recently revamped with TLC (time, love, and care, that is) to improve print clarity. We will also have tie-dye stations available to splash color into your wardrobe, and some pre-dyed shirts that you can stamp yourself! We are hoping to recruit a volunteer tie dye master or two to help facilitate the event. If that describes you, please reach out to us, we’d love to have your expertise. Keep a watchful eye on our socials where we’ll share updates as details on event time, space, and suggested donation rates are finalized. Come dressed ready to make a mess, and maybe bring some gloves?

Our very own hand-carved linoleum printing block, featuring the artist herself– Haley Hapgood– laying the ink for the first test prints.

Speaking of crafts, we would like once more to shout out our newest event series; Youth Crafternoon. Trans youth and their families and friends can engage their creativity with an assortment of provided materials. You can bring your own to share, or any personal passion project to focus on in a collaborative crafty space. Additionally, if you or someone you know have a passion for teaching or demonstrating your skill, let us know– teachers welcomed! Starting this May, it takes place on the first and third Thursdays of the month at the Lawrence Public Library.

You can find artsy tools like the ones pictured here and many more each Youth Crafternoon, come join the fun!

If you’re a frequent flyer at our website, you’ll notice some new additions. The calendar content descriptions have found a new home under our ‘Events’ page, along with a copy of this month’s visual calendar that you can access any time (in addition to here in the newsletter). We anticipate more events more often– curated for trans folks, by trans folks– so this will be a great resource to have if you’re looking to connect with the community.

TLC Events Page

As mentioned, we are excited and proud to announce the TLC Mutual Aid Fund! Trans and gender nonconforming residents of Lawrence and Douglas County may now request a one-time disbursement of up to $100 to help with qualified living expenses. You can apply for aid by filling out the form provided below; applicants will be contacted within 1 month if funds are available.

Apply for Mutual Aid

Lastly but certainly not least-ly, we want to offer our deep and sincere thanks to all the independent donors and community partners who made this resource possible. Your support comes at a pivotal moment in history where trans folks’ access to basic civil dignities and opportunities are under unjustified assault. Every donation, no matter how small, goes a long way to ensuring the voices and livelihoods of trans Lawrencians are preserved. Thank you.

…and without further adieu, another new-to-the-newsletter debut:

THE MEMBER SPOTLIGHT shines bright, and each month you’ll get to learn a little something about one member of our vibrant community. This month, the Spotlight’s on Kay! If you have noticed the TLC brand looking more polished lately, she is the reason. Kay is a non-binary Social Media Co-chair of TLC, and self-proclaimed Multimedia Designer (aka GENIUS)! So, what does a “Multimedia Genius” do for fun? She makes things, and all kinds of them. Kay’s philosophy is that, “art doesn’t stop at the edge of a canvas, it’s a way of being in the world.”

Kay owes much of her identity to the animated shows she watched growing up. Her greatest validation as an artist was the fulfillment of a childhood dream, working for her favorite animation studios (Titmouse & Adult Swim) and having her work air on TV. Kay was able to reach this monumental milestone, in part, because of their Most Valuable Person: “My Mom! Her unwavering support of my passions, my dreams, my identity, and my well-being is something I’m so grateful for. Shoutouts to every solo mom out there, you are so badass!”

Kay’s favorite memory comes from a road trip to rural Kansas last year to see the Aurora Borealis. On the way, she iconically proclaimed trail mix to be “nature’s McDonald’s”. In the future, Kay hopes to “Become a licensed therapist to work with clients struggling with identity and life transitions, using a mixed-methods approach and exploring the therapeutic potential of creative practices.” Do I really need to say it? Genius.

I hope you all have enjoyed a small glimpse into the creative brilliance of our Social Media Co-chair and Multimedia Designer, Kay. Stay tuned for next month’s Spotlight on Tyler, TLC’s Treasurer! Are you interested in being featured in The Member Spotlight? Please send me your info and I’ll help get things rolling.

Ericka (she/her)

Social Media Co-Chair

April

Welcome to the merry month of April! We have plenty of events coming up to keep on your calendars, but oh– you may not need to! ALL of TLC’s events are now provided here on this month’s debut of our visual calendar. What’s more, this marks the official return of our monthly newsletter that will help break down many goings-on and community collaborations TLC is facilitating.(We hope you’ll excuse the late arrival of this April edition; we’re learning new newsletter skills along the way.

Governor Laura Kelly held a signing event last month in recognition of Trans Day of Visibility with many stateside advocacy organizations in attendance.

TLC Chair member Devin greets the governor prior to the signing.

TLC attended a tabling event hosted by Loud Light with PFLAG and Rainbow Kids and Families on March 31st for Trans Day of Visibility.

Chair members Devin (left) and Ericka (right) flash their gorgeous smiles at the TDOV tabling event with a print of the TLC logo.

Trans Lawrence Coalition Youth launched our first recurring event last month with Youth Crafternoon, an opportunity for trans youth and their families to gather in a collaborative crafty space! Many craft supplies are provided by event facilitators, but guests are welcome to bring along their preferred tools. The first-ever meeting was very well attended, so much so we’re excited to announce that after the April 17th installment, Youth Crafternoon will take place bi-weekly on the first and third Thursdays each month!
That age-old phrase ‘April showers bring May flowers’ is nice to keep in mind as head into wetter, warmer weather both physically and politically. Let’s let these rains roll off our shoulders, and extend a supportive arm (or an umbrella in this case) to those most in need. We hope to see you around very soon, and if you do make it out to one of our events, be on the lookout for brand-new Trans Lawrence Coalition stickers. Support comes in many forms, and these ones happen to stick nicely to bumpers and water bottles. You can grab one for free at select TLC events in the coming weeks to slap anywhere you’d like to see some representation!
Finally, we’re excited to announce that a form to request mutual aid funds will soon go live. Our mutual aid fund will allow us to disburse up to $100.00 per applicant for a variety of living expenses. As a part of aid request, we will be collecting data to help us better serve the community and assess needs. This resource would not be available to us without the generous donations of individuals and community partners.

   When it rains, it pours! So let’s look forward to tomorrow’s rainbows.
     – Kay (she/they)
     TLC Social Media Co-chair