Author: Matthew Tift
Dates: 9/30, 10/7, 10/14
Time: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Zoom
This three-session course offers an introduction to gender diversity and trans identity and equips you to respond to the current political attack on trans people.
Content includes trans 101, vital information to counter rampant anti-trans propaganda, and concrete actions that are needed for UU congregations to be spaces of safety and belonging to trans people and our families in this moment. We’ll also be discussing what you and your congregation can do to support trans refugee work in Minnesota.
We will start each session with a 25- to 35-minute video provided by the Transforming Hearts Collective. It will be followed by a discussion on the content and time for questions, facilitated by Dallas Rising (she/they), MUUSJA’s Senior Movement Organizer. This is an excellent opportunity to connect with other UUs as we work within and across our congregations to respond to the anti-trans movement in impactful and compassionate ways.
Participants are asked to attend all 3 sessions.
Course Details:
Session 1: Trans 101 (September 30)
This session covers what it means to think of gender as a spectrum rather than as a binary, some of the many different ways trans people experience and describe their identities, some important pitfalls to avoid in how you think about and talk about trans folks, and how embracing and celebrating gender diversity helps all of us get free.
Session 2: What You Need to Know About the Anti-Trans Movement (October 7)
This session provides an overview of the anti-trans political movement, where it came from, and some of the threats that trans people in the U.S. are currently facing, then offers facts to counter some of the worst misinformation that is a central part of the anti-trans movement’s tactics to erode public support for trans people.
Session 3: How to Ensure Your Congregation Is Truly Trans Welcoming (October 14)
This session covers both basic and deeper actions that are needed in order for UU congregations to uphold their commitment to be Welcoming Congregations and offer spaces of safety and belonging to trans people and our families in this moment, and what you can do to help.
Note: MUUSJA is grateful for the curriculum provided by the Transforming Hearts Collective. We ask that all participants make a donation between $10-$50 (sliding scale) to support their work. Half of all funds raised through this curriculum will be shared with the Pink Haven Collective.