Category Archives: Outreach

April 14, 2023 – Second Friday In-Person Meeting

The Transgender Education Association (TGEA), in coordination with MCC NoVA,are pleased to announce that Second Friday is returning to our in-person monthly meeting format on Friday, April 14 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM.

We’ll return to meeting at the Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia (MCC NoVA), 10383 Democracy Ln, Fairfax, VA 22030.

We will feature our open session for Transgender, Gender Non-Binary, Agender + Significant Others, Friends, Family, and Allies. We will also provide two separate closed group break-out sessions exclusively for Parents/Guardians and for Teens and Tweens.

In these challenging times, we will be taking some additional steps. The Second Friday facilitators will be monitoring the facility entrance. Prior to the start of the meeting, we will have folks at the entry door.

After the gathering begins, late arrivals will be provided a phone number to call for entry.

Masks are optional.

We are grateful that we can open our doors to our community once more!
We look forward to seeing everyone on April 14th!

November 14, 2022 – Second Friday Virtual Meeting

Due to the Omicron variant of the COVID pandemic, TGEA will host the Second Friday meeting virtually via ZOOM.
We’ll talk about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as well as some of the challenges we are facing as a community, in our lives, locality, state, and nation. We’ll begin at 7 PM and go until 8:30-ish. We hope to see you online then.

Second Friday gathers on the Second Friday of each month for community connection and support. We welcome Trans, Gender Non-Binary, Gender Queer folk, as well as Significant Others, Friends, Family, and Allies to this circle. During COVID, we gather online via ZOOM.

BREAKOUT GROUP
TGEA also sponsors a group providing support and community connection for Parents of Trans, Gender Non-Binary, and Gender Queer children, tweens, teens, and adults. During COVID, we gather online via ZOOM. These groups exist and works only by grace of your presence.

(Use the “TGEA Newsletter – Sign Up Now” link to sign up for TGEA newsletter and get the Zoom link for the various groups).
If you have needs or concerns, you may contact our Executive Director, Rev. Emma Chattin, via email.
Be Safe, Stay Safe.

U.Va’s TGNC Survey needs your input!

The University of Virginia’s This Great New Community (TGNC) Survey has been in the field for 18 months, and has hit a wall in their recruitment of participants. Right now they have about 420 participants – that’s well short of the number needed to fully represent the Trans and Non-binary population of the Commonwealth. UCLA’s Williams Institute (an LGBTQ think tank) recently revised its estimate of our population in VA from about 34,500 adults in 2016 to 31,400 adults this year. More survey participants are needed.
So, in an effort to help the University, TGEA is asking members of the TG community to help by participating in this survey.

They are reimbursing participants for their time with $50 gift cards from Target or Walmart. They are especially interested in Trans and Non-binary people of color, and older TGNC people. As you know, surveys like this are rare (the first survey of the Trans population of VA was 2004-2006) and thus we must make them count.

To start, please visit TGNCSURVEY.com and request an interest form.

Thank you for your help with this!

TGEA Receives Donation from Local State Farm Agent on March 31, Transgender Day of Visibilty!

Rhea Baker is celebrated 15 Years as a small woman-owned business by making 15 $100 donations to 15 non-profits in the area, donations which State Farm will match! Click for view Check Presentation for TGEA
Thank You So Much, Rhea & State Farm!

TGEA DONATIONS
TGEA currently exists only by the grace of your donations and occasional grants. The COVID pandemic has been a challenge for many organizations, and TGEA is certainly one of them
We cherish and welcome all donations, and no contribution is too small.
If each individual who has enjoyed the connections made through TGEA would donate $5 a month, we would not only get past our survival but we would be in a position of growth during a time when we are needed most. You can always Donate here

Saying Farewell to a Dear Friend

Sharon Brackett died suddenly at her home in Baltimore Maryland on May 24, 2021. Sharon started attending Second Friday at the very beginning, close to 10 years ago, driving down from Maryland in order to connect with others in the community. Her contributions to the Trans Communities, and the world at large, cannot be understated. She was not simply an activist, she was also a dear friend, and I will miss her. (Rev. Emma Chattin)

Link to Sharon’s Obituary and Photo Here

Invitation for all transgender and nonbinary individuals who have encountered the criminal-legal system:

We want to listen to your story! TGEA Board member Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker is inviting interest in a study to amplify the experiences of transgender and gender nonbinary people who have encountered the criminal-legal system. The goal of the project is to inform gender affirming guidelines and policies (from law enforcement, to jails/prisons, to courts), and to highlight the perspectives of transgender and gender nonbinary people with the criminal-legal system. Interviewers can speak English and Spanish. If you are interested in taking part in an interview in July or August, or if you have questions, please reach out to Pippin at pippin@weavejustice.com. Deadline to express interest is May 21, 2021

TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE 2018 – Tues. Nov 20


The MCC NoVA TransFormation Ministry, in partnership with TGEA, and the UUCF, is organizing and co-sponsoring the 10th Annual Northern Virginia Interfaith Trans Day of Remembrance Service on 20 November at 7 pm at the UU Congregation of Fairfax. The Transgender Day of Remembrance occurs annually on November 20, and is a day to memorialize those who have been killed over the previous year as a result of transphobia, or the hatred or fear of transgender and gender non-conforming people. This event also serves to bring attention to the continued violence endured by the trans* communities, especially those who exist on the margins. On average, for the past few years, there have been two such murders in this country every month. Nearly half of these murders go unsolved. If you would like to help support or participate in this service in any way, please contact:
RevEmmaChattin@gmail.com
*Embraces a continuum of gender variation and expression.

The 10th Annual Northern Virginia Interfaith
Trans* Day of Remembrance Service will be held:
Tues, November 20, 7:00 PM
at The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax
2709 Hunter Mill Road Oakton, VA

2018-TDOR-Flyer.pdf

Attend the 5th annual TIES on Oct 20, 2018!

Join us for the Equality VIrginia (EV) Transgender Information and Empowerment Summit (TIES), this year at a new location in Richmond, VA. TIES brings hundreds of folks together for a conference designed to meet the interests and needs of transgender individuals, partners, parents, youth, and allies to strengthen the transgender community across Virginia!
It’s free to attend, and registration is required. More info and registration at: http://www.equalityvirginia.org/ties