As part of our 2019 Holiday Commissary Fundraiser, we raised and distributed more than $40,000 to organizations working directly with incarcerated trans folks and trans folks navigating immigration detention. Here’s how the funds were split between the beneficiaries:

If you’ve ever googled your name, maybe feelings of surprise and anxiety sprang up after seeing the first page of results. There’s a chance that information that you didn’t share or maybe even forgot came up. For example, many of us can’t remember all of the places we have lived but it seems the internet can. If you’re trans, this could be true for more than one of your names.

We want to support you in turning your anxiety into a desire to clean up your digital identity — and give you the tools to be able to do that…

Stalkerware, a type of spyware, is a type of a remote access software tool that enables one person to monitor the contents of another device, such as a mobile phone, tablet, or laptop. For trans folks of any age, these types of tools can further isolate us.

How does this software access your device?

Most stalkerware has to be manually installed. Once that software is installed, the person that has remote access to the other person’s device can access sensitive, personal information including:

• Location
• Browsing History
• Text messages
• Live feeds from a victim’s camera or microphone
• Live calls by intercepting

…

For many of us, the first step in seeking support in our trans journey is with an internet search. That’s how we find funds to update and correct our names and/or gender markers on legal documents. We see reflections and possibilities for who we are, and learn about peer support resources like the hotline. The internet is where many of us feel a sense of freedom that evades us when we step outside of the house or inside our homes. Though that self-discovery is exciting, that journey has to be taken safely, which may mean ensuring your internet history isn’t…

Artículo original en inglés por Eliot Olson. Traducción y edición en español por Gaela Solo.

Gaela Solo es una operadora voluntaria bilingüe de Trans Lifeline, un servicio comunitario operado enteramente por gente transgénero en los Estados Unidos y Canadá para su comunidad.

Anunciando nuestra nueva extensión en español

De 2018 a 2019, los operadores de Trans Lifeline respondieron 23 veces más llamadas en español. Tuvimos un aumento del 386% en las llamadas que la persona que llama dice que son Latinx, y un aumento del 146% en las llamadas de inmigrantes, incluidos aquellos en los centros de detención.

Ahora en su sexto año de operación, empezando…

Understanding Structural Barriers Through the Numbers

By Oliver Stabbe

Oliver Stabbe (they/them or he/him) is a volunteer at Trans Lifeline, a trans-run organization offering emotional and financial support to trans people across the US and Canada.

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, Trans Lifeline operators have been fielding an increasing number of calls. As we listen and support our community, our data tells a story of how the pandemic acutely exacerbates the barriers and challenges trans folks are forced to navigate. We explore some of those numbers here, and hear from Hotline Operators about their experiences on the line during the pandemic.

The current pandemic has hit the trans community hard: Calls about both COVID-19 and suicidal ideation have increased from the start of the pandemic by 89%.

While April is statistically the…

Spanish Extension launches this Summer

by Eliot Olson

Eliot Olson (he/him) is a volunteer at Trans Lifeline, a trans-run organization offering emotional and financial support to trans people across the US and Canada.

This summer, Trans Lifeline’s hotline is launching a Spanish language extension. Since 2014, we’re the only national hotline operated entirely by trans people. We provide peer and crisis support across the US and Canada, and regularly receive calls from other countries. However, until this year, the line hasn’t featured built-in options for speaking to an operator fluent in a language other than English. …

Listen.

• Your friend told you for a reason. They trust you to be there, so listen and hear what they’re saying.

Don’t freak out.

• Suicidality has a lot of stigma around it, but it’s something people deal with a lot.
• Often all we need is for someone to listen while we talk through suicidality the same way they’d listen to any other serious topic.
• Harm reduction: Sometimes your friend might have coping mechanisms that feel scary to you, like substance use or self-injury. …