Promoting, defending, and extending civil liberties to the Trans and GNC community
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) works to promote, defend, and extend civil liberties to all Mississippians, through general advocacy, legislative work, and litigation, as well as community education. The ACLU of Mississippi created a campaign called the WAAM (We Are All Mississippi) Campaign that works to ensure that all Mississippians are free from discrimination. As an extention of WAAM, the ACLU created the Transgender Education and Advocacy Program (TEAP). TEAP is an advocacy led project and consists of a coalition, volunteer key leaders who are transgender (trans) and gender non-conforming (GNC), LGBTQ focused organizations, and ally groups from across the state.
Making sure the transgender and GNC community has the same rights and opportunities as everyone else
The goal of TEAP is to make sure that all trans and GNC people are treated with dignity and respect, and that they have the same rights, opportunities and protections as everybody else. TEAP does this through coalition building, advocate leadership, public education and strategic communications. With the grant from LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi, TEAP is working on three different initiatives: ID Me, the “I, Too, Am Mississippi” Storytelling Project, and pastoral care training sessions.
ID Me
ID Me is an initiative that assists trans and GNC Mississippians through the process of name and gender marker change.
“There are many barriers in place in the state of Mississippi in regard to gender marker change on legal documentation, and we need proper legal identification for many reasons in life. It is all too common that trans people do not have proper identification that match their identity, and therefore they do not have equal opportunity and access to basic things like healthcare, housing, employment,” said Jensen Matar, TEAP Coordinator at ACLU of Mississippi..
TEAP will be working with various entities, ranging from the Department of Health and Human Services for birth certificate changes to the Department of Public Safety (DPS) for drivers licenses and state IDs. TEAP recently put together a statewide survey to gain a better understanding of trans and GNC peoples’ experiences when going through the process of gender marker change, and they are now working with the DPS about clarifying policy through education and understanding of data.
I, Too, Am Mississippi
The “I, Too, Am Mississippi” Storytelling Project began last year, when TEAP was able to tell the story of 5 transgender Mississippians through video and pictures.
“This challenges the restrictive narratives about who gets to truly belong in Mississippi and participate fully. We want to unpack bias, really. This year, we want to do a relaunch where we incorporate stories of transgender and GNC youth, as well as trans people of color” said Matar.
Pastoral Care Training
TEAP will also hold pastoral care training sessions. Pastoral care training sessions will be five-hour-long trainings that teach the faith community of various denominations how to understand, support, and include gender diversity in their faith.
“The trans community is extremely marginalized. I’m a trans person myself, and I have the lived experience of discrimination and lack of access to necessities: being denied services, threatened of my basic human rights. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, afforded the same rights, opportunities, and protections. There’s a lot of work that needs to happen.”
The importance of change from within
“In order to impact true genuine change, it needs to happen from within. We need to have that aha moment. We need to see that the efforts are being done here. It comes across as more genuine.People who call Mississippi home understand the people and the culture of the state. Therefore, they truly do know what’s best. They know how to shift culture and how to relate to others in a way where we are truly impacting our general understanding of trans issues, moving forward and progressing in regard to trans education and advocacy, and other issues surrounding the LGBTQ community. I think that the movement really does have to come from within, because we know best. We know this state,” said Matar.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TEAP has taken on weekly support calls entitled TEAP Tuesdays. People around the state are encouraged to participate, and the option of participating anonymously is also available upon request.
For more information and to get involved with the ACLU of Mississippi and TEAP, email teapms@aclu-ms.org or visit their website. Follow ACLU of Mississippi on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. There is also a Facebook for We Are All Mississippi, where you can keep up with TEAP specific initiatives and content.