Lift Up Trans and Nonbinary Voices of Color: Solidarity for LGBTQ+ Youth

In an effort to honor the work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and respond to recent threats of violence against our transgender and nonbinary community in Columbus, we invite our Black and Brown trans and nonbinary community to lend their voices to our campaign of solidarity for LGBTQ+ youth, to lift up the voices of those most affected by recent violence.

As part of The Buckeye Ranch’s commitment to be a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive agency, we are developing a messaging campaign to help combat the historical stigma often associated with LGBTQ+ individuals and mental health services, and to help LGBTQ+ youth in need feel more comfortable seeking mental health support throughout our community. Recent threats of violence have been made against the transgender and nonbinary community of Columbus as part of the Pro-Trump events scheduled this weekend. Community celebrations and actions have been canceled out of concern for the safety of our Black and Brown leaders, LGBTQ+ community, and specifically our trans community. As we celebrate the life of Dr. King, let us also celebrate the lives and voices of our Black and Brown trans and nonbinary community.

“I wish someone would have told me…”

Join us as we lift up the voices and embrace the visibility of our Black and Brown trans and nonbinary community with a dedicated compilation of video responses to the prompt, “I wish someone would have told me.” There’s some bit of wisdom that we all wish we would have known sooner to help us feel less isolated in our experiences. Responses are meant to share solidarity and wisdom from trans and nonbinary folks around their mental health journey with youth throughout our community. We hope that seeing the faces of trans and nonbinary folks of color represented throughout the community will help our young people feel affirmed and safer in seeking support and in building community.

While visibility often isn’t the safest option for trans and nonbinary folks, our hope is that these reflections of lived experience will lend solidarity, support, and strength to the trans and nonbinary children and youth struggling with the question of their own visibility and journey.

The window for these submissions will be open until March 1st with the intention to share this compilation on International Transgender Day of Visibility, March 31st.

How to Participate

Participating is as simple as filming your own response from your phone and emailing it over.

Directions:
– Begin your response by repeating the prompt, “I wish someone would have told me…”
– keep it short (about 15 seconds)
– position your phone horizontally (wide)
– make sure you’re in a quiet environment
– place your phone on a stable surface to minimize movement

When you email your response, we will follow up to ask you to complete a media release form. If you are under the age of 18, be sure to have a guardian sign the release.

These videos will be edited together as part of a longer video that features other submissions. You do not need to say your name or where you’re from in the video, but please include at least your first name and affiliation (if appropriate) in the email! You’re welcome to record more than one response.

Here are a couple of examples:
– “I wish someone would have told me that love is never wrong.”
– “I wish someone would have told me that you can be religious as an LGBTQ+ person.”

If you have any questions concerning the campaign or these instructions, please reach out. We would be honored by your partnership and voice.

For other members of the LGBTQ+ Community:

To learn more about the campaign or to participate in a separate video compilation for LGBTQ+ submissions (not specific to trans and nonbinary folks), please reach out. The deadline for these submissions is Friday, January 22nd.