Last month was an important one for me. March 21, marked eight years since I was publicly outed at the conservative Christian university where I was a first year undergraduate. This heart-breaking experience changed my life forever. Yet, as I reflected on the near decade I have spent living my truth I know I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I haven’t made this journey alone. I have been fortunate to be joined in this journey by some great friends.

On my anniversary I had lunch with a dear friend who was instrumental in my journey toward acceptance. It was she who first posed the question, “If you could be whoever you wanted to be, no consequences or pain, who would you be?” The answer was simple: Darcy. As we talked through the last eight years, I realized that every step of my transition has been an act of love.

Because love is the only thing I’ve ever wanted.

I started the process of accepting myself, and was ultimately outed, because I fell in love with a guy friend at university. It was through his eyes that I was finally able to see myself and to accept that I was worthy of happiness. In the aftermath of losing everything, including him, it was love that kept me moving forward and kept me alive. Love for who I am and who I could become.

And it is love that motivates the work I do as an advocate for the transgender community.

Everything we do at the Foundation is motivated by the simple philosophy that everyone should be treated with dignity, everyone deserves justice, and anything is possible with courage. And our volunteer staff give their time, energy, and talents to the community because they believe this simple, yet profound, philosophy. And we do what we do because we love the people we are helping to become better versions of who’ve they always been.

Thank you for loving with us.

Darcy J. Corbitt-Hall She/Her/Hers
President and CEO

• Quarter 1 Fundraising Total: $866.89 by 22 donors (Goal of $3,487.50)
  
• Give Out Day Fundraiser: April 19, all day, $5,000 goal.
• Quarter 1 Board Meeting: Saturday, April 21, 6pm central.
  

The last year was a big one for me and my family. In January, we launched this Foundation with the hope that we would make a difference in the lives of just a few people. To be honest, I greatly underestimated just how Loud and Proud our communities would be. By the summer, I was incredibly inspired by the generosity of our stakeholders and their willingness to support not only my work but the very real lives of the people we help. Not only did we exceed our fundraising expectations for 2017, we helped even more people than even the most optimistic amongst us even imagined.
 
And together, we have made an incredible difference in the lives of hundreds of people.
 
Throughout the year, I have met and talked with hundreds of transgender individuals and their loved ones, both in-person and online, and I have been moved by both their stories and the ways in which this Foundation has made a positive impact in their lives. More than once, transgender adults have contacted me to thank me for the support we provide online. A common thing they say to me is, “I wish this had been around when I was coming out.” I have been especially moved by the parents who have reached out to thank us for helping them accept and support their transgender children.
 
Because of our partnership, individual people and whole families are stronger and healthier than ever before.
 
The reality is, our programs exist because they didn’t exist when I was coming out. My work started as one person seeing a need and filling a need. Today, we have grown to over a dozen people around the United States working to make their community safer, healthier, and more affirming for transgender people. We are a network of nearly one hundred donors who want to see transgender people in their communities thrive and live the best version of their life possible. And they are doing it loudly and proudly during the most dangerous time to be transgender. Even with the toxicity of white supremacy, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, and fear reigning in our communities, I remain resolved to stand up and speak out for those marginalized in our communities.
 
And I invite you to continue our partnership.
 
In 2018, our theme of “Never Alone” speaks to our vision of a world where transgender people, and their loved ones, are connected to the help and support they need more than ever before. We will be increasing our reach throughout the United States through strategic marketing and communications on social media. We will increase the quantity and quality of our online resources. And we will explore new ways to reach and support our stakeholders in an ever-changing social world.
 
Are you with me?
 
Darcy J. Corbitt-Hall She/Her/Hers
President and CEO

• 2018 Pledges Due: One-time gifts are due in-full, the first half of two-part gifts, and first monthly gift (set as monthly recurring) due by 1/31 at 12:00 pm central. Fulfill your pledge here.
  
• 2018 Annual Meeting: February 20, 2018, 7-8pm central. To join, call 1-857-216-3371 and use pin 17357.
  

In December 2015, I gave what would be the first of many talks across the state of North Dakota. Even though this was a continuation of a series of talks I'd given in Alabama and Georgia, this was, though I didn't know it at the time, the start of this foundation. This one talk led to a series of invitations which took me all across the state of North Dakota and Minnesota. On these journeys, I had the chance to meet with transgender people in some of our region's most rural places. The common theme of their stories was a sense of isolation and separation from the support available to transgender people in larger communities. 

To fill the need many of these people had, namely a lack of support, I worked with many of my friends and colleagues to create MyTransitionPartner.com from the very basic list of resources I had available on my personal website. Today, this website helps an average of 50 people every day.

In January, we begin our third year of helping transgender people become a better version of who they have always been. Our theme for 2018, is Never Alone, and our annual goals will focus on increasing the level of support we offer online to transgender people who live in rural communities. While we will be unveiling these goals at our annual meeting in January, I can say that part of this year's plan is to increase the number of articles we have on MyTransitionPartner.com, improve usability and access, and add new features to help connect transgender individuals and their loved ones to real-time support.

While spending all of this time and money on a website may seem like a slight waste of resources, I was reminded today of just how important having support, in the many forms it takes, is to the wellbeing of a transgender person. As a transgender woman, I "pass" pretty well. In fact, if I don't say anything about my gender identity, most people don't realize that I am transgender. Today, while working in a rural community for my "day job" (i.e., not for the Foundation), I was publicly humiliated by a stakeholder in the place where I was working. This person essentially derailed my presentation to ask if I was a man or a woman.

This doesn't happen to me very often, but when it does it really hurts me. Because of where I was and what I was doing I could not defend myself as I typically would. In that moment I felt isolated, ugly, stupid, and worthless. The old demon of self-loathing started to creep in. Here I was in rural Alabama, at work, experiencing what many transgender people in rural places experience on a regular basis. To their credit, my colleague, who was co-leading, stepped in and handled the situation perfectly. It was such a blessing to know that people I respect and trust have my back, though that didn't stop me from feeling really dysphoric and lousy all the way back to Auburn.

Many transgender people in rural communities do not have this level of support, and many do not have access to mentors or counselors who can help them learn more about who they are, the rights they have, and the services available to them. In place of a brick and mortal community center, MyTransitionPartner.com allows people without support to find the answers and resources they need. And unlike a brick and moral center, we are always open.

Thank you for being our partner in Never Alone,

Darcy J. Corbitt-Hall She/Her/Hers
President and CEO

• 2018 Financial Pledges: Due TONIGHT online at 11:59pm or by mail and postmarked today.
• Dignity Grant Applications: Deadline extended to Monday, December 18. at 11:59 pm central. Apply online.
• Fall 2017 Board Meeting: Saturday, December 16, 2017, at 2pm. To join, call 1-857-216-3371 and enter pin  17357.
• Fall 2017 Pathways: Available online now.
• GivingTuesday Fundraising Total: $1,610 (with some matched funds).