Tag Archives: TDOR

November 2019 Trans Talk and Community Calendar for November-December 2019


Hello everyone! On this month’s Trans Talk we are going to start out with more of the transgender news of the month, and then we are going to broadcast (with permission of the speakers) three of the speeches from the Kansas City Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony this year. Anthony is expected to lead a discussion about the bar and club scene for transgender persons in Kansas City, and who knows what else will happen?

We do hope you will be able to join us this Saturday, November 23 at 1:00 pm on 90.1 KKFI, Kansas City Community Radio! You can also stream the program live on kkfi.org, or via various apps on your phone.

Monthly Community Calendar – by Fiona

Up first, two events from the Kansas City Center for Inclusion – this coming Thursday, they are having their annual Friendsgiving: Thanksgiving at the Center, at 3911 Main Street, Kansas City Missouri.  That starts at 11am and is a potluck brunch that all are welcome to.  There is a Facebook event with more information at https://www.facebook.com/events/638598380208446/

Their second event is their annual fundraiser, this will be their third annual masquerade ball, the theme is Purple Prince and it is on December 7th at Union Station.  More information can be found at the Facebook event https://www.facebook.com/events/2683087075099524/ and of course, all the events are linked from their main page, https://www.facebook.com/InclusiveKC/

There is also a research study regarding therapeutic writing to enhance body image and well-being among transgender people. In order to participate, you must be transgender (e.g., trans woman, trans man, non-binary, gender queer, etc.), be 18 years of age or older, and live in the United States. being conducted out of UMKC currently.  For more information, you can go to https://umkc.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7PeongIedVJJJaJ?fbclid=IwAR2GyYYwDCLGudEjWNMbB6zf42z4DHzkPuyjYAt-t6dZQiTLUqBlXtILPBY  Or, if you would like further information, please email Laurel Watson at watsonlb@umkc.edu

Choral Spectrum is a mixed chorus (SATB) for the LGBTQIA and Supporting community. They will be having their winter season show on December 14th & 15th at Immanuel Lutheran Church. More information on times and tickets can be found at https://www.choralspectrumkc.org/season

Every month, I lead the Kansas City SOFFA group for Significant Others, Friends, Family, and Allies of Transgender and nonbinary persons.  We meet on the first and third Wednesday of the month. In November, we’re meeting on the 4th & the 18th in Study Room 116.  That’s at Leawood Pioneer Library, 6.30 – 8pm. For driving directions and other SOFFA information, you can visit transascity.org/SOFFA or email soffakc@yahoo.com

UMKC’s Trans Social group is back in session – it is for trans and nonbinary student and recent students.  This semester, they are meeting on Thursday evenings from 7 – 9pm.  For more details, you can reach out to the UMKC LGBTQIA office in the Student Union building.

Every third Thursday, the Equal Trans Support Group meets at 5:00 PM at the Kansas City Center for Inclusion, a couple of doors down from our studio at 3911 Main Street, Kansas City Missouri.  The Center has lots of other events too, which can be found on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/InclusiveKC/

JoCo Q-Space is a youth group for LGBTQ youth. They meet every Thursday from 5:30pm to 8:30pm at Saint Andrew Christian Church 13890 W 127th St, Olathe, KS 66062. For more information, go to https://www.facebook.com/jocoqspace/.

Passages, the LGBTQIA youth group in Kansas City, Missiouri, is on hiatus and there are no details on their Facebook page regarding resuming.  Watch this space!

There is an MTF support group at the Kansas City Center for Inclusion on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 6pm. There is an FTM support group elsewhere, both for adults and for youth, so if you are interested, please text or call Gus at 816-785-8686.

Authentically Me is a social group for gender diverse children in KC and their families, aimed at children 12 and under.  If you are a parent of a gender diverse child in Kansas City, you can find their page at https://www.facebook.com/AuthenticallyMeKC/ and join their group https://www.facebook.com/groups/AuthenticallyMeKC/ to get scheduling information and support for your family.

The Kansas City PFLAG chapter, which is Parents, Families, Friends, and Allies of LGBT people will meet on the 2nd Sunday of the month at 3pm, at the Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, and the 4th Sunday of the month at 3pm, at the Kansas City Center for Inclusion.

I’m Fiona Nowling and that’s the community calendar for the upcoming month.  If you have any events that you would like adding to the community calendar, please contact us through here!

Transgender Day of Remembrance 2019 & SOFFA

This Wednesday is Transgender Day of Remembrance. Because of this, we are providing special resources at SOFFA. I shall be going to the TDOR event and will be at the church for 6pm. There is a walk/march around the park starting at approximately 6pm from the church, and then returning to the church. Speeches will start at approximately 7pm, and there will be a safe space and other activities in the church also.
 
Shawna will be at the library in case anyone wants to attend the regular meeting. If no one comes to the library, she will come down and join us at TDOR.
More information about the event can be found at

October 2019 Trans Talk and Community Calendar for October-November 2019

Hello everyone! On this month’s Trans Talk we are going to start out with more of the transgender news of the month, and then we are going to speak with Robin Nazarean, one of the organizers of this year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance. We will talk about the program and plan for this year, where and when the event will be held, and how you can attend or help if you are able.

We do hope you will be able to join us this Saturday, October 26 at 1:00 pm on 90.1 KKFI, Kansas City Community Radio! You can also stream the program live on kkfi.org, or via various apps on your phone.

Monthly Community Calendar – by Fiona

This coming Wednesday the 30th, Kansas City Missouri will be debating whether to ban conversion therapy right here in our fair city. You can show up to stand up for LGBTQIA youth by going to the council meeting at 9:30 am on Wednesday, 414 E 12th St, Kansas City, Missouri on the 26th floor council chambers. There is a local Facebook event called “Conversion Therapy Ban” you can look for to find further information or follow the link in our posting of the community calendar after the show https://www.facebook.com/events/483476475573914/

Every month, I lead the Kansas City SOFFA group for Significant Others, Friends, Family, and Allies of Transgender and nonbinary persons. Special event next Saturday November 2nd, we’re having our third annual Halloween party at 7pm.  SOFFA members and their families are welcome to attend, reach out to me on Facebook for more details, or check the SOFFA group for details.  We meet on the first and third Wednesday of the month. In November, we’re meeting on the 6th & the 20th in Study Room 116.  That’s at Leawood Pioneer Library, 6.30 – 8pm. For driving directions and other SOFFA information, you can visit transascity.org/SOFFA or email soffakc@yahoo.com

TDOR is November 20th, and the local event starts at 6pm, meeting at Community Christian Church at 4601 Main St, Kansas City, MO, 64112 for a march around the park, then returning to the church for speakers, who will start at 7pm.  Please reach out to KCTDOR@gmail.com for more information or to volunteer.  UMKC is also having a remembrance event, which is from 4:00 – 5:30pm at the UMKC University Playhouse.  More information is on the UMKC LGBTQIA Facebook page.

UMKC’s Trans Social group is back in session – it is for trans and nonbinary student and recent students.  This semester, they are meeting on Thursday evenings from 7 – 9pm.  For more details, you can reach out to the UMKC LGBTQIA office in the Student Union building.

Every third Thursday, the Equal Trans Support Group meets at 5:00 PM. They also have a friends plus allies meeting on the second Monday of the month, at 6pm, and both are at the Kansas City Center for Inclusion, a couple of doors down from our studio at 3909 Main Street, Kansas City Missouri.  The Center has lots of other events too, which can be found on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/InclusiveKC/

JoCo Q-Space is a youth group for LGBTQ youth. They meet every Thursday from 5:30pm to 8:30pm at Saint Andrew Christian Church 13890 W 127th St, Olathe, KS 66062. For more information, go to https://www.facebook.com/jocoqspace/.

Passages, the LGBTQIA youth group in Kansas City, Missiouri, is on hiatus until November 27th when it should resume with a friends giving event, re-opening KCAVP in their new location.

There is an MTF support group at the Kansas City Center for Inclusion on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 6pm. There is an FTM support group elsewhere, both for adults and for youth, so if you are interested, please text or call Gus at 816-785-8686.

Authentically Me is a social group for gender diverse children in KC and their families, aimed at children 12 and under.  If you are a parent of a gender diverse child in Kansas City, you can find their page at https://www.facebook.com/AuthenticallyMeKC/ and join their group https://www.facebook.com/groups/AuthenticallyMeKC/ to get scheduling information and support for your family.

The Kansas City PFLAG chapter, which is Parents, Families, Friends, and Allies of LGBT people will meet on the 2nd Sunday of the month at 3pm, at the Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, and the 4th Sunday of the month at 3pm, at the Kansas City Center for Inclusion.

I’m Fiona Nowling and that’s the community calendar for the upcoming month.

If you have any events that you think should be added to the calendar, please message us on the Tenth Voice Facebook page

May 2019 Trans Talk on KKFI


On this month’s Trans Talk we have guests who are talking about trans-related events in our community, the vibrant Transas City of the world. First we have on Mazzy Mann and Zoey Shopmaker, who are going to tell us all about the Transfiguration Music Fest 2019, which is coming up next weekend. Then we will hear from repeat guest Robin Nazarean, who is going to talk about early plans for Transgender Day of Remembrance, as the organizers build upon the success of last years’ event. We had hoped to have on our guest from last month Faith, to tell us about the first Kansas City Trans Pride March, but she sent me some information we’ll read to you later in the program.

As usual we will have Una’s news rant, and the community calendar update.

We do hope you will be able to join us this Saturday, May 25 at 1:00 pm on 90.1 KKFI, Kansas City Community Radio! You can also stream the program live on kkfi.org, or via various apps on your phone.

REMINDER: Kansas City Transgender Day of Remembrance 2018


Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance that remembers and memorializes the lives of transgender and gender non-binary persons who were murdered due to transphobia and hate. TDOR is a time for all members of our diverse community to come together in strength and power, as we read the names of the fallen and hear the voices of those who carry on the fight.

For the event of Tuesday, November 20th, the following events have been scheduled by a group of hard-working individuals from our own Kansas City area community (copied from the Facebook event page).

6:00 PM: VIETNAM MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN ON THE PLAZA (Broadway and 42nd Street)
Call-to-action rally in support of the transgender community. Local TGNC leaders will speak and equip allies with the tools and knowledge they need to support their transgender and gender non-conforming neighbors.

6:30 PM: MARCH TO COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH (4601 Main Street)
This silent march will be just under a mile up Main Street. Please bring signs calling for transgender rights, transgender advocacy, transgender support, etc. Dress for the weather.

7:00 PM: OUTSIDE COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Short debrief for all supporters.

7:15 PM: INSIDE COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Vigil and place of mourning for transgender and gender non-conforming folx. Cisgender allies, please respect that this space is meant to serve as a safe place of grief and fellowship for the transgender and gender non-conforming community. We ask that you reflect on your position and situation, and respect the need for trans-dominated spaces.

8:00 PM: End of vigil and closing of Transgender Day of Remembrance.

For additional information contact JN.Hernandez@inclusivekc.org

Transgender Day of Remembrance: Making the Abstract Concrete

Yesterday tens of thousands of transgender persons and their families, allies, and supporters attended Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) events around the world. Since the beginning of TDOR, the annual events have featured a reciting of the names of those who were murdered through the year. It’s a lengthy list each time, with more than 220 of them for this year’s event (I’m hedging, because some counting sites disagree on the exact number of murdered).

But hearing the names is an abstract exercise. We hear the names read out like a gazetteer of sadness and pain in this world, and we go home. This article (linked below) by the Advocate contains the stories of a small sample of those who fell this last year, removed from this world by the evil of mankind. Twenty-four women; about one-tenth of the fallen.

Please if you click on one post today, click on this one. Read a bit about these sisters and brothers of ours, and make their unintended sacrifice concrete within your heart.

Transgender Day of Remembrance: Those We’ve Lost in 2014 | Advocate.com.

Hollywood: Fight Breaks Out at Transgender Protest Against Violence

Hollywood_TDOR_2014
Or at least that’s how the news spun it. In reality, what happened was this: transgender rights protesters took control of a busy intersection in Hollywood, California, linking arms, chanting, and refusing to let traffic cross. Eventually someone not involved with the protest took umbrage, and came up to hit one of the transgender protesters. The assailant tried to flee, but was instead grabbed by a protester and someone watching, taken over off-balance and rather efficiently sideways-pile-drivered into a car.

I’d say “well done”, as they seemed to manage the assault pretty darned well, but overall we can’t be happy at violence on TDOR. It’s clear that blocking busy intersections is going to get a reaction, and unfortunately one must be ready for whatever reaction may come.

VIDEO: Fight breaks out at transgender protest against violence | Watch the video – Yahoo News.

Essay: Cisgender Person Writes of their Lessons from their First Transgender Day of Remembrance

I don’t normally include essays from cisgender people about transgender people in my reading list, but Shane’a Thomas had some interesting turns of phrase and passion which indicate to me that even though, as he says, “I will not pretend that I have “been there” or “done that,” even if I do belong to one of the letters in the rainbow acronym.”

Take a minute from your day to read the essay – I’ll include a couple of good quotes.

As a cisgender person, I constantly have to work toward trans* awareness in my teaching and in my language. Why? Because I see and respect being trans* as the purest form of existence. The trans* person’s awe-inspiring ability to take the broken pieces of our society’s systems of social construct and fit them together to create a complete human being is beyond my ability to understand.

Trans* people are being executed in broad daylight, and as human beings, these deaths are our legacy. Evil is no longer hiding in the shadows of night or in a closed space. What do I do to create safety for trans* folks around me? These violent deaths happen due to the failure of the living to provide safety. The loss of a trans* person, whose gender expression is one of the purest forms of expression of self, true self, inside and out, is a loss to anyone who claims that they are human. Saving a life and providing safety is earning your keep and the privilege to say you are human.

Lessons From My First Transgender Day of Remembrance | Shane’a Thomas.

The Growing Importance of Trans Remembrance

TDOR_Kansas_City
In this editorial Dana Beyer talks about how Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) has rapidly gained popularity and acceptance across the nation. For example – would you have imagined, on this 15th TDOR, that the Secretary of State would make a statement supporting transgender persons?

Our TDOR event in Kansas City was larger this year than last, despite bitterly cold weather, and was very well-done, featuring live music from local musicians and a several well-done speeches. When I went to my first TDOR last year, I had barely dipped my toes in the community. I was only in transition for 4 months and only knew a few other transpersons. Even though I knew I was part of this new and vibrant community, I still felt like an outsider.

This time I knew half the crowd there, and knew the stories of many of the women – their triumphs and tragedies. I felt safe and like I belonged, like there was a connection, a thin net of silver cords connecting me to every person at the gathering, and it was a wonderful and sad feeling at the same time.

The Growing Importance of Trans Remembrance | Dana Beyer.