The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee advances human rights through grassroots collaborations.
By Shay A. Stewart-Willis on March 27, 2025
“Visibility is a double-edged sword,” Rachel Crandall Crocker said. As the founder of International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), Crocker recognizes that visibility saves some lives and causes threat to others. To be visibly trans in today’s increasingly hostile social climate is at once essential and dangerous.
At UUSC, we assert that transgender, two-spirit, and gender-expansive people deserve a future that goes beyond visibility. They should be visible, safe, and celebrated. We are proud to support the work of grassroots organizations that uplift and defend the trans community. This TDOV, learn about four of these partners:
- Asylum Pride House
Philadelphia, PA
When people seeking asylum need shelter, they’re often divided and housed by binary gender. Asylum Pride House meets the needs of trans and gender-expansive asylum-seekers and same-sex couples. Founded in Philadelphia in 2022, they work to realize “a world where every LGBTQIA+ asylum seeker is welcomed, supported, and affirmed as their most authentic selves.” - Pink Haven Coalition
United States
The Pink Haven Coalition is a growing network of people and organizations devoted to trans safety and liberation. They help trans people and their families relocate to safer areas, access healthcare across state lines, and connect with resources to enhance their safety and wellness. - Queer Svit
Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, & Ukraine
Queer Svit (Ukrainian for “Queer World”) assists LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC people impacted by war or political repression get to safety. They provide legal consultation, transportation, housing, mental health resources, and financial assistance. - Queer Detainee Empowerment Project
New York City and the Tri-State Area
The Queer Detainee Empowerment Project (QDEP) supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, two-spirit, transgender, intersex, gender non-conforming, and HIV+ immigrant prisoners. QDEP serves those currently in detention centers, recently released, or at high risk of being detained. The organization provides post-release support, visitation, direct service, and community organizing. They bring an important voice to conversations about the treatment of trans and gender-nonconforming migrants in detention, as well as broadening how the immigrant rights movement defines “family.”
Act in solidarity with the trans, two-spirit, and gender-expansive community this TDOV. Our partners are providing frontline support to those directly threatened by government repression and social aggression. Sustain their work with a donation to UUSC. Together we build a future where gender-expansive people are visible, safe, and celebrated.
