Equality Virginia

Our Transgender Advocacy Speakers Bureau offers faith communities, businesses, non-profits, and community organizations the opportunity to host a transgender or non-binary speaker. One story at a time, we are helping to foster deeper connections and build understanding for Virginia’s trans and non-binary community.

Equality Virginia works with organizations to coordinate an hour-long discussion, which will be facilitated by one of our trans or non-binary speakers. They will discuss their life and the landscape for LGBTQ equality in Virginia. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions and get connected to different opportunities for engagement.

Virginia TIES (Transgender Information & Empowerment Summit) is an annual conference in the fall that serves the needs and interests of transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming Virginians of all ages as well as their friends, family members, partners, and allies. More than anything else this means building connections and strengthening our communities.

For the first time ever, TIES 2020 took place over multiple days and occurred completely virtually. In recent years, TIES has been particularly focused on building connection in harrowing times, uplifting the racial justice work happening in the trans and non-binary community, and making TIES more accessible.

What made TIES 2020 so special

-This year, TIES welcomed nearly 700 participants from across Virginia and the country, with half being transgender or non-binary and the rest being allies, family members, providers, and partners. That makes this year’s conference was the most attended TIES ever!

-The conference offered 24 unique workshops, featuring 37 presenters and facilitators, on topics varying from health care access to implicit bias to the work of Black trans-led organizations in Virginia, and so much more. Check out our online program to see the workshop descriptions. Thank you to our presenters and volunteers who made these workshops possible! You can see materials from some of the workshops by clicking here.

-TIES hosted four powerful keynote discussions featuring Black trans and non-binary leaders and change makers like Stonewall Veteran and trans revolutionary Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, Dominique Morgan, the Executive Director of Black & Pink – the largest prison abolitionist organization in the US, as well as youth and adult advocates fighting for Black trans lives in their community.

-The first-ever TIES conference app, Whova, allowed hundreds of participants and dozens of community partners to connect with each other virtually, chat one-on-one, schedule meet-ups, post photos, and plan their days.

-Overall, folks sent over 3,000 messages and shared over 150 photos with each other.

-Daily social events and chill spaces were available to unwind, relax, and come together with other participants at TIES. Congratulations to our talent show and trivia winners!

-Almost 20 people, the most ever, made use of the TIES Wellness Center offering free conversations with trans-affirming medical and mental health providers. The Wellness Center offered services in Spanish for the first time as well.

-Interpretation between English and Spanish was available for the majority of the sessions at TIES thanks to Trans Terps DC. Conference materials were available in Spanish and English thanks to volunteer translators. Haga clic aquí para leer más sobre TIES 2020.

-Over 65 community organizations partnered with Equality Virginia to support the event, spread the word about the conference, and connect with TIES participants.

-The TIES Legal Clinic served 41 people with free assistance on the name and gender marker change process, also went digital. Thanks to our friends at the Virginia Equality Bar Association and the University of Richmond, the clinic occurred in the two weeks after TIES where participants met with an attorney virtually. Services were offered to both English and Spanish speaking clients.

-For the first time ever, Equality Virginia hosted an Inclusion Advisory Committee where 12 community members who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) as well as Spanish speakers of all backgrounds came together to share their vision of a more inclusive and diverse TIES that centers the needs of BIPOC and Spanish speakers in outreach, programming, and accessibility.

Statistics show that knowing someone within the LGBT community increases support for LGBT rights. This positive correlation makes coming out a critical component of the movement's future progress.  In light of the importance of being out to the LGBT movement, Equality Virginia recognizes OUTstanding Virginians who have represented the community with distinction each year at our annual Commonwealth Dinner. OUTstanding honorees are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Virginians who have made a mark. Some are activists whose courage and dedication to equality have influenced our movement. Others are LGBT elected officials, entertainers, or business leaders who have achieved great success. We encourage the community to nominate individuals to receive this distinct honor by sending a recommendation to the EV office or filling in the information on our website's OUTstanding Virginians page.

All students have the right to feel safe at school regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBT students frequently are the subjects of harassment and bullying by peers, teachers, and school officials. Such harassment and bullying undermines the positive learning environment that schools try to create which leads to lowered self-esteem and can contribute to depression. School professionals have an obligation to provide a positive environment for all of their students, but they need to be educated on the risk and protective factors for LGBT youth and how to support these youth effectively given the unique challenges they may experience at home, school and in the community based upon their sexual orientation and gender identity. Through this program, EV works towards the adoption of anti-bullying policies within individual school districts, and insuring that these school districts have the proper resources in place to help them successfully implement said policies.