TransHaven Missouri changes its name to TransHaven, reflecting it's multi-regional outreach.

www.MetroEastPride.com

on behalf of TRANSHAVEN
Oct 15, 2010
(ST. LOUIS)

Our First Year


It has been a while, but we are still here. As you may have noticed, we have changed the name of our operating company to TransHaven. While our corporate entity remains TransHaven Missouri, Inc., we felt ‘TransHaven Missouri’ created unnecessary boundaries to those of our Community living in nearby areas, such as the Metro East Side of St Louis in Illinois that are not served.

We are in fact, working at this time with a small Trans group in Illinois. Our ‘friend base’ on Facebook (which remains TransHaven Missouri) extends to people and organizations within and outside of the United States.

A busy year in our work and advocacy, the establishment of a fixed base of operations in our office suite on Arsenal St in St Louis and attending conferences throughout the nation in Columbus (Ohio), Dallas, Washington, D.C. (where we also lobbied for ENDA), Concord (New Hampshire) Philadelphia, and right back to Columbus in August. And right ‘close to home,’ we work our way to Kansas City and to Jefferson City on Lobby Days, and made our presence known at four Pride Festival events including Paducah (KY) Pride in September.

Photo: TransHaven at Metro East Pride 2010

We have continued to pursue our personal growth and advocacy at such Conferences as Creating Change, the National Transgender Equality Conference, the US Census-LGBT Summit, various state Transgender Conferences, and our Director-At Large Sayer Johnson represented us at Southern Comfort. For next year, we are looking at hosting a Transgender Conference here in St Louis, with the objective of attracting not only Trans attendees from across the nation but also an outreach to the local LGBT Community.

In our work, we have joined two separate local LGBT Coalitions working such issues as the LGBT Homeless and Anti-Violence, working with a number of Transgender Activists across the nation and we are in the process of joining a coalition of state transgender organizations, in which we will share a knowledge base of skills and information in the fight for Equality of the Transgender Community.

Local to St Louis, we have established a monthly Discussion / Support Group for the ‘Gender Community’ (Transsexual, Transgender, GenderQueer and Intersex) and will launch our Trans*Continental Breakfast for the ‘Gender Community’ later this month. Upcoming events include the 1st Annual Trans Family Picnic and we will be sponsoring a film at the St Louis International Film Festival in November and the Transgender Day of Remembrance Memorial to be held on the evening of November 20th.

Dear to our hearts are our Youth and all of the Youth, meaning LGBTIQ Youth inclusively. We have joined the advisory board of Project Safe Harbor and we are working very close with the ‘I Care Campaign.’ That said, we will be announcing our ‘TransLine’ very soon, where we establish a phone number to call for those of the Transgender Community looking for referrals to services and organizations and if need be, a connection to a suicide prevention counselor or other support.

Yes, a lot of work yet to do for the Trans Community and the LGBT Community as a whole, as we step forward for Equality. But we are not looking back.

In Equality,
Robyn

TransHaven
Robyn Carolyn Montague, Chair

Photo: Robyn at MEP Coming Out Day Candlelight Vigil (Belleville Library)

3672A Arsenal St
Saint Louis, Mo 63116
314.329.7660
transhaven@transhaven.org

www.transhaven.org