On Sept. 22, the Trans Wellness Organization (TWO) held its first general meeting of the semester. Junior Marc Taylor founded TWO in the fall of 2022 after struggling to have his name changed in the school system during his freshman year. TWO aims to provide an actively supportive community space for transgender, genderqueer and allies on campus. They also strive to advocate for trans and genderqueer students, connecting students with information and resources regarding transgender health care, activism and self-advocacy.
This past year, there has been a drastic increase in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, particularly anti-trans legislation. Earlier this month, Senate Bill 14 went into effect, making it illegal for transgender minors in Texas to receive gender-affirming care like puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy.
“(My boyfriend and I) went down to the capitol when they were voting to push through the bill,” Taylor said. “It was really heartbreaking.”
During the current political climate, TWO hopes to emphasize the power of community.
“Huge change can happen if we organize and focus on direct action,” TWO Vice President Marshall Piel said. “The more people that we collect who care about the same things we do, the more ability we’ll have to create tangible change.”
TWO hopes to make systemic changes to improve quality of life for trans and genderqueer students on the hilltop, pushing for initiatives like improvements to the current name change system that will make adding preferred names onto rosters and student accounts easier.
“When I think of accommodating for trans people in school, first and foremost I think of having your proper name on the roster,” Piel said.
Other initiatives include the creation of a gender-affirming closet and clothing swaps in hopes of increasing student access to clothes that affirm their gender identities, and implementing systems that offer financial assistance to trans and nonbinary students.
“Our organization here may not be able to get a Supreme Court decision passed or anything, but if we improve life for just a handful of trans students on campus, then that is more than I can hope for,” Piel said.
In addition to general meetings on the first and third Friday of every month, TWO plans to hold a variety of events. These include information sessions on topics like trans musical and visual artists, authors, as well as drag and trans history. Other plans include gender-affirming clothing drives, game nights and collaborative events with on-campus organizations like PRIDE, Queer Mentorship Program and Redefining MEn .There will also be partnerships with off-campus organizations like Equality Texas. Further information about official meetings and other events can be found on CollegiateLink here and @transwellness.seu on Instagram.
“At the end of the day no matter what happens in the government, we have each other and there is a lot of strength in numbers, and there’s a lot of strength in love and this community and that’s what’s really integral to TWO,” Taylor said.
