#transgender first

[dachshund-games]

Because of today's political, social, and economic divisions, it is becoming increasingly difficult for transgender and queer students like myself to have access to higher education in the United States. From bad family relations to simple inaccessability, many challenges face our community. For myself it's the former, and my family has threatened to not help pay for college if I continue on the path I'm on. For many transgender students, college is a place where they can explore their gender and sexuality outside of their parent's jurisdiction. College is the next step to independence, and the more trans people that we have in colleges, the more communities can form. I know that I've felt isolated and alone these past few years, and the thought of having a community of real people that I can go to for help, advice, and support is the dream. I was the first out trans person in my friend group, and I've become a sort of beacon that younger people feel they can be themselves around. I smile when an underclassmen comes to me for advice, because I've become the person I needed when I was 14. I want a higher education so that I can show people that I’m more than just a trans person, that I have useful ideas and thoughts to contribute to this world. So that if someone tries to put me down, I can remind myself that I’m among the percent that were driven enough to get a degree. I don’t expect all my troubles to fall away once I go to college, it’s probably going to be the opposite. College will bring many new challenges into my life, and I want to prove to myself that I can push through any challenge life throws at me. My gender identity is a big part of my life, but it shouldn't be the thing that stops me from achieving my dreams. In a perfect world, this scholarship wouldn't have to exist, as every person, no matter what, would have an equal chance of going to college. Unfortunately, this isn't a perfect world, and myself and many others scramble to find funding and opportunities for higher education. With this scholarship, I'm taking another step up the ladder.

[lazarusoffline]

trans students have it hard.

this is no surprise to anyone who’s gone through school. regardless of whether or not you’re out, transitioned, or even aware of your identity, it’s so often i hear the same story from my siblings in queerness. hate comes from all directions—teachers, students, even from those in your own community. time and time again it’s been proven that our chances of success only dwindle when faced with an unsupportive environment.

isn’t it clear that so many lgbtq people live with an extra layer of difficulty? especially today, trying to get through school while it feels as though the entire country has it out for you. do you know what it’s like to be propped as a scapegoat for what’s wrong in the world, while your government focuses on taking your rights away?

transgender people are more likely to be assaulted or killed. we are at a higher risk for homelessness, which then means it’s even harder to survive. now more than ever, in the communities you live, you need to support trans people.

my home state, florida, is so dangerous to be in as a trans person that many queer supporting groups list it as unsafe to travel in whatsoever. legislation here restricts educator’s ability to express themselves freely, allowing gender to be called into question as part of a humiliating display over bathrooms, and taking away countless books with representation differing at all from average heteronormative american values. i’m afraid to even swim alone without repercussion.

please take notice of the issues all transgender, nonbinary, and genderqueer students go through. if there is anything you can do to help your trans friends and peers get through their degree programs, consider them. create local resources and networks to understand how to be part of a community safety net. the more that we are in union, the more chance we have to thrive.

if you have the ability to, put effort into locating your closest support groups. contribute to their lists of safe providers, listen to the actual human people. become a part of groups like PFLAG, the ACLU, or other networks that support trans youth such as the one i have linked as my post source.

there is no better time than now to become a friend of the trans community. there is no better time to support those in your area with affirmation, connection, and care.

suggestions to support community

create a study group! find a safe, consistent place to contact and/or meet each other. make efforts to include other students and maintain rules to ensure their safety

share knowledge of local, trans-friendly locations and support trans-run small businesses

go to local drag shows and tip your performers!

donate to organizations fighting for lgbtq rights at the local, state, and federal level

MOST OF ALL: be kind. behind every person is a life full of joy and sorrow. strive to be the joy in theirs.

[bigtiddygandalf]

College, Costs, and Queerness

Do you ever think that the reason colleges are so expensive is because they want to gatekeep? Colleges are, historically, elitist as hell. Catering exclusively to a rich, white, male clientele.

Colleges are now famous for providing a safe space to a diverse student body. While, in America, colleges are now available to students regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality, a higher education is still (with exception to the lucky few full ride scholarship winners) largely unattainable for the lower class.

Not only are trans people more likely to be living in poverty but they're also more likely to face financial retribution from their family, and even student scholarship and loan corporations. (I would give this article a read if you have a second, it explains the how and why of queer poverty) It's shockingly cruel how the concept of a welcoming safe community such as college, is just out of reach of so many trans individuals.

I'm applying for the Transgender First Scholarship because I miss school, and I want to go back! Please apply yourself, or send to a trans friend who also wants to attend college. Every queer person deserves an education, and a safe space in which to be themselves.

[space-boy-finn]

Trans Education

So something I have noticed as a transgender student is anytime I had started a new school and had to tell my teachers I was trans and that I go by Finn you always had those teachers that would come at you with either how they don't think that name suited you or they would be like overly enthusiastic about having a trans student like if we are some rare bird. Teachers and Admin for the most part have no idea how to interreact with trans students because they don't know any trans people and I feel that is unfair to trans students. And that is not even including the amount of homophobic/transphobic teachers out there who refuse to use your name or pronouns and can get away with it.

The #TransgenderFirst College Scholarship- For Transgender Students

The first national scholarship exclusively dedicated to help the underserved Transgender student community get affordable access to college

[foxin]

The looming idea of phasing out of one's queerness was strong in my hometown and at my high school. With little to no LGBT mentors in their adulthood for me to look up to, I thought my queerness would be locked away again as an inevitable part of "growing up" and "seeming professional" to potential employers. My hometown and household could tolerate gay people, but transgenderism not so much. Not if their genderqueerness came out during their teen years when they're "confused" and "socially pressured by fads". The first (and only) time I snuck a change of clothes into a school dance, my mother found out. The suit versus dress arguments we had before the event must have set alarms bells ringing in her head. When we got home she looked like she was bracing for really bad news. She asked why I wanted to wear a suit with no small amount of trepidation. I didn't come out to her as nonbinary right then, I didn't say I wanted to look like a boy, but she let tears fall anyways as if she knew I was lying for her sake.

The first time I cut my hair short was during the pandemic lockdown, and it was as ugly as it was liberating. My mom's hairdresser friend didn't dare cut my hair as short as I was asking for. She didn't want me look like a boy.

The transition from high school to college during the pandemic was a good opportunity for my botched haircut to even out before trying to pass as masculine when the campuses opened back up. A fresh new start hopefully. I stalked the way my male classmates walked and tried to emulate it. I encountered a total of two people who identified as LGBT in that community college and asked myself, "Are other queer people hiding cause they also thought they had to 'phase out' of it?" Will I get a chance to grow old for younger LGBT persons to look up to? I want that chance. I refuse to give up that chance.

[corpsepride]

Being transgender in the deep south makes college an entirely different struggle opposed to high school. For me, at least, I haven't been able to be my true self despite how freeing college can be for a lot of people. Due to my inability to transition, I find myself less involved in campus activities or searching for means of paying for college outside of financial aid and the Chapter 35.

I fear I'll be rejected during the application process if it's found out I am transgender. Many scholarships I've found ask for your gender or sex, and it makes me feel intensely dysphoric to check "female" when submitting it. I fear institutions won't be accepting of me and other queer students, and that I'll be forced out of my education due to intolerance.

Further, I also find it difficult to find a job for much the same reasons I find it difficult to apply for scholarships. If my employer learns I'm queer, especially where I live, I could be fired and lose the money I'd be putting toward my education. I'm not in a safe position to transition, and won't be for quite some time.

I have felt unsafe on my previous campus more times than I'd like to admit. I've been outed to people who I'm certain had intent to hurt me, but were stopped by those who accepted me. I feel trapped inside myself when I have to introduce myself to classmates under a name and pronouns I feel intensely sickened by. It becomes tiring trying to gage whether someone is a bigot or not—and I find it hurts my mental wellbeing to the point of depression and harmful thoughts toward myself.

Mine is only one perspective and experience being a transgender person trying to attend college in an area that doesn't take kindly to LGBTQ+ individuals. That's why I'm applying for the #TransgenderFirst scholarship—so that I can more easily and safely pursue my education.