A tweet was the inspiration for a new Ohio nonprofit that provides trans teenagers with free clothing.
Transform, a charity run from the back of a bridal shop in Cincinnati, is a space where trans teenagers can donate clothing in exchange for a wardrobe that better fits their gender. Those who can't donate can take clothing for free. Cincinnati residents Nancy Dawson, Tristan Vaught, and Marissa Fine started Transform after seeing a screenshot of a tweet in a Facebook group.
"There was a meme out saying that we should stop having gender reveal parties and have parties when trans people come out and need new clothes," Vaught told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "And so I posted it and was like this is way too real with all of our kiddos."
Vaught, whose pronouns are they/them, is the director of education and training at Living with Change. It's a program from the Transgender Health Clinic at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
"What I've found working with support groups and some of the youth is that individuals in transition and parents want to support, but they are stuck," they told NPR. "They just bought clothes for the entire school year. They're already strapped for cash. What do they do to support their kid? This way they can come in and get a new outfit."
Dawson, who runs Transform from the back of her bridal store BRIDEface, has a transgender daughter. Fine, a trans woman, is active in the local community.
Dawson thinks Transform will have clients come back as they figure out their personal taste in fashion.
"You go through incarnations in style," she told Soapbox Cincinnati. "I anticipate us having people come back more than once as they develop their look. It is hard to ease into who you are going to be."
The three founders hope to bring Transform to a storefront soon, since it's quickly outgrowing BRIDEface's back room. They're also taking donations via Amazon Wishlist for those who don't live locally.
"Oftentimes, they say clothes don't make the man," Vaught told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "But they make the man feel a lot more comfortable."
Topics Activism LGBTQ Social Good
