Help Marlie Raise $$ for the Trans Community!

ABOUT ME
My name is Marlie Yasuhara and I live in Eugene, OR. I've been married to my spouse, Devin, for just over a year, and I have the privilege of being the bonus parent to three cool and weird kids, as well as "Auntie" to a few other cool and weird kids. I love art museums, baseball, wood carving, and spending time with my family. I am the Development and Outreach Director at TransPonder and serve on the Eugene Little League board. I am also genderqueer.

Unfortunately, we are living in a time where a lot of people would reduce my to the last sentence, ignoring that LGBTQIA2S+ people are more than one label.

While things have never been easy for the trans and gender-diverse community, the past few years and the hostile political climate have seen an exponential increase in anti-trans legislation, in-person and online verbal abuse, and physical attacks.

Now, more than ever, trans and gender-diverse people need to feel seen and valued, and we need access to services, resources, and care that is affirming and culturally aware.

WHY TRANSPONDER IS IMPORTANT TO ME
Long before I worked at TransPonder, I was an admirer of the organization and all they were able to offer and accomplish with such a small team. Since joining that team, I have become even more impressed and dedicated to what we do. 

I have had the chance to speak to participants of the Job Skills Program who have been hired in their chosen field because of the support and resources they received in the program. I chatted with folks at our events who have shared that they haven't attended a community event in months because they didn't know if they would be at risk, but they came to this one because they knew that TransPonder was safe. I've spoken to teachers who felt empowered to create a safer and more informed classroom because of what they learned in one of TransPonder's training course, and I've sat with parents of trans kids as they told me that TransPonder saved their child's life simply by offering free gender-affirming products.

I have seen first hand the impact that TransPonder has for a community in need of connection and support, and I am grateful to be a small part of that!

WHO IS TRANSPONDER?

TransPonder is a trans-founded and trans-led nonprofit that provides services, support, resources, and education for the trans and gender diverse community and our allies throughout Oregon.

TransPonder is committed to serving trans and gender diverse folks from all walks of life. Trans and gender-diverse people exist across race, ethnicity, ability, age, religion, immigration status, profession, economic status, languages, politics and every other facet of identity. As such, TransPonder is committed to creating a space of intersectional transgender justice and their work often crosses over to support the work of other organizations who seek intersectional justice.

"Intersectionality is basically a lens, a prism, for seeing the way in which various forms of inequality often operate together and exacerbate each other. We tend to talk about race inequality as separate from inequality based on gender, class, sexuality or immigrant status. What’s often missing is how some people are subject to all of these, and the experience is not just the sum of its parts". 

- Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw
(American lawyer, and a leading scholar of critical race theory who developed the theory of intersectionality)

WHAT DOES TRANSPONDER DO?

TransPonder offers a variety of services and support for the trans and gender diverse community - individually, in groups, and institutionally. Learn More by Clicking HERE!

HOW CAN PEOPLE HELP SUPPORT TRANSPONDER?
The number one way to support the crucial work that TransPonder does is to donate financially! 

TransPonder benefits greatly from the support of volunteers, the advocacy of the community, and various sponsorships from other organizations and businesses, but the reality is that - like most nonprofits - the majority of their funding comes from individual donors like you. Donors are what allow TransPonder to continue to provide programming, resource navigation, food, ID Changes, free gender-affirming products, and more.

The second best way to support TransPonder is to share the work they do and encourage others to donate. Not everyone is in the position to give monetarily, but we can all be advocates for the causes in which we believe. Share this fundraiser on your social media accounts and encourage your community to give!