Stand with Trans, a southeast Michigan organization established to help transgender young people with counseling and support, is to celebrate its 10^th anniversary at a gala on May 17 — a milestone its leader, Roz Keith, says is especially important to commemorate, considering the angst and upset members of the transgender community are experiencing as the result of President Donald Trump’s anti-trans executive orders.

Stand with Trans facilitates mental health counseling for transgender young people throughout Michigan, offers virtual and in-person support groups for them and their families, and acts as a national clearinghouse for information on trans issues. Keith, who serves as the group’s executive director, founded Stand with Trans because she and her family were unable to find resources when her son came out as transgender at age 13.

The Free Press interviewed Keith ahead of Stand with Trans’ first-ever gala, scheduled to be held at the Henry Ford Health Pistons Performance Center in Detroit. The group planned a 5-year celebration but scrapped it due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “We knew we couldn’t let a decade go by without celebrating in some big way,” Keith said. The event, called Love Transcends: 10 Years of Trans Empowerment, is sold out. For information on the organization: standwithtrans.org.

Keith’s responses have been edited for length and clarity.

On the significance of Stand with Trans’ gala:

“We couldn’t have known what was going to happen when we started the planning, but especially given what’s going on, there’s so much upset and anxiety that this is just such a great way to celebrate the joy and celebrate trans identities. And also, 10 years is a big deal. There are small nonprofits that don’t make it 10 years and we are specifically focused on this marginalized community and there’s been so much over the years … Just the battles, whether it’s about the bathroom … or using the right pronouns for a child in school, rights, access to gender-affirming care, there are so many potential complications and roadblocks and just a lot of barriers to access for the community. So the fact that Stand with Trans is here 10 years later. We’ve grown. We are providing resources, we are helping thousands and thousands of people. The work is really lifesaving. … People all over the country can contact us and say, ‘I’m looking for a therapist or I need to know how to get my name changed or (ask) what’s going on with passports right now.’ “

On the climate for transgender people:

“It’s really, really scary. We know that executive orders don’t equal the law, but nonetheless, it’s scary and people are worried that their gender-affirming care access is going to be taken away, (that) they’re not going to be able to get their life-saving hormones, that they’re not going to be able to access legal documents that reflect who they are. I mean, could you imagine if you’re asked for your ID and the picture and the name don’t have anything to do with who you are? … I keep saying we’re living in dystopian times. But people are really frightened. … I have to work on keeping morale up among my staff. …Most of the staff are part of the community… They’re struggling just like everybody else.”

BEING TRANS IN A TRUMP ERA: How Michigan’s transgender community has changed

On gala sponsorship in the current climate: 

“We are getting a lot of nos from corporate partners and we’re getting smaller contributions from corporate partners, if we’re getting anything. There are still some who are right there with us. But we’re getting a lot of corporate speak about how priorities have shifted. … Sponsorship is definitely off from what I had hoped. … The last event we had was before the election, in October … things were off a bit, but not in the way they are now. … We’re probably about 20% off from what I projected.”

On inquiries from people looking for help:

“We’re getting more. I think the first couple of weeks after the inauguration our website visits went up by 150%. … People are desperate for information and they’re desperate for help.”

On whether the climate for transgender people will change for the better:

“I have to believe that, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed. But I think it’s going to take a lot of loud voices. A lot of the rallies, the work that the ACLU is doing and Lambda Legal and Equality Michigan and all of the Equality federations across the country and really smart Supreme Court justices who, as we know, we have a conservative majority but they also are representing the law and the Constitution and so, if nothing else, we need to hang onto that lifeline, that we do have a constitution in place. So, fingers crossed, it’s going to be a bumpy ride for a few years, but I think we’re going to get out of this.”

Contact Georgea Kovanis: gkovanis@freepress.com