Transitioning the Small Town South

It’s no secret that living as trans can be a challenge. That is particularly true in the small towns of the deep south. There is a massive amount of evidence that successfully transitioning, however one might define that, is monumentally easier with access to resources and a healthy support system. That also holds true after one has “completed” their transition, also however one might define that. It’s also no surprise that, considering the law of averages, that the smaller the town, the fewer resources are available. Throw in the degree to which a town is considered to be conservative or liberal and a trans person may be left with little to no resources or community in a place where they are subject to ignorance, misunderstanding, discrimination and even violence. But there are people out there changing those environments and tonight we will talk to two such individuals. They are fighting to expand the rights of trans* and gender variant people. They are changing what it means to be queer in the south and what resources are available to those in the community. They are Transitioning the Small Town South.

Em is the Field Organizer for Georgia Equality, a political advocacy non-profit that seeks to advance fairness, safety and opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Georgians.

Liam Mitchum is a transman who is currently a student at GMC.  Liam created and leads his own trans advocacy group called Wake Up Augusta in the town where he grew up, Augusta, Georgia.

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