When I transitioned 14 years ago, I never signed up to be an advocate, activist or a leader in my community. I just wanted to transition and live life.
Our current administration, both in Washington, D.C. and Richmond, is attempting to put fear in us. We are being targeted by federal and state politics that use trans people as scapegoats, challenge health care for trans youth and restrict our full participation in society.
The best way to combat these challenges is by forming a movement. We need a community where Black, white, brown, nonbinary, trans masculine, trans feminine and allies stand up for one another.
What better place to grow this movement than in Charlottesville?
I say this even though Charlottesville was a challenging place to become a transman, and it was even harder as a Black transman.
Charlottesville is about as white as it can be in the most visible parts of the LGBTQ+ community. I intend to change that by not only sharing my own voice, but also the voices of my other Black and brown brothers and sisters. My recovery teaches me that I can’t hold on to it; I must give it away and I must always be of service. My dream is to build a strong trans movement where we help one another find our voices and discover our passions.
The Charlottesville area LGBTQ+ community tends to live in separate, isolated communities. From my perspective, people of color in the LGBTQ+ community lack the resources they need to bring their passions and dreams to reality. Many organizations that serve our community lack people of color on their boards, which makes their events and activities less diverse than they should be.
Malcolm X, who is my hero, said in his famous 1964 speech, “I’m not going to sit at your table and watch you eat, with nothing on my plate, and call myself a diner. Sitting at the table doesn’t make you a diner, unless you eat some of what’s on that plate.” For our trans community to overcome the vast challenges we face, we have to get uncomfortable and have these conversations, so that we can get comfortable sitting at tables that serve all.
On my leadership journey, I began to dream about hosting a more inclusive gathering, a conference that would bring out the missing perspectives. As resources are being eliminated and fear is being rooted in our trans world, I knew the time had come to gather and create a movement.
As a board member of the advocacy group Equality Virginia, I have attended Transgender Information and Empowerment Summits since 2014. The last TIES event was in 2024, but working with their executive director, Narissa Rahaman, helped grow an idea that we are now seeing come to life.
About two months ago, I met with a local strong ally, Lyndele von Schill, for coffee. I mentioned that I would like to see a trans conference held in Charlottesville. We began reaching out to key groups that would help shape our vision of what the conference would be, a place to feature strong voices that showcase what our community truly looks like. In five weeks, we had a plan in place.
Charley Speaks, my company, and Equality Virginia will co-sponsor the Trans Futures Conference on October 11 in Charlottesville and we plan to host four more conferences in 2026 throughout the state of Virginia.
For safety reasons, the event venue is only available to registered attendees. We want to create a safe and empowering space where we can celebrate and leave feeling empowered. And because of the overwhelming response — 150 people have signed up — registration is closed. (Register to view the opening keynote virtually here).
Almost every presenter will be a person of color, silent warriors who work to make a difference in our community. Narissa, Lyndele and I want to change what Charlottesville sees. The trans community must recognize that allies, who are sometimes our only connection to resources, are here for us. And those allies need to hear the whole story, including what the most marginalized trans people experience.
We need to see each other, and we need to look at the future for trans people. This conference will cover a wide range of topics essential during these uncertain times, including the legal and political landscape for transgender Virginians in 2025, allyship and building resilient support networks, healthcare access for youth and adults and ways to take care of our mental health. And we’ll help register voters.
I’m grateful to the organizations and sponsors that have stepped up to make the Trans Futures Conference happen. It’s time for us to work together, but also recognize that people of color within our trans community need a voice, too.
Editor’s note: This piece was edited using guidance from the Trans Journalists Association’s Style Guide. TJA is a nonprofit membership association that provides resources for accurate coverage.
