Organization offers 'safe space' Thanksgiving for gender diverse community

Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends and merriment for many. But for some transitioning their gender, it can be a difficult time.

A special turkey dinner organized by the newly formed Trans Umbrella Foundation in Regina is seeking to make Thanksgiving dinner for transgender and gender diverse people a bit brighter.

"It's a dark time for a lot of people in our community," said Autumn Bourque, executive director and founder of the organizationwhich just started in early September.

Bourque said that the majority of people who transition genders end up losing family and friends in the process.

Being gender diverse can also impact people's careers and ability to make money, Bourque said, making it difficult financially to travel home for the holidays.All of that makes the holidays a particularly sensitive and lonely time for many.

"People need to know that there's someone there that cares about them and as a community we are going to come together and we're going to be family for today," she said.

Saturday's event will feature a full turkey dinner between 4:30 and 5 p.m. CST, as well as pumpkin pie and ice cream for dessert. Transgender people as well as their families are invited to attend by RSVP only. It will also feature a social period beforehand starting at 2 p.m.

"It will just be a fellowship and a togetherness of people coming together and supporting each other," she said.

The dinner is being held at the Bread of Life Lutheran Church in the city's southeast, which is a church that also actively supportsthe LGBT community.

Bourque said the church has been extremely generous with the organization and is donating use of their space and kitchen to the event.

"It's been phenomenal," Bourque said.

She said more than 70 people have RSVP'd to the event so far which is more than anticipated.

"We had to get another turkey and another larger ham," she said.

More events to come

The Trans Umbrella Foundation is currently working on getting status as a non-profit organization.

In the future, Bourque said the organization will continue offering events designed to be safe spaces for gender diverse people.

Bourque said the aim of the foundation is to educate the community about gender diversity, support transitioning youth, and ensure transgender people have the healthcare and access to jobs that they need.

She said a similar dinner and gathering event will be held for the community at Christmas time.