TRUTH Application 2024

Do you want to join a team of young transgender and nonbinary organizers challenging media narratives of our people? Do you want to deepen your organizing and campaign skills, develop your leadership, and put it into practice? Do you want to share your own story and support other trans youth in sharing theirs?

All council members are eligible for an educational award each quarter of $300 totaling to $900 a year.

The National Trans Youth (TRUTH) Program was established in 2015. TRUTH is a media-based organizing and leadership development program of Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network and Transgender Law Center. 

The National Trans Youth Council is an opportunity to:

  1. Build community with other trans and nonbinary young people nationwide, through team projects and virtual gatherings
  2. Learn in-depth skills and knowledge about the power of media in organizing and practice using trainings to expand capacity
  3. Craft and share your story in order to challenge common narratives about what it means to be young and trans, while supporting other trans youth sharing theirs

Our team welcomes all young, transgender and non-binary activists from ages 13-18 to apply for open council positions. We prioritize applications from parts of our community who are historically unrepresented, including but not limited to: Black people, Indigenous people, non-Black people of color, trans women, non-binary fem people, high school students, system-impacted people, and former foster youth who are committed to bringing change for transgender communities across the nation!

The National Trans Youth Council is a leadership development program that will run September 2024 – June 2025. The program requires members to have capacity for 5-8 hours per month to attend council calls and to take part in team campaigns and projects. The council is convened on a monthly basis during “All Council” virtual calls that will be used for team updates and media training. Council members can also look forward to project-based online meetings and planning (as a team) TRUTH’s annual day of action: GSA Day 4 Gender Justice, each November. We think of our youth council as an opportunity to grow as leaders and build our capacity to lead the movement for transgender liberation. We ask for your commitment in showing up as a member, both during virtual gatherings as well as the online team calls and projects.

If you would like to know more about our work with past councils, visit our website ourtranstruth.org and follow our program’s Instagram and Facebook via @ourtranstruth!

We are excited to welcome in a new cohort of young trans and nonbinary leaders! Questions should be emailed to Yozantli Lagunas Guerrero, the Gender Justice Leadership Programs Manager, at [email protected]

Apply Below:

General Information

Max. file size: 50 MB.
Gender(s)(Required)
Sexuality(ies)(Required)
Race/ethnicity(ies)(Required)
I have access to.. (check all that apply)(Required)

TRUTH Specific Questions

TRUTH Nine-Point Platfrom The 2018 TRUTH Council drafted and adopted the TRUTH Nine-Point Platform that outlines the calls to action they felt were central to an intersectional movement for liberation. The nine points will serve as TRUTH's guiding document and work plan for years to come; each year, the council’s central focus will be one point from the platforms. You can read the text (as well the platform appendix) here: https://ourtranstruth.org/ninepointplatform
Our program believes that storytelling is a form of activism that can shift common narratives about our people and work to push us toward liberation. Throughout your time with the program, our goal is to support you in crafting your story, becoming comfortable and confident in sharing your experiences, and, ultimately, becoming a skilled and experienced media-based advocate to help shift the common narrative of our community. This application is step 1 of that journey; complete this application by sharing a short glimpse of your life story. When writing, consider focusing on key pieces of who you are and experiences that have shaped the person you are today and/or the person you are becoming. Within your response, answer three questions: (1) Who are you? (2) Why is it important to uplift youth voices in gender justice? (3) Based on your experiences in either family, school, or community, what are some of the greatest challenges facing trans and nonbinary youth in your state and how have you participated in fighting these challenges? You may submit 1 page of writing/storytelling, which should be 400-600 words or a 3-5 minute video response. Applications are not weighted differently depending on the method of response. If you are submitting your written story, please paste your one-page response in this box below. If you are submitting a video, write "Video submission." in the box below and email the video file separately to [email protected]. Thanks for applying!