We’re excited to announce that Trans Empowerment Project has officially partnered with National Trans Visibility March (NTVM), an organization that has been bringing Trans people together to be seen, heard, celebrated, and mobilized since 2019.
This one feels especially meaningful to me because I was there for that very first march in Washington, D.C. The energy was unforgettable. To now be building alongside NTVM seven years later feels pretty damn special.
NTVM’s work has grown far beyond one annual event, creating opportunities for Trans people and accomplices to connect, advocate, organize, and build power. That aligns beautifully with how we think about our own work at TEP.
Because visibility matters.
But visibility should lead somewhere.
We want 2TIGE people to have opportunities to connect, build skills, take action, organize, and shape the future we all deserve. Partnerships like this help make that possible by connecting communities, resources, ideas, and people who are already doing powerful work.
We’re proud to call National Trans Visibility March a partner, and we’re excited for everything we’ll build together next.
Visibility matters. But what we do with that visibility, together, can change the world.
We’re thrilled to announce a new partnership with Elevated Access, an organization that works with volunteer pilots to help people from vulnerable communities travel safely to medical appointments when transportation would otherwise be a barrier.
Yes. Volunteer pilots.
Actual humans using their planes to help people get the care they need.
We are, understandably, a little obsessed with them.
For 2TIGE people, accessing healthcare can already involve a maze of barriers: distance, cost, provider shortages, hostile policies, limited transportation, and the simple reality that the care someone needs may be hundreds of miles away. Sometimes getting the appointment is only half the battle. Getting there can be its own crisis.
Through our partnership with Elevated Access, Trans Empowerment Project now has another tool available when we’re helping community members navigate those barriers.
This does not mean TEP is launching a general free-flight program or that every medical trip will qualify for air transportation. Instead, this partnership gives us the ability to explore flight assistance in specific situations where it makes sense for people who are already receiving support through our programs and services.
That distinction matters because we want to make sure we’re using this resource thoughtfully, sustainably, and where it can have the greatest impact.
For us, this partnership is also about something bigger.
Too often, organizations working toward justice are expected to solve every problem independently. We don’t believe that’s how lasting change happens.
We believe in building networks of people and organizations who bring different resources, skills, relationships, and expertise to the table. When we connect those pieces, suddenly the toolbox gets a whole lot bigger.
Elevated Access helps make geographic distance a little less powerful.
TEP helps connect 2TIGE people with resources, community, advocacy, and pathways toward greater stability and power.
Together, we can help remove one more barrier between someone and the care they deserve.
We’re incredibly grateful to Elevated Access for trusting us as a partner, and we’re excited to see where this relationship takes us.
Because building the future we all deserve is going to take all of us.
And apparently, sometimes, it takes an airplane too. ✈️💜
By Jack Knoxville (he/they) · Trans Empowerment Project · March 31, 2026
Today is Trans Day of Visibility. And Trans Empowerment Project is spending it doing what we've always done — naming what's true, even when it's uncomfortable, and asking the people with power to use it differently.
Today, we're asking that of Mattel.
Here's what's happening
Mattel is one of the world's largest toy and game companies. They hold a top-100 rating from the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index — a widely recognized benchmark for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion. They've made public commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
They also hold an active licensing agreement to produce Harry Potter merchandise. That means every sale generates royalties that flow back to J.K. Rowling — the IP owner, and the most prominent anti-trans activist in the world.
The tension
Mattel cannot simultaneously claim to champion LGBTQ+ people and financially sustain the platform of a person who has dedicated significant money and effort to stripping those same people of their rights.
We're not asking Mattel to have an opinion about fiction. We're asking them to look at what their licensing dollars are funding in the real world — and decide whose side they're actually on.
The receipts
This isn't a feeling. This isn't a culture war take. This is documented:
J.K. Rowling — what the public record shows
1
Donated £70,000 to For Women Scotland — an organization that actively campaigns against legal protections for trans people in the UK. (The Times, 2021)
2
Donated £70,000 to LGB Alliance — a UK organization that has opposed trans inclusion and campaigned against Mermaids, a support charity for trans youth. (The Guardian, 2021)
3
Co-founded Beira's Place — a rape crisis center that explicitly excludes trans women, mirroring legislative efforts to remove trans women from single-sex services. (Pink News, 2023)
4
Helped oppose Scotland's Gender Recognition Reform Bill — a bill that would have provided trans people a streamlined legal gender recognition process. The bill was effectively blocked. (BBC Scotland, 2023)
5
Her rhetoric has been directly echoed by US legislators pushing bathroom bans, healthcare restrictions for trans youth, and conversion therapy protections — bills that have caused real, documented harm to real families. (ACLU, GLAAD)
These are not opinions. These are financial and institutional decisions with real-world consequences for 2Spirit, Trans, Intersex, and Gender Expansive people everywhere.
"Every time someone buys a Mattel Harry Potter product, a portion of that revenue sustains the platform of a person who has made dismantling trans rights her public mission."
Why this matters to us — personally
Trans Empowerment Project was founded in 2016 to serve Disabled 2TIGE-BIPOC communities. In the years since, we've watched the political and cultural climate shift in ways that have directly, materially harmed the people we serve.
I've had to move because of what's happening. I know parents of trans kids who are terrified — kids being pulled off puberty blockers, denied access to bathrooms, turned away from healthcare. I know people who have lost jobs, homes, and communities. I know people who've lost the will to keep going.
This is not abstract. This is our lives.
And when a corporation with an HRC award on the shelf continues to financially sustain the person funding the legislation driving this harm — we say something about it.
For new visitors
Trans Empowerment Project is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We've been supporting Disabled 2TIGE-BIPOC communities since 2016. We run programs including microgrants, community leadership development, and international advocacy. Learn more at transempowerment.org.
What we're asking Mattel to do
Our petition makes three specific asks:
1. End all current Harry Potter licensing agreements at the earliest contractual opportunity. We're not asking them to break a contract. We're asking them to not renew one.
2. Publicly commit to not entering new Harry Potter merchandise deals. A one-time exit isn't enough. We want a clear statement of intent.
3. Issue a transparent statement explaining how their licensing decisions align with their stated DEI values. Accountability requires transparency. We want Mattel to say — publicly — how they reconcile these two things.
What this is not
This is not a boycott of Harry Potter fans. It is not a call to burn books or erase a cultural franchise. It is a specific, targeted ask to a specific corporation about a specific business decision — one that directly contradicts their stated values.
How you can help — right now
Trans Empowerment Project has a direct reach of 53,000 people globally. If even a fraction of those people share this petition, we will be in front of millions within days. That kind of visibility brings press. Press brings pressure. Pressure creates change.
Share it everywhere. Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, BlueSky, Discord, text message, group chat. Especially share it with parents of trans kids, with teachers, with HR professionals, with anyone who works in corporate DEI.
Tag Mattel directly. @Mattel on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter. Make sure they're seeing the conversation.
Tag @HRC. They certified Mattel. They should be asked to weigh in.
Trans Day of Visibility only comes once a year. But the harm Rowling's funding enables happens every day — in courtrooms, clinics, school boards, and family living rooms.
Today, we're visible. And we're using that visibility to do something with it.
In solidarity and spite,
J
Jack Knoxville (he/they)
Founder, Trans Empowerment Project transempowerment.org
Clothing is something a lot of people take for granted. You walk into a store, grab your size, maybe try something on, maybe not, and move on with your day.
But for 2TIGE folks, it’s rarely that simple.
For many of us, clothing is tied up in dysphoria, safety, access, and whether or not we’re going to be seen, questioned, or even harassed just for existing. Something as basic as trying on a shirt can feel loaded. Public. Risky.
And that’s exactly why clothing swaps matter as much as they do.
At Trans Empowerment Project, clothing swaps were one of the first things we ever organized. Not because they’re flashy or complicated, but because they meet a need that is both immediate and deeply personal.
There is something powerful about walking into a space where you don’t have to explain yourself. Where no one is watching you try to “figure it out.” Where you can pick something up, try it on, and have a quiet moment with yourself that says, oh… this feels right.
That moment? It stays with people.
It’s not just about leaving with clothes. It’s about leaving with a little more confidence, a little less isolation, and a reminder that you’re not alone in any of this.
We’ve seen it over and over again. People come in unsure, sometimes guarded, sometimes carrying a lot. And then something shifts. Conversations start. Laughter shows up. Someone finds something that fits in a way nothing has before, and you can literally see it in their posture.
That’s community. That’s what we’re actually building.
And right now, the need for those spaces is growing faster than we can meet it on our own.
We’re hearing from folks all over who are looking for access to affirming clothing, but just as importantly, they’re looking for spaces where they can exist without being questioned or policed. In a moment where 2TIGE lives are being debated, targeted, and pushed to the margins, creating spaces of care and visibility isn’t extra. It’s necessary.
That’s why we’re inviting people to host clothing swaps with us.
Not because we think everyone suddenly has to become an event organizer, but because we know that real change doesn’t happen from one place or one organization. It happens when people decide to create something where they are.
Hosting a swap doesn’t mean having everything perfectly figured out. It means opening up a space, however big or small, and making it clear that people are welcome there. It means being part of something that’s rooted in care, dignity, and connection.
And the impact of that reaches further than you might expect.
A single clothing swap can spark ongoing relationships. It can connect people who didn’t know each other before. It can give someone their first experience of feeling seen in a way that actually feels good. It can remind someone that they deserve to take up space exactly as they are.
That’s not small.
That’s the kind of thing that helps people keep going.
So if you’ve been wondering how to show up right now in a way that is tangible and real, this is one way to do it.
We’ve put together everything you need to get started, and we’ll be right there with you as you do.
Over the past few days, 12 people across 9 states have signed up to be part of this campaign. Not because they had to. Not because it was convenient. But because they believe in showing up — visibly — for the 2TIGE community.
And honestly? That matters more than ever right now.
We’re living in a time where 2Spirit, Trans, Intersex, and Gender Expansive people are being targeted in very real ways. Policies, rhetoric, and fear are all being used to push folks out of public life. And in the middle of all of that, a lot of people are wondering who actually has their back.
This campaign is one answer to that question.
Why This Matters
“Inked in Solidarity” isn’t just about tattoos. It’s about choosing to be seen in your support.
Because visibility does something that quiet support can’t.
When someone wears their solidarity on their body, it creates moments. Someone asks about it. A conversation starts. A message gets shared that might not have happened otherwise. And for someone in the 2TIGE community who sees that in passing — at a coffee shop, online, walking down the street — it can be a small but powerful reminder:
I’m not alone in this.
That’s the kind of impact we’re building here. Not just a fundraiser, but a ripple effect.
A Growing Movement
Right now, this campaign is already stretching across 9 states.
📍
Each person on that map is choosing to show up in a way that’s visible, lasting, and real. And we’re just at the beginning.
There’s something kind of beautiful about that. People who may never meet, connected by a shared decision to stand with the 2TIGE community in a way that can’t be ignored.
An Invitation
We’re inviting more people to step into this with us over the next few days.
Maybe you’ve been thinking about getting a tattoo for a while. Maybe you’ve been wondering how to show up in a way that actually feels meaningful. Maybe you’re just tired of watching what’s happening and want to do something that makes it clear where you stand.
