In spring 2025, The Our Fund Foundation launched Trans Voices, a recurring op-ed series designed to spotlight powerful, first-person stories from South Florida’s transgender community and the allies who stand beside them. Developed and sponsored in partnership with OutSFL, the initiative amplifies deeply personal narratives — stories of surviving suicide attempts, confronting body dysphoria, navigating fear of being targeted, and enduring the anguish of being denied equal treatment.
By offering these candid accounts directly to the broader community, Trans Voices aims to replace misconceptions with understanding. As readers listen, learn, and become more familiar with the lived experiences of trans people, Our Fund believes empathy grows — and with it, the ability to see past superficial differences and recognize our shared humanity.
“In the wake of today’s political climate, with LGBTQ lives and rights under growing threat from federal and state policies that jeopardize hard-fought freedoms, a strong response was needed,” said David Jobin, president & CEO of The Our Fund Foundation. “The trans community — especially those who are BIPOC — are most acutely at risk.”
That climate has intensified. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the government to recognize only two sexes, male and female — signaling an effort to erase legal acknowledgment of gender diversity. The order tasks federal agencies with excluding transgender people from sex discrimination protections and redefines transgender identity as a mere “ideology,” dismissing long-standing legal and medical consensus.
Against this backdrop, the joy and necessity of feeling seen takes on profound meaning.
In a recent Trans Voices column, Speyder Webb, a gay trans man, penned “The Freedom of Being Seen,” a reflection on how difficult it can be to accept oneself and silence the inner voices that sow doubt. His story underscores a universal truth: acceptance and affirmation are struggles that extend beyond the trans community — something many cisgender people wrestle with as well. His vulnerability calls readers toward empathy, not judgment.
Allies have also used the platform to share their perspectives. Over the summer, Shelley Goren — a straight ally committed to LGBTQ+ equality — wrote of her responsibility to stand with the trans community even as she acknowledges she cannot fully understand the lived experience.
“At the end of the day, I do not walk in the shoes of my trans friends,” she wrote. “So what I can do is walk beside them and speak from my heart about humanity — human beings’ love, affection, compassion, and concern for others. When given a choice between being right and being kind, a person with humanity chooses to be kind.”
Jobin notes that the response to Trans Voices has been overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing the need for continued storytelling.
“We believe that a thriving future for South Florida’s LGBTQ community begins with listening to the people and agencies who make this work possible,” he said. “Trans Voices has received tremendous feedback, and we are optimistic that more people will be receptive to listening, learning, and shifting attitudes for the greater good of our entire community.”
“The sad truth of the matter is that most people, including the LGBTQ community, do not know or appreciate the daily reality of the Transgender community and the issues and challenges they face,” said Tom Jones, a longtime supporter of The Our Fund Foundation who also helped fund Trans Voices. “This understanding is vital to fully support the Trans community. Our Fund’s educational project working through a collaboration with OutSFL is designed to close that education gap. It deserves our support.”
To view individual profiles in the Trans Voices series, please visit our-fund.org/our-impact/trans_voices/.
The Our Fund Foundation remains steadfast in its mission. As South Florida’s leading philanthropic expert on LGBTQ issues, the foundation guides impactful giving to strengthen and uplift the community. With $25 million in assets, it ranks among the nation’s top LGBTQ funders and stands as the only LGBTQ-specific community foundation in the Southeastern United States. Visit our-fund.org/ways-to-give/ or call 954-565-1090 to learn more.
