In 2012, some transgender and queer folks local to Eugene gathered in a backyard, seeking a support group for their identities. In the comfort of each other’s presence — knowing this was a safe space to be whoever you are — they shared stories and experiences, provided validation and grew a community for people constantly marginalized and oppressed by our society.
Little did they know this backyard support group would turn in to TransPonder: a grassroots, non-profit organization run by transgender people for the trans and gender diverse community throughout Lane County.
TransPonder offers several services and events, including weekly virtual Gender Diverse Yoga sessions, a resources directory of local health care providers educated on the queer community, a TransParent group to educate and support parents of queer children, food and produce from a partnership with Food for Lane County and more, said operations director Ben Brock.
Brock also said that TransPonder assists with the annual UO Drag Show, which has been performing for over 10 years.
“There’s so many little things, but they’re big,” Kyle Rodriguez-Hudson, the executive director for TransPonder, said of the various different resources the non-profit provides for the community. “It reaches so many different levels of people.”
Being from Chicago, Rodriguez-Hudson was used to having access to resources that understand the queer and trans experience, especially in healthcare — and was surprised at the lack of resources here in Eugene and Lane County when he moved here.
“I realized everyone was being sent to Portland because that’s where all the resources were,” he said. “It baffled me because not everyone has the final access or transportation to get to Portland.”
TransPonder works to fill the hole for Eugene based trans resources, particularly with healthcare. The non-profit has a resource directory with lists of queer-educated healthcare providers for mental and physical health.
Rodriguez-Hudson said he is particularly proud of this resource.
“Here, central Oregon, the valley, TransPonder is needed,” he said, referring to health care resources for the local community. The non-profit constantly works to vet and educate healthcare providers on the queer and trans experience to create more healthcare resources for the local community, Rodriguez-Hudson said.
TransPonder also seeks to provide a community for queer and transgender folks — just like the backyard support group it originated from.
“Within the queer community, chosen family is a big thing,” Rodriguez-Hudson said, discussing the original support group. Chosen family can be anything from your best friend and your partner, to your coworkers or sports team — it is essentially your chosen community of people.
This sentiment of community and chosen family carries through as TransPonder has grown, with support groups, a trans-centered book club and more community-centered events.
For Jack Flukinger, a trans man who moved to Eugene last fall, TransPonder has provided the community he was looking for.
“I think one of the main things I get out of TransPonder is interacting with other trans people in an open and welcoming environment,” Flukinger said, also noting that representation of trans people is rarely done in a positive light. “TransPonder gives a healthy and happy environment for trans people to exist in.”
Flukinger has participated in several activities, such as the Gender Diverse Yoga class and the book club, an in-person event for Trans Day of Remembrance and volunteering at the COVID-19 vaccine clinic put on by TransPonder at Spectrum — a queer bar in Eugene.
At this time, some events such as the Gender Diverse Yoga class and the book club remain virtual due to the pandemic, Rodriguez-Hudson said.
In addition to the community TransPonder offers, Flukinger also said he finds the trans representation throughout the non-profit important and necessary — as TransPonder is completely run by trans people.
“I think that is definitely very special and necessary,” Flukinger said. “The best people who understand trans people’s needs are trans people.”
Flukinger said he is grateful for TransPonder, especially having come from a small town that is not always friendly to trans and queer people. For him — and many others who use TransPonder’s resources and are a part of the community — it is a safe place to come as you are.
“As soon as I get there, I know that I don’t have to pretend to be anyone else,” Flukinger said, adding that he often feels he has to suppress his trans identity because he can pass as cisgender. “I know I can just fully be myself.”
TransPonder can be accessed through their website as well as their Instagram, @transponder_nonprofit.
