TransPonder Book Club cultivates a welcoming atmosphere, providing a space for transgender individuals and allies of all ages to discuss literature and share personal stories.
TransPonder is a non-profit organization led and founded by transgender individuals. The organization offers resources and education to the transgender and gender-diverse community and its allies, aiming to enhance community wellness through its various programs like the book club.
The club meets virtually every Tuesday at 5 p.m., dedicating each month to discussing a single book. The books typically revolve around themes pertinent to trans and gender-diverse individuals or are authored by such individuals. Though meetings are every Tuesday, the book discussions are held on the last Tuesday of each month.
It is not limited to just book discussions, as reading the book of the month is not required. Members can engage in diverse activities like sharing current reads (which everyone adds to their already expanding reading lists), exploring topics related to transgender issues, enjoying LGBTQIA-friendly picture books and even talking about shoes.
Though the club started as a book club, Jacob Griffin, the founding member, considers it more of a social club since the discussions are “95% club and 5% books.” He founded the club in May 2020, seeking online activities during the height of the pandemic. Merely two months into his transition, he sought a community to alleviate his feelings of isolation.
“I said I would do a book club, having absolutely no ability to run a book club at all,” Griffin said. “I didn’t know any trans people. I was alone in my house with [my wife] and couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on with me.”
Griffin wanted to establish a social club for transgender individuals and saw books as an effective means to get together and spark meaningful conversations about their experiences. While his wife was supportive of him, Griffin lacked understanding of the transgender identity and sought to join a community where mutual learning from diverse journeys could take place.
“It’s one thing to say ‘trans people social group,’” he said. “You’re there because you share whatever it is that we share, but if it’s also books, then you’ve got something you can talk about — something you can connect with. It connects us all and keeps us all together, but in many ways for me, the book club is a lifesaver.”
During the pandemic, some members found solace within this community, especially at a time when everyone remained indoors during lockdown. It served as a space for individuals to talk to each other while navigating their personal journeys of identity.
“The whole country is in lockdown. Everything has gone online if it could. And then, we’re leaving the familiar world of the binary gender that we’ve known our whole lives,” Karon Barter, a co-facilitator of the club, said. “The isolation of stepping away from the gender norm that you’ve been cast in, you feel like you’re on the moon by yourself. The rest of the world is whining that they can’t see their friends, but I can’t find my life.”
Barter came out as transgender to her friend, expressing her uncertainty in finding resources with people who can relate. With a quick Google search of the word “transgender,” TransPonder’s organization popped up.
“I remember the first time I showed up and I remember looking at that little screen and all these pictures, and I’m looking at a whole bunch of people like myself,” she said. “I remember just being like, ‘Wow, I’m not on the moon.’ Well maybe I am, but at least I have you on the moon.”
Members of the club foster support, celebrating milestones like the growth of a first whisker or the shedding of a last one. In moments of adversity, they provide understanding and solidarity.
“It’s knowing I don’t have to explain,” Barter said. “When we read Julia Serano’s ‘Whipping Girl,’ I balked at calling myself a woman. Nobody chastised me, nobody chewed me out, nobody told me I was wrong because people understood how difficult it is to cross this barrier.”
Ben Lilley, TransPonder’s program director, recognizes that the trans experience is intersectional. To promote inclusivity, he guides the club in choosing books that represent diverse identities. One of his favorite aspects of the club is providing a haven where individuals can authentically express themselves and, on occasion, come out.
“Just hanging out with people, learning about their lives [and] learning about them through what they like to read, that connection is one of my takeaways,” said Lilley.
Griffin described the role of books as the water that carried the boat with members huddled together, as they are the foundation of their unity. They know that in their meetings they can rely on each other through turbulent times.
“I think I might have helped save some lives,” Griffin said. “Including my own.”
