About Our Organization Trans-Wa (formally, The Transgender Health and Wellness Center of Washington) is a nonprofit that serves Trans, Two-Spirit, Nonbinary, Intersex, 3rd gender, and all gender-expansive people across Washington State.

Mission Statement: We are a trans-led organization that advances health equity and justice for gender-expansive people across Washington State by eliminating barriers to self-determination, building gender-expansive community and capacity, and driving institutional and systemic change.

Aspiration Statement: We seek a future of mutual liberation where the infinite spectrum of gender is universally celebrated, especially for gender-expansive and historically marginalized individuals.

We approach our work through the lenses of equity, inclusion, access/ibility, and justice, and are working to cultivate explicitly anti-cissexist, anti-colonialist, antiracist, anti-ableist, and systemically anti-oppressive programs, policies, and practices. We are entering our 2nd year of operations and are actively developing our policies, programs, and change strategy, as well as developing our board. Practicum students will have a high level of influence at the foundational level of our organizational development.

About Student-Centered Internships: Our practicum placements are student-centered! We will work with you to align practicum activities with your interests and career goals.  Students also can elect to focus a project on a group or area of interest relevant to gender expansive individuals and communities.

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About this Position:

Trans-Wa recently launched our Name/ID Change program, which supports gender-expansive people through the complex process of changing their legal name and updating identification documents. There is a specific order to this process, and we are able to support folks through either one-time clinics or extended "case management" style support.

A new 2023 law in Washington State allows gender-expansive people to request sealed name changes through superior court. This means that folks would have privacy surrounding their dead name, which is critical for many peoples' safety. Unfortunately, this law is not yet being operationalized, so superior court staff (even judges!) do not yet know how to process these name changes. We are urgently working on ways to provide support to these systems and court staff, in addition to providing support directly to community members.

This position would play a key role in expanding our current program, as well as designing new elements to expand our work and ensure name and ID changes are accessible and attainable for all gender-expansive people in Washington who want them!

Activities are mutually agreed upon, but may include:
-- Ensure Trans-Wa's values, participant confidentiality, and HIPAA compliance (as relevant) are upheld in all interpersonal interactions
-- Support individuals (clients) through name and ID changes (we provide comprehensive training on how to do this!)
-- Support volunteers and other staff in guiding folks through Name/ID Changes
-- Support the coordination of Name/ID Change clinic participants who need extended case management, either providing case management services yourself or coordinating with another case manager
-- (Optional, if you are interested in working with folks in person!) Accompany Name/ID Change clients to court to 1. file name/ID change documents, and 2. appear before the judge to actually complete the name change

Activities are mutually agreed upon, but may include:
-- Attend weekly all staff meetings and co-working times, as well as relevant team, supervision, and other meetings
-- Coordinate monthly Name/ID Change clinics, including scheduling, use of EMR software, and intake questions from clients (you will be trained on all processes!)
-- Review and compile clinic feedback; work with supervisor to present recommendations and implement improvements as needed
-- Support any billing issues that arise following Name/ID Change clinics
-- Collaborate with other staff to create a trifold brochure that explains the new RCW (Washington State law) regarding sealed name changes for gender-expansive people
-- Work collaboratively with other staff on a public awareness campaign sharing information about the new law
-- Conduct outreach to other aligned organizations that support name changes, as well as Washington state courts and other interested parties to share our materials regarding the new law, and work to increase awareness
-- (Optional) Engage in partnership-building with nonprofits focused on Domestic Violence to cross-promote the RCW changes to each others' clients and community members
-- Work with leadership to identify additional ways to build out the Name/ID Change program at Trans-Wa, engaging in program co-design and possibly implementation, depending on the program plan
-- Support Trans-Wa program assessment and feedback processes

Activities are mutually agreed upon, but may include:
-- Collaborate with other staff, leadership, and volunteers to research the 2023 law change regarding sealed name changes, engage with professional lobbyist(s) to explore options for improving implementation of the RCW, and possibly draft an implementation bill for the 2025 legislative session (if this is how the work group decides to proceed; if not, we will work together to find an alternative way to share these findings, background, and recommendations across statewide interest-holders)
-- Research and curate resources, stories, tools, and data to be shared across multiple digital platforms, regarding name and ID change policies, coming out policy best practices, the health and mental health benefits of correct name use, intersectional identities and issues (for example, undocumented people and name/ID documents), and other relevant topics
-- Support the creation of original content (could be written, video, infographics, or other options) related these topics
-- (Optional) Write original stories, blog posts, and/or research-based pieces for digital publication regarding these and related topics
-- Support leadership in updating organizational policies (and drafting new policies as necessary) regarding staff coming out, name and pronoun use, and our Name/ID Change clinics/program, etc. (student interest can drive specific policy focus areas)

We also offer many paid training opportunities throughout the year. For example, this fall we're bringing in an organizational trauma consultant to do a 2-4 hour training for our staff (including practicum folks). In the past, we've also welcomed students to self-select trainings that Trans-Wa was able to cover.

Required:
-- Passionate about gender and intersecting identities, lived experiences, and issues
-- Deep commitment to gender expansive people and communities, including transgender, nonbinary, intersex, Two Spirit, gender fluid, genderqueer, bigender, GNC, agender, and all other non-cis genders
-- Deep commitment to anti-oppression, accessibility, equity, justice, and intersectional identities
-- Ability to identify own positionality (both privilege and marginalization) and engage with people across significant difference from a place of humility, respect, and empathy
-- Comfortable interacting with diverse groups of people via email, social media, Zoom, phone, and possibly in person
-- Commitment and follow-through to execute tasks—including potentially routine or mundane tasks—that are crucial for the implementation of projects and programs
-- Ability to self-organize and self-initiate, and/or willingness to work collaboratively with teammates to organize and plan tasks and workflow

Preferred:
-- Previous experience working with LGBTQ+ community -- especially trans and gender expansive individuals -- and issues (lived experience is experience!!)
-- Previous experience working in a policy, advocacy, or organizing environment

English
Other language proficiencies a plus!

Please send resume and cover letter to:
admin@transwa.org

Please indicate which of our open positions you're interested in applying for. YES you can apply to more than one!

This position is:
-- Name/ID Change Program for Gender-Expansive People (Program Management, Direct Service, and Policy Advocacy)

The other options are:
-- Gender-Affirming Hair Removal Program Management & Medical Social Work
-- Queer/Trans BIPOC Programs and Partnerships
-- Development of WA Gender-Affirming Care/Services Directory (Provider Outreach, Resource Navigation, Program Management)
-- Virtual Hub Coordinator for Mental Health Equity & Access (Coalition-Building, Research Justice, Disability Justice; nation-wide coalition-based project)
-- Gender-Expansive Lending Library Program Manager
-- Virtual Community-Building and Multi-Media Communications Management for Trans Justice
-- Organizing and Policy Advocacy for Gender-Affirming Care Across Washington State