TAKE file photo.jpg

TAKE members pose for a photo. Founder Daroneshia Duncan is the third person from the left in the very back row standing under the pink and blue flag.

(Daroneshia Duncan)

A support group identifying barriers against the transgender community is now planning to knock down those walls by creating Birmingham's first resource center specifically for transgender individuals.

TAKE, which stands for Transgender Advocates Knowledgeable and Empowering, created a GoFundMe page in October to raise funds for the center. As of Tuesday night, $913 of a $15,000 has been raised for a place that will connect transgender people to GED preparation classes, job readiness training and other opportunities.

TAKE founder Daroneshia Duncan, who is a transwoman herself, said the center will be open to all transgender individuals. The group's expertise is geared towards transwomen of color, however.

"We are being oppressed by being a person of color," Duncan said. "If you add being a transgender woman on top of that, then you experience more discrimination."

Developing a resource center is a timely item added to TAKE's agenda. Jessica Little, a black transgender woman who is also a TAKE member, was critically injured after she was shot in the face on Oct. 3. On Sept. 23, a transgender woman known to many as Jazz was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds at the Kings Inn on Third Avenue North. Denzell Thomas, 23, was arrested and charged with murder in Jazz's case and attempted murder and first-degree robbery in Little's case.

Duncan said creating a safe space where transgender women can find the resources they need to navigate the greater Birmingham area should be a priority for the community.

"It makes me fearful. These are hate crimes," Duncan said. "People are not respecting transwomen for their identity and not valuing our lives when it comes to blending into the society."

TAKE members are currently looking at two possible locations for a center they hope to open by Nov. 20, 2017. Although they want it to be a one-stop shop of resources, it will focus on three main areas: access to health care, housing and employment.

Getting minimum-waged jobs at restaurants or stores can also be hard to come by, Duncan said. According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, one in four transgender people have lost their job due to biases. TAKE hopes to create more employment opportunities by establishing partnerships with employers who will not discriminate against transgender individuals. Duncan said transwomen might not be considered for a job because of a company's policies.

"I think it is because they just want to value the customers first," Duncan said. "They think about how the customers will feel about interacting with a transwoman. So they won't give them a chance."

NCTE also reported that one in five transgender individuals have experienced some form of homelessness in their lifetime because of family rejection or discrimination from a housing establishment. While homeless shelters are an option, NCTE said some shelters "often fail to culturally and appropriately serve transgender homeless people, including denying them shelter based on their gender identity; inappropriately housing them in a gendered space they do not identify with."

While the first phase of the TAKE resource center will only be open during operating hours, Duncan said the second phase will include a shelter.

"Local shelters don't know how to handle a transwomen's feelings," Duncan said. "Their number one priority is to help fixed-gendered women."

TAKE also wants to make sure no one is going through the struggles of becoming a transgender person alone. Duncan said staffers will connect people to professionals who provide hormone replacement treatments while also guiding them through the steps of name changes and gathering other forms of identification a person will need during their new life.

Duncan said she has shared the idea of a resource center with multiple people during Transgender Awareness Week last week and TAKE has received positive responses about their dream so far.

"They are just so excited," Duncan said. "They want to see it happen and feel like it should happen."

If you want to learn more about the resource center, click here or you can contact Duncan via email at daroneshia@gmail.com.