Never in my wildest imagination did we envision anything like we have now. We started in 2017 with just four mostly closeted trans-feminine persons. We gathered in what was then a musty storage room attached to the back of the Napalese Lounge in Green Bay. We had no lofty goals other than to spend one night a month in safety where we could put on our feminine finery, swap a few war stories, beauty secrets, laugh, and share a drink or two. There weren’t (and still aren’t) any registration fees, hard and fast rules, formal program, etc.

Monthly Social & Public Gatherings 

The group grew through word of mouth, connections made via the internet, and a Meetup group (meetup.com/green-bay-transgender-meetup). After a year, on average about 10 of us gathered each month. The back room of the Napalese Lounge was renovated into the community room. Members wanted to get out in public more, so Super Saturdays were planned. As a group we often turned heads, going to local coffee shops and restaurants. A local women’s clothing resale shop opened her store on Saturday nights for wine and cheese parties. T-girls could shop without worrying about “being read or who they might run into.

“We Will Be Seen” Mural 

The group continued to grow. In the fall of 2020, I was invited by a group called United Arts, to come up with a creative way to use art to help marginalized artists and people. I had the idea to paint a public art mural on the side of the Napalese Lounge. It would affirm and celebrate the contributions of LGBTQ+ people in NE Wisconsin. The idea caught on like wildfire. The trans and queer communities, the broader business, nonprofit, and civic communities all got on board. It seemed like Green Bay had been waiting for the right opportunity to come together to affirm the queer community. The installation of the “We Will Be Seen” mural and a weekend long celebration became that vehicle. Funds were also secured to install a new front door for the Napalese Lounge. The original door was sealed shut years ago due to anti-queer vandals using it to harass the gay community.

In August 2021, 600 people attended a block party with the mayor, the lieutenant governor, and other officials present.  As the mural was unveiled with its message, “We Will be Seen,” many in attendance were in tears. Comments like, “I never thought I would see a day like this in Green Bay,” were heard. With big smiles and beaming pride, hundreds walked  through the new front door. Confetti cannons showered the crowd. It was quite a sight. It also opened a new era of feeling welcome for the trans and queer communities in NE Wisconsin.

Just before the unveiling, parents of trans youth noted, “You are doing wonderful things for trans adults, but what about trans youth and their families?” The day of the mural unveiling celebration, the nearby Green Bay Unitarian Universalist Fellowship welcomed 12 families with trans youth and counselors for information sharing and mutual support. Comments by parents included, “It’s great to know that we are not the only ones,” and “It’s good to know we are doing a better job than we thought. Youth commented, “It was great; nice to know there are others like me and it’s okay that I don’t have it all figured out yet!”

Monthly Gatherings Draw Attendees from Across the State 

Attendance at our monthly CD/TG First Thursday Gatherings grew. People traveled to attend from the Upper Peninsula, Wausau, Madison, Waukesha, the Fox Valley, etc. Many believe that they cannot go out in their communities for fear of having to deal with disparaging comments or worse being “outed.” At each gathering there are first-timers—those who have  been living in their closets for years. Almost all come “scared to death” to venture out. However, once they meet and are welcomed by members of the CD/TG First Thursday members, the common response is, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”

Supporting Trans Youth 

In the fall of 2021, an exploratory committee met to consider, “How to connect with and support trans youth.” After listening to youth, parents, and professionals the need for a safe private place where youth in grades 7–12 could gather to meet, greet, and socialize with one another was addressed. The local Dave & Buster’s stepped forward and offered their private party room for monthly gatherings. Local public school teachers and counselors volunteered to help. The first gathering was held in February, 2022 with about 15 trans youth. The group draws from beyond the immediate Green Bay area and has reached about 150 trans youth.

The original organizing committee evolved into a standing committee known as The Bay Area Trans Youth Alliance (BATYA). In the fall of 2022, due to a conflict in scheduling, the group was asked if it could find a different location for its December T-Youth gathering. A member of the Green Bay Police Department heard about the need and asked, “Would it be okay if I made some inquiries? I’ve got a few connections.” The result was a special holiday party for T-Youth sponsored by the Green Bay Packers and the Titletown District. BATYA has also expanded to offer an annual T-Youth families, friends, and allies picnic at Bay Beach Amusement park. In service to queer youth, each May the BATYA hosts an area-wide LGBTQ+ high school prom at a popular entertainment venue, The Tarlton.

Trans Artists Collaborative 

During the winter months of 2022, the group was asked, “Is there any way you could gather a group of trans artists and create an “out of the box” creative art piece that has a significant trans message?” If so, the piece would be considered for inclusion in a special gathering of artists called Unhinged, which was to be held at the Weidner Performing Arts Center at UWGB. We gathered a trans art teacher, a digital artist, a multi-medium painter and woodworker, and a geologist/engineer for what is now known at the Trans Artists Collaborative (TAC).

After a lot of stops and starts, the TAC proposed the creation of a multimedia and digital immersive art space that would tell the stories, challenges, and joys of trans persons. The first iteration of The Transperience was presented as part of Unhinged at the UWGB Weidner Center in October, 2022 to great acclaim. It touched people deeply. Comments like, “I had no idea what it meant to be trans,” “My heart is really full now with a greater awareness of what my relative or co-worker has had to experience,” were heard.   

The Transperience was so impactful that the Mulva Library at St. Norbert College hosted the installation for a week in the fall of 2023. This led to an invitation from the Brown County Neville Museum in downtown Green Bay to offer educational programs and The Transperience installation for six weeks this past summer. From November 11 to 17 The Transperience will be at the student Union at University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. It will be open to the public during regular school hours.

Board of Directors 

With more growth, the time came to add another element to the mix. A Board of Directors was recruited for an umbrella organization named The Bay Area Council on Gender Diversity (BACGD). The Board adopted a mission statement that says, “To provide support and education for transgender persons, their families, and allies.” In February of 2022 BACGD was recognized by the IRS as a 501c(3) non-profit corporation. The Youth (BATYA) and Artists (TAC) groups became subsidiaries of BACGD.

A Social Media Presence 

To regularly communicate with almost 400 trans people and allies and promote BACGD, a Social Media committee was established. Talented members of the trans community volunteered their time and created a website (BACGenderDiversity.org) Facebook page (facebook.com/groups/5559265447440011), an Instagram account for BATYA (Bay_Area_Trans_Youth_Alliance), and a free one-page monthly e-newsletter that anyone can sign up for by going to the BACGD website.   

Two-Spirit Inclusion & Support 

In June of 2023, BACGD marched in the Milwaukee Pride Parade. Almost 50 people marched. During planning for the June 2024 Pride parade, we befriended Two-Spirit people from the Oneida and Ojibwe tribes and invited them to join BACGD for the parade. About 25 Two-Spirit persons, their friends, and families marched. One Two-Spirit person reported, “I had tears of joy in my eyes—I felt so affirmed and free—everyone along the parade route cheered us on and proudly shouted out the names of their tribes.” We are committed to doing what we can in the future to help First Americans to reclaim the sometimes lost Two-Spirit realities in their indigenous cultures. BACGD also raised funds to co-sponsor a Two-Spirit Special (dance & competition) at the Oneida Pow Wow that was held on June 29 outside of Green Bay. It is also helping to subsidize travel costs for members of the Oneida and Ojibwe nations to attend the August Western Montana National Two-Spirit Gathering.

A Transmasculine & Non-binary Persons Group 

This year also saw the first attempts by BACGD to organize a group specifically for transmasculine-non-binary persons. While TM-NB people have always been warmly welcomed to BACGD events, a group expressed an interest in the establishment of their own group. A first gathering attracted 12 people. More outreach and offerings are planned for this fall.

Where is BACGD going from here? Based on reliable data, it is estimated that just in Brown County there are 6,000 trans, non-binary, or inter-sex people. BACGD has been able to connect with about 500 of them. There are still too many who live in fear and in the closet. While there has been a lot of progress when it comes to the welcome that trans people have begun to feel in NE Wisconsin, there are so many more who have never met a trans person or have a lack of knowledge and understanding of the transgender non-binary experience. We still have a lot of work to do.