At Summer Meeting 2013, our friends from the National Center for Transgender Equality joined us to facilitate an important topic of discussion: trans inclusion.

Federation members have often asked for guidance on how to ensure that their bill language, their messaging, their programs, and their organizational policies and practices are inclusive to transgender and gender variant folks.

That’s why we started the conversation at Summer Meeting. And that’s why we’re committed to providing our members with ongoing support and resources -- including Opening the Door to the Inclusion of Transgender People: The Nine Keys to Making Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Organizations Fully Transgender-Inclusive.

Our partners at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute and the National Center for Transgender Equality created Opening the Door to the Inclusion of Transgender People as a resource for organizations that are committed to ensuring that the dreams, experiences, and voices of transgender people are fully included in our movement.

Click here to download Opening the Door to the Inclusion of Transgender People.

In this guide, you will find practical ideas for how LGBT organizations can take concrete steps to provide a more welcoming environment for transgender people. And the guide directly addresses the challenges and opportunities that present themselves in this process.

In this resource, you will find nine key steps your organization can take to ensure that you’re fully including transgender people in your work at every level:

1. Have transgender people integrated throughout the organization
2. Recruit a broad and diverse range of transgender people
3. Create a welcoming physical and verbal environment
4. Deal with prejudice by combating transphobia through training and other learning opportunities
5. Acknowledge past mistakes regarding trans-inclusion, and then engage in concrete corrective action
6. Have trans-inclusive programming, services, and advocacy positions
7. Understand transgender experiences
8. Be an organization of people who are transgender allies
9. Have fair employment practices

No matter where your organization is in its journey to become fully transgender-inclusive, this resource is for you. With reflections and action ideas following every step, this guide will allow your organization to develop its own unique plan to becoming more trans-inclusive.

Download Opening the Door to the Inclusion of Transgender People.