By Liz Massey - Jan. 15, 2015
As part of the Martin Luther King Day of Service in Phoenix, Human Rights Campaign Arizona and Rebel & Divine United Church of Christ (UCC) are partnering with employees from Coca-Cola to create a boutique for homeless and at-risk transgender youth to select and try on clothing that matches their gender identity.
The event will take place Jan. 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at First Congregational UCC, 1407 N. Second St. in Phoenix. The three organizations will work together to transform a church classroom into a safe space for homeless and at-risk trans and genderqueer youth to “shop” for and try on clothing, and pick up other items they may need.
According to Gary Brewer, co-chair of HRC Arizona’s community outreach and diversity committee, the national office of HRC had been encouraging local affiliates to work on Martin Luther King Day of Service initiatives involving homeless queer youth for the past several years.
This year, Brewer said, HRC Arizona’s leadership was able to work with the other two organizations to craft an event that will involve several of the community outreach committee’s “pillar” constituencies, including the faith/religious community, the trans community and the corporate community of Phoenix.
“It’s incredible that we’ve blended [the involvement of] our pillar communities this year,” he said. “We’re hitting the trans and faith communities head on; to be able to involve the corporate community, too, that feels tremendous.”
Rebel & Divine UCC, which has a mission to serve the Valley’s LGBT homeless and at-risk youth, will provide youth volunteers who will be working on a mural – one which incorporates the transgender flag and the Rebel & Divine logo – at the boutique site on the First Congregational campus, according to Rev. Jeffrey Dirrim, founding pastor and executive director of the church.
According to Dirrim, the focus of providing a safe place to try on clothing congruent with a trans youth’s gender identity became a priority after his organization hosted prom events for youth who attend Sunday night dinners with the church. Adding that he had gone clothes shopping with trans youth who wanted to attend the prom, and was “upset and disturbed” by what he saw them go through.
“I was mortified by their experiences – they experienced belittlement at best at the shops we went to,” he said.
By contrast, he noted, when Rebel & Divine gave the prom-attending youth a place to try on outfits, the change in the trans participants’ physical demeanor when they were able to wear something that looked wonderful on them was striking.
“I didn’t realize until that moment how important that was,” he recalled. “That’s what we’re creating – that’s what I want to give to the youth who attend this event.”
Brewer agreed that the event would create an important experience for young trans attendees.
“Every person deserves the dignity of having a space where they can try on clothes that express their identity,” he said.
Additionally, Brewer said community members interested in donating clothing for the Jan. 19 boutique event could bring them to First Congregational UCC during the event.
VITAL STATISTICS
Martin Luther King Day of Service in Phoenix
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 19
First Congregational UCC
1407 N. Second St., Phoenix
Sign up to volunteer at hrc.org/events/entry/mlk-day-of-service-in-phoenix or email gary@hrcarizona.org.
MLK Day of Service event to launch ongoing clothing closet project
The clothing collected at the Day of Service event will stock what will become known as the Rebel & Divine Trans Youth Shoe & Clothing Closet, located on the campus of First Congregational UCC at 1407 N. Second St., in Phoenix.
“We’ve leased a large classroom on the churches campus for the launch,” said Rev. Jeffrey Dirrim, founding pastor of Rebel & Divine. “We envision it expanding to include a full food and toiletry bank at some point.”
Dirrim added that the closet will be open a few times a month in the beginning, with the hope that volunteers will be found to operate it on a weekly basis.
Trans youth who visit the closet will be able to find clothing that may help them get a job (and off the streets), or just to wear on a date or other social occasion, Dirrim said. They will also be able to pick up hygiene kits and other necessities that can help them stay healthy.
The closet will also provide items and information specific to the needs of youth who are making a gender transition.
Dirrim said that chest binder/compression shirts for young trans men were always in short supply, and that the closet would be a place where trans youth, who may never have tried on the undergarments that match their gender identity, would be able to discreetly learn what items fit them best.
According to Dirrim, the clothing closet project fit with his church’s overall mission very well and explained that the Rebel & Divine UCC congregation saw itself as a “pomo” (post-modern) type of faith community, one that places more emphasis on “being church” than on going to church.
The organization, a part of the Southwest Conference of the UCC, has as a special focus the health and wholeness of youth and young adults, particularly homeless and at-risk LGBT youth.
“My goal isn’t to save souls, it’s to save lives,” he said. “That allows these youth to go on to live fulfilling lives and enrich the lives of those around them.”
To learn more about the progress of the shoe & clothing closet project, sign up for Rebel & Divine’s newsletter at rebeldivineucc.org/contact.
Items needed for the Rebel & Divine Trans Youth Shoe & Clothing Closet:
- Youth clothing: jeans, shoes, socks, underwear and chest binders/compression shirts
- Belts and other accessories
- Small duffel bags or backpacks
- Unopened toiletries: bath soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, face wash
- Deodorant, razors, shaving cream, feminine hygiene products
- Wash cloths and bath towels
Donations will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 19 at First Congregational UCC, 1407 N. Second St. in Phoenix.