Meetings Schedule:
Meetings are every second Sunday and fourth Monday of the month at 3pm ET.

Access info for the meeting:

• Meeting Length: 1 hour long for 7 participants or fewer; 1.5 hours for 8 participants or more.

• Zoom: The support group will be held on Zoom. Participants are free to turn their cameras on or off, use the chat or share out loud, and attend with any children or partners. We ask that folks mute their microphones when not sharing to reduce cross-audio interference.

• Breaks: There will be no breaks during the session, but participants are encouraged to step away and take care of any needs as they arise.

• Captions: Zoom closed captions will be enabled. AI notetakers will not be permitted.

• ASL: There will be no ASL interpretation. If this is an access need, please reach out to the facilitators at transandgestating@gmail.com. 

• Recording: Support group sessions are not recorded.

• Tech and access support: The facilitators are available to address any emergent participant needs regarding Zoom and access.

• Join our Signal group chat to stay connected, ask questions, and share resources!

• Use this survey link to provide feedback for the group  if you haven't already!

1. This group is gender-expansive, including trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming folks. If there is a parent in your family unit who has a gender-expansive identity — whether or not they’re the gestational parent — your family is welcome here! 

2. This group is for folks who are at any point in their parenting journey, whether they’re pre-conception, gestating, or postpartum. We consider pre-conception to mean that you are actively taking steps towards becoming a parent (i.e. coming off hormones, researching clinics, taking supplements, etc). Non-gestational partners are more than welcome, as are solo parents, polyamorous parents, and the kiddos themselves!

3. This is a peer support space, not a therapeutic one. While all the facilitators (and many of our attendees!) are trained birth workers, we mainly hold the space to foster supportive connection between participants. This means that we can’t offer crisis support, though we can provide external resources to anyone who may be in crisis.

4. Who is this space not for? This group isn’t for folks whose main intention is academic or anthropological study, or for aspiring birth workers who wish to gain experience among trans parenting community. (That said, if you’re a birth worker who would like to be a facilitator instead of an attendee, please reach out!) Lastly, we don’t have the capacity to support folks who are theoretically interested in parenthood, but not yet taking tangible steps.

Group purpose: specifically for trans and non-binary folks, but you don’t have to be the gestational parent. Trans can mean whatever it means to you — if you feel like you’re trans, non-binary, or gender-expansive, you belong!

• Participation: We show up in whatever ways make sense for us, whether that’s in the chat or out loud, on or off camera, with or without children and partners. Choosing not to share is also an option. We ask that folks mute their microphones when they aren’t sharing to reduce cross-audio interference.

• Confidentiality: We tend to each other’s privacy by not discussing the specific details of what is shared outside the Zoom or Signal chat. (Take the lessons, leave the story.)

• Openness and Respect: We practice taking turns speaking, sharing from our unique perspectives (using “I” statements), and asking for consent before giving advice. After your share, if you’re looking for advice, resonance, or something else, feel free to clarify.

• Language: We practice unlearning language that reproduces harm, such as ableist, classist, and invalidating language, along with the misuse of AAVE, especially by non-Black queer folks.

• Oops/Ouch: If you hear something harmful, you can type “ouch” in the chat or DM one of the facilitators, and we can create space to address it. Likewise, if you realized you said something and want to take accountability for it, you can type “oops.”

• Crisis Situations: We practice supporting each other in ways that honor the capacities of both the facilitators and the participants. If you are in crisis, we have informational and non-carceral resources that we can share with you. However, the facilitators are not licensed mental health professionals, and the purpose of this space is to provide peer support, not professional support.

• Content Warnings: We want this space to be welcome for those to share grief. In order to make this possible and protect others, we invite participants to share content warnings for heavier/tougher topics, such as perinatal loss, medical neglect, and abuse of any kind.

• Brave Space: With content warnings in mind, this is a space where many difficult topics such as grief, isolation, and transphobia may arise. Please check in with your capacity before and during the support group, and take care of yourself in whatever ways you need.

• Time Boundaries: We practice mindfulness around the length of shares and make space for others to participate. We have added an extra 30 minutes for meetings that have 8 or more attendees; those who can’t stay for the additional 30 minutes are encouraged to let the facilitators know so that we can include you earlier in the stack. BIPOC are encouraged to share first, if desired!