FORGE

[Image: White text overlaying a photo of a trans flag. Text: "October 11th, 2025. National Coming Out Day." FORGE logo.]

Today is National Coming Out Day! While today may mark a celebratory milestone for many, we also recognize the many reasons it may not be safe or comfortable to come out (right now or ever!). We honor the different ways each of us chooses to share our identities with others, or with ourselves.

[Image: Green text overlaying a tan background with graphics of line-drawn flowers. Text: "Intimate Partner Violence, Authoritarianism, and Trans Lives. Rescheduled! Panel Discussion. october 14th, 2025 - 6 - 7:30 pm EST. Register on zoom! forge.tips/IPV-trans-lives" FORGE logo.]

RESCHEDULED: our upcoming panel on IPV, authoritarianism, and trans lives is now scheduled for October 14th, 2025, at 6 pm EST. Sign up at forge.tips/IPV-trans-lives

#TransSurvivors #DomesticViolence #IPV #DVSurvivor #ViolencePrevention

[Image: A checklist overlaying a blue and purple gradient background. Text: "What do hotlines offer? Someone to listen to you; Safety planning; Someone to talk through options with; Explanation about resources, laws, and other programs; Lists of other organizations that provide resources; Information about a specific issue; Validation and emotional support. blog post: Contacting Hotlines: Questions and Answers. forge.tips/hotlines" FORGE logo.]

Sometimes one of the challenges with asking for help is that we don’t know what will happen or what a place offers. Calling a crisis hotline can be overwhelming. Who will answer? Can they help me? What do I even need? Read more: forge.tips/hotlines

[Image: A checklist overlaying a tan background with graphics of letter outlines. Text: "What to bring to Community Love Letters (a virtual letter writing event!) paper/stationary; pens/pencils/writing utensils; any decorative stickers/stamps you might want; yourself! Oct. 19th, 3 - 4 pm ET. forge.tips/love-letters." FORGE logo.]

Are you planning on attending Community Love Letters on Oct 19th? Come prepared with some basic writing materials! Regular paper and a pen or pencil will work just fine, but feel free to get creative with stationary, colorful pens/markers, or stickers/stamps! forge.tips/love-letters

[Image: Text overlaying an image of a trans person with curly brown hair and a white t-shirt, standing outdoors with a serious expression on their face. Text: "DVAM25. Safety, Support, Solidarity. Resource highlight: Safety Planning and Risk Assessment: Building Trans Survivor Skills." FORGE logo.]

This #DVAM, learn how you can support trans survivors with safety planning. This webinar covers tools for assessing risk in different situations, how to ask for support from others, and what might be included in a safety plan. Watch the recording at forge.tips/safety-planning

Slide 1: An image of a trans couple looking at the camera, heads pressed close together. Text: "Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2025. How do Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner Violence impact trans communities?" Slide 2: An image of a young trans person wearing a jean jacket with their arms crossed. Text: "1. Outing someone... at work, school, to family/friends, etc." FORGE logo.

Slide 1: A photo of a trans person with long hair putting on shaving cream. Text: "2. Telling someone they aren't 'man/woman' enough." Slide 2: A photo of a person's hands as they pour medication into their palm. Text: "3. Controlling/discarding gender-affirming clothing, hormones, prosthetics, etc." FORGE logo.

Slide 1: A photo of a trans person wearing a baret and walking on the street. Text: "4. Eroticizing the trans person’s identity against their will. Learn more: forge.tips/DVAM24" Slide 2: A photo of a trans person with long brown hair standing outdoors. Text: "5. Telling someone 'this is as good as it gets.'" FORGE logo.

How do domestic violence and intimate partner violence impact trans communities? This #DVAM, we're sharing both general and trans-specific tactics that are used against trans folks. These are just a few ways that trans/nonbinary folks may experience DV/IPV. forge.tips/DVAM24

[Image: White text against a dark blue background with graphics of watercolor flowers. Text: "Intimate Partner Violence, Authoritarianism, and Trans Lives. Panel Discussion. october 9th, 2025 - 12 - 1:30 pm EST. Register on zoom! forge.tips/IPV-trans-lives" FORGE logo.]

Sign up for our upcoming panel on IPV, authoritarianism, and trans lives. Panelists will examine the intersections of intimate partner violence and authoritarianism and explore how trans survivors are impacted by rising and existing fascism forge.tips/IPV-trans-lives

[Image: Text overlaying a photograph of a brown envelope against a blue background. Text: "Community Love Letters. Sun, Oct. 19th, 3 - 4 pm ET. forge.tips/love-letters." FORGE logo.]

Share a little love! On Sun, October 19th, we're hosting a calm hangout space on Zoom to gather and write letters to community members who are needing some positivity and support. Bring some writing materials or stationary for this relaxed one-hour event! More info at forge.tips/love-letters

[Image: Text overlaying an image of a trans couple embracing and looking at a phone together while standing on a beach. Text: "Safety, Support, Solidarity. October 2025 is Domestic Violence Awarenes Month." FORGE logo.]

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Check out this collection of resources for DVAM at forge.tips/DVAM24, and keep an eye out for posts on strategies for responding to and preventing DV throughout the month.

#DVAM2025 #WithSurvivors #CallForUnity

[Image: Green text overlaying a tan background with graphics of line-drawn flowers. Text: "Intimate Partner Violence, Authoritarianism, and Trans Lives. Panel Discussion. october 9th, 2025 - 12 - 1:30 pm EST. Register on zoom! forge.tips/IPV-trans-lives" FORGE logo.]

Join us on October 9th! This panel discussion examines the intersections of IPV and authoritarianism, exploring how trans survivors are impacted by rising and existing fascism and ways that communities can take action to support safety and democracy.
forge.tips/IPV-trans-lives

Slide 1 text: "Anti-Violence Organizations Can Respond to Fascism: Ways that we can work together." Slide 2 text: "Share information. Sharing information means that no one person or organization has to know everything or track everything; instead we can learn from others and work on seeing the connections between our focus areas. forge.tips/responding-to-fascism" FORGE logo

Slide 1 text: "Share resources. By sharing resources with each other we can further the impact that the resources can make. This also helps us keep from competing against each other. forge.tips/responding-to-fascism" Slide 2 text: "Co-create programs. Organizations can work together, in some instances, to co-create programs. This is especially beneficial if resources and funding are scarce as all involved parties can contribute. Keep in mind differences in confidentiality, victim-advocate privilege, and other legal protections when working directly with survivors." FORGE logo.

Slide 1 text: "Increase our impact. When multiple organizations come together, they may make a bigger impact, whether in programming or public statements or in making change. forge.tips/responding-to-fascism." Slide 6 text: "Take action together. It is often easier to take action in community with other organizations than alone. Actions may look like: issuing a statement, refusing to comply with unnecessary requests to delete information, advocating for increased funding or resources, or offering guidance on policies." FORGE logo

This guide has been created to assist anti-violence organizations, especially sexual and domestic violence agencies, in understanding and responding to the current crises in the United States. Find out more at forge.tips/responding-to-fascism

[Image: Text overlaying a purple background, with a round image of Jess Stohlmann-Rainey. Text: Liberatory responses to suicide and crisis. A recorded webinar with Jess Stohlmann-Rainey. forge.tips/liberatory-responses." FORGE logo.]

In this recorded webinar, Jess Stohlmann-Rainey discusses the history of carceral responses to suicide and crisis. She explores the ways queer and trans people have been targeted by carceral “interventions" and imagines liberatory ways to respond to suicide. forge.tips/liberatory-responses

[Image: White text over a green background. Squares correspond to different levels of burnout, each with small line-drawn graphics. From left to right, graphics are: a moon with several sleeping Z's; a battery that needs to be charged; sprouting leaves; a peson's hand raising a dumbell. Text: "Mapping levels of burnout. Blog post: Tips for Navigating Neurodivergent Burnouts. Burnt out / wiped: nothing works, can’t do any daily life activities. Enough energy for the bare minimum (making food, other life necessities). Okay-ish: functional but on a tightrope over losing the energy. Energized: has a consistent level of ability to engage in tasks. forge.tips/navigating-burnout" FORGE logo.]

How do we know when we're starting to experience burnout, especially if we don't notice subtle changes in the moment? In this blog post, our guest contributor shares personal experiences with having a rhythm that doesn’t work in the rules of the standard clock. forge.tips/navigating-burnout

[Image: Black text on a white background, alongside a dotted graphic of a person's hand writing with a pen. Text: "'Even in the darkest of days, it feels so empowering to speak up for the other transgender youth who may not have the kind of support that I have in my life.' - Libby Gonzales." FORGE logo.]

”Even in the darkest of days, it feels so empowering to speak up for the other transgender youth who may not have the kind of support that I have in my life," says Libby Gonzales, 15-year-old activist, in a video with @hrc.org

[Image: White text over a black background. Text: "forge.tips/GAC-study. Access to gender-affirming care is suicide prevention." FORGE logo.]

A @trevorproject.bsky.social study found that access to gender-affirming care reduced suicide ideation and attempts in transgender individuals. With ongoing attacks on gender-affirming care, it's important to uplift the science: gender-affirming care saves lives. forge.tips/GAC-study

[Image: Against a green background, a list of warning signs of mental health crises. Text: what signs of a crisis should I look for? 1. Sudden changes in behavior including being happy, giving things away, or withdrawing; 2. Unexplained injuries; 3. Messages implying “goodbye”; 4. Access to weapons; 5. Stressful life events. forge.tips/mental-health-support" FORGE logo.]

As service providers, advocates, and community members working with trans and nonbinary folks, it's important to recognize possible signs of a mental health crisis. This recorded webinar covers common indicators of crisis and ways to respond to them. forge.tips/mental-health-support

[Image: Against a yellow background, a photo of two people sitting in the sun. On the left is a person in a wheelchair with a headband and long brown hair. On the right is a person with short hair and glasses. Text: "Call for submissions. Trans Survivors: Issue #4: Relationships - digital zine. Poetry, art, and short fiction/nonfiction; Subs open through Sept. 8th; $25 contributor payment. forge.tips/submit." FORGE logo.]

There's still time to submit to issue #4 of the Trans Survivors Zine! This issue is focused on relationships of all kinds. Find full submission guidelines at forge.tips/submit

#TransSurvivors #Transgender #Trans #Healing #TransJoy #Poetry #Fiction #FlashFiction #Nonfiction

[Image: Text on a white notecard, against a blue background. Text: "Suicide Prevention Month. September 2025. What small (or big) things keep you going? share in the comments." FORGE logo.]

For Suicide Prevention Month, we're thinking about the little things that keep us going. A hot cup of coffee or a warm washcloth on your face. Cuddles with a pet, sending a postcard to a friend. What small (or big) things keep you going when you're struggling? Let us know in the comments!

A green background and graphics of butterflies and flowers. Text: "Trans Survivors Zine: Transformation. a conversation with testosterone by j.c. bennett. 'i want to be the person i’ve always dreamed of, T, / and / finally / i feel like he’s / within my grasp but / can you help me, T ? / can you help me be / freaky and / weird and ugly and hot and me ?' forge.tips/zine." FORGE logo.

A green background and graphics of butterflies and flowers. Text: "About the Writer. j.c. bennett. j.c. bennett (he/they) is proud to be muck, river water, and pond-scum made. they spent their youth floating in creek water, coaxing tadpoles to swim clear from one ear through the other. bennett would blink their eyes in time, counting each passing tail. @jcbennettzines forge.tips/zine." FORGE logo.

Sometimes change comes slowly when we're the most eager for it. j.c. captures that gradual growth into hope and self-love. Read the full poem at forge.tips/zine. Connect with j.c. at www.instagram.com/jcbennettzin...

A green background and graphics of butterflies and flowers. An image of "Sense of Self" by Daniel Rivera Stahlschmidt. The background of the piece is a colorful traditional painting, and the foreground is a digital figure drawing: a person with blue skin and pink pants, and a burst of pink where their head would be. Text: "Trans Survivors Zine: Transformation. Sense of Self by Daniel Rivera Stahlschmidt. forge.tips/zine." FORGE logo.

A green background and graphics of butterflies and flowers. Text: "About the Artist. Daniel Rivera Stahlschmidt. Hi! My name is Daniel and I am a trans illustrator who loves all things decorative, fantasy, and nature. I work primarily in watercolor, ink, and digitally. dansrsart.com. Instagram: @gre3nie. bluesky: gre3nie.bsky.social. forge.tips/zine." FORGE logo.]

Daniel Rivera Stahlschmidt's "Sense of Self" touches on "the feeling of how you look being at odds," contrasting traditional and digital elements. Connect with Daniel at @gre3nie.bsky.social! forge.tips/zine

A green background and graphics of butterflies and flowers. Text: "Trans Survivors Zine: Transformation. shape[SHIFT] by Irina Vérène. 'in the mirror, / I watch my metamorphosis unfold: / I shatter, and my fragments / put themselves back together. / all wrong, all wrong, all wrong! / the shadows used to throw / their judgements at me like acid. / now, they're but the soft burn of sea salt / on my sore post-op scars.' forge.tips/zine." FORGE logo.

A green background and graphics of butterflies and flowers. Text: "About the Writer. Irina Vérène. Irina Vérène is a non-binary writer from Germany who loves to explore the rawness and complexity of human connection and emotion in both poetry and prose. Since 2025, fae is a staff writer for Sepulchre Literary, Violet Desires, Etherae Magazine, Elora Vérité Magazine, and Savoír Revue, as well as a guest writer for Mildew Zine. substack.com/@queenofgore @queen_of_gore forge.tips/zine." FORGE logo.

Irina Vérène's poem, "shape[SHIFT]" explores changing understandiings of our bodies through phases of life and transition. Read the full poem in Issue #2 of the Trans Survivors Zine, available at forge.tips/zine. Find Irina at substack.com/@queenofgore

[Image: Text on a green background, alongside photos of michael and Emil from FORGE. Text: "National Sexual Assault Conference 2025. Outside of the Institutional Box: Pod-mapping and mutual aid with trans survivors. with Emil Rudicell and michael munson. Wednesday, August 27, 2025. 10:30am – 12:00pm " FORGE logo.]

Pod-mapping is a dynamic, visual strategy for increasing circles of connection, heightening individual and community safety, and incorporating multiple avenues for support and solutions. Learn more about this FORGE workshop at NSAC at forge.tips/NSAC2025

[Image: Text on a white background, alongside a round photo of a person with dark curly hair and headphones. Text: "National Sexual Assault Conference 2025. Update! Caucus strategy session: Our communities are under attack. Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. Located in Platinum 3-4 " FORGE logo.]

Location update! For folks attending NSAC, the the caucus strategy session will be held in the room Platinum 3-4. Join us to strategize tonight!

Learn more at forge.tips/NSAC2025

[Image: Text on a white background, alongside a round photo of a person with dark curly hair and headphones. Text: "National Sexual Assault Conference 2025. Caucus strategy session: Our communities are under attack. Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. " FORGE logo.]

If you're at NSAC this year, join FORGE at the caucus strategy session for queer, trans, immigrant, disabled communities, and more. Join us to strategize how anti-violence organizations can respond to fascism and build a future for all of us to thrive. forge.tips/NSAC2025

A green background and graphics of butterflies and flowers. An image of "Plant in October" by VCA. The piece is a poem, but edited to appear as instructional text on the back of a packet of seeds. Poem text: "Plant in October / For best chance of germination / The scalpel leaves my body / A week later, you leave me / With reassurance from both it's done with love / I watch the things you left in my apartment fade into backdrop / Like the leaves on the trees out my window / Like an old favorite song that's been played too much / I wouldn't have the heart to tell you / But / (I'm still afraid to be alone) / (I'm still afraid to care) / My doctor tells me six weeks / And later you tell me ten weeks / Because, 'wounds need time,' / No matter how much I yearn for them to scar / (I'm still afraid to heal) / (I'm still afraid that it'll be worth it) / And I miss you. I miss me. I miss feeling real. / I bury myself before the dirt freezes and pray the thaw will awaken me." Text: "Trans Survivors Zine: Transformation. Plant in October" by VCA. forge.tips/zine." FORGE logo.

A green background and graphics of butterflies and flowers. Text: "About the Artist. VCA. I'm a queer, disabled, agender artist from Wisconsin. Creating art (in many forms) has always been an escape for me, a way to process feelings I couldn't describe otherwise. I hope that the things I create can speak to others who are unique in the same ways I am, and bring a new perspective to those I'm different from. forge.tips/zine." FORGE logo.]

VCA's poem, "Plant in October," uses the visual format of a seed packet to represent growth and change. Find poetry and art from 21 different trans and nonbinary creators in the Trans Survivors Zine, at forge.tips/zine! #TransSurvivors

[Image: Text on a purple background, alongside photos of michael and Emil from FORGE. Text: "nationalsexualassaultconference.org. find us at NSAC! Aug. 26-28. Caucus strategy session - Day 1. Outside of the Institutional Box - Day 2. Get Empowered Self Defense - Day 2. Anaheim, CA." FORGE logo.]

FORGE is excited to be at the National Sexual Assault Conference again this year in Anaheim, CA! If you are also at the conference, please stop by our table in the vendor area or one of the workshops we’re facilitating. forge.tips/NSAC2025

A green background and graphics of butterflies and flowers. Text: "Trans Survivors Zine: Transformation. Burnt by Morten Feindt. 'She has never asked for an explanation or seemed overly curious. Sometimes her fingers trailed along the patterns on my arms, skin melted into muscle. Did I just break an unspoken agreement between us? I’ve been meaning to tell her the story. I want her to know. But I don’t want to tell her of the pain. What if she becomes less careful knowing how strong I can be when I have to?' forge.tips/zine." FORGE logo.

A green background and graphics of butterflies and flowers. Text: "About the Writer. Morten Feindt. Morten Feindt is a trans writer, assistant prop master, and community builder from Germany. His works explore social encounters, often focusing on quiet moments in between. @mortenmfeindt forge.tips/zine." FORGE logo.

Morten Feindt's "Burnt" explores relationships between intimacy, scars, and how or with whom we share our histories. Read the full piece in Issue #2 of the Trans Survivors Zine, available at forge.tips/zine

Find Morten at instagram.com/mortenmfeindt

A green background and graphics of butterflies and flowers. On the first slide is an image of "Untitled (From the series Neither/Nor)" by Jackson Bailey. The black-and-white photograph is a close-up of a person's folded torso, with both top surgery scars and self-harm scars visible in the frame. Text: "Trans Survivors Zine: Transformation. Untitled (From the series Neither/Nor). forge.tips/zine." FORGE logo

A green background and graphics of butterflies and flowers. Text: "About the Artist. Jackson Bailey. Jackson Bailey (they/them) is a multidisciplinary trans, non-binary artist and educator based in Tkaronto/Toronto. Working across analog photography, printmaking, installation, and fibre-based media, their practice explores grief, resistance, and the body as a site of memory. As an agender artist living with disabilities, Jackson is committed to disrupting binary norms and fostering accessible, care-centred spaces for trans and gender-diverse creative expression. jacksonbailey.ca @xaj.jax. forge.tips/zine." FORGE logo.

Jackson Bailey's "Untitled" (from the series Neither/Nor) "holds space for the contradiction of feeling too much and not enough." Find this art piece in Issue #2 of the Trans Survivors Zine, available at forge.tips/zine

Connect with Jackson at jacksonbailey.ca!

A green background and graphics of butterflies and flowers. Text: "Trans Survivors Zine: Transformation. Transition by Donnie Dallas. 'a fever dream / maggots bore down into the rotting flesh / DIGGING / CHEWING / WRITHING / REINVENTING / they’ve left a shell / meal finished / the carcass of a girl who was never really there to begin with / TIME TO START OVER' forge.tips/zine." FORGE logo.

A green background and graphics of butterflies and flowers. Text: "About the Writer. Donnie Dallas. My name’s Donnie and I’ve been writing since I was little. My mum has kept all my handwritten stories since I was growing up in a briefcase. I now have two self-published books (The Bagman 1 & 2) and a podcast (Crying on Purpose). @cryingonpurpose forge.tips/zine." FORGE logo.

Sometimes change is painful or even violent. That's how Donnie Dallas describes it in "Transition": "I wrote this around the time I was coming out to a few close friends and family that I was trans. It felt violent but also cathartic to begin my life again." forge.tips/zine

A green background and graphics of butterflies and flowers. Text: "Trans Survivors Zine: Transformation. Gurl/Boy by Cee Onley. 'Almost three years into becoming the man of my dreams / Not trying to pick a side but I’m still on the team / Still one of the gurls / Beard growing in nice / Yall gon be sick of me when it connects / Still one of the gurls / Smelling like a teenage boy after gym class / Natural deodorant is a joke / Still one of the gurls.' forge.tips/zine." FORGE logo

A green background and graphics of butterflies and flowers. Text: "About the Writer. Cee Onley. Cee is black, queer and autistic, Philly born youth advocate, mental health thriver and fur parent. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland and enjoys books more than social interactions. Cee is constantly looking for ways to service the neurodivergent and queer youth. @c.sit.up. forge.tips/zine." FORGE logo.

In "Gurl/Boy," Cee Onley writes about an experience of transition that is not clear-cut or one-directional, reminding us of the ways we connect to our past and present selves. Read the full poem in Issue #2 of the Trans Survivors Zine at forge.tips/zine