Trans Day of Visibility in March was an annual day dedicated to celebrating Trans+ lives and achievements, and the joy, resilience, creativity, and community of Trans+ people everywhere.
The day reminded us to pause, reflect, and think about what our next step in solidarity with Trans+ communities might be.
As a local infrastructure organisation which supports the multitudes of inspiring community-led organisations and groups across Hampshire, we decided to celebrate this year’s Trans+ Day of Visibility by spotlighting a few of the organisations. Here are their contributions!
Hampshire Trans+ Network
The Hampshire Trans+ Network is a community support and action organisation focused on making Hampshire and the wider area a safer place for transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people.
Due to being a largely rural county, local trans people cannot access the same level of support and solidarity that is found in larger areas of the country, and so much of our work is fostering individual support on a mutual aid community basis and working with official organisations and medical and mental health professionals to improve support access.
Hampshire Trans+ Network – Activism and Community
Projects:
Hampshire Queer Solidarity Centre
Our main projects at current are our Hampshire Queer Solidarity Centre which takes place every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month at the arc Winchester, and aims to foster support for the queer community and anyone in need, as well as our online provisions through a discord server.
Hampshire Queer Solidarity Centre – Hampshire Trans+ Network
Local Trans Prides
We also are the same team who host Trans Pride Winchester and last year Basingstoke, and this year aim to expand into Eastleigh.
Trans Pride Winchester – Winchester, UK
We have also worked on protests, direct action and community research to counter bigotry from the government and both public and private medical institutions in the area.
How can you help?
The best thing anyone can do to help us is to volunteer! We have a vast number of roles available, both needing people with enhanced DBS checks and safeguarding experience for our community centre from September as well as a variety of roles. We have many other project ideas, but these are not possible without our volunteers, both trans+ and ally!
Trans Joy Network
Welcome to Trans Joy Network – Empowering Trans + Communities
We are Trans Joy Network, a small grassroots organisation founded in Basingstoke, England, by a trio of local transgender individuals. Our goals, as an organisation, are to provide transgender individuals with the resources to live safely and authentically, and to ensure safe, easy transitions and broad communities by:
- Spreading positivity and encouraging kindness amongst Transgender + Communities
- Opening up our own safe spaces and having specialised support readily accessible within our centres.
Trans Joy Network takes great joy in hosting our own pride events in our supported areas to spread Trans+ Joy and strengthen local communities. During these events, we hold fundraisers for our supported charities and host stalls and stages for queer artists of varying mediums.
In the background, Trans Joy Network hosts and attends activism events in support of the Transgender+ community and in solidarity with other marginalised communities. Our mission is to achieve liberation for every person, not just transgender+ individuals or communities.
How can you help?
In order to maintain our various methods of support and resources and host our events, we rely on community donations to effectively fund our support systems. If you would like to help us continue to support the transgender community, please use the button to donate here: Donate
Trans Pride Southampton
For three years Trans Pride Southampton has been a grassroots organisation (now merged with Southampton Pride) to provide a Trans Pride event for the local trans community. We have also organised smaller community events including a Sports Day and a Beach Meet in Calshot. We assert that Pride is a protest and have organised protests across Hampshire in response to the ongoing threats to trans rights in the UK.
Projects:
Trans Pride Southampton hosted an open-to-all social on this year’s Trans Day of Visibility, and hold events throughout the year. Follow their socials for regular updates on latest activities and ways to support:
Instagram: @transpridesouthampton
How can you help?
The best thing regarding actions is to follow our socials!
Hannah Phillips
“I started YouTube back in 2012, but it didn’t really feel like it had a purpose until around 2015-16. That’s when I began making simple how-to guides for trans people, just sharing things I’d learned myself.
Around the same time, I covered my first Pride. I didn’t think much of it then, but it ended up opening a few doors and made me realise I could probably do more with what I was doing.
From there, I started trying different kinds of content – some light hearted, some a bit more cinematic. But quite quickly, it became clear I couldn’t do everything on my own.
That’s when “Trans Topics” started – short videos answering questions people were already asking, usually in under five minutes. I also worked on longer pieces, like films about bullying and Trans Day of Remembrance, which reached more people than I expected.
I began working with other trans people, all with different strengths. Some were great with a camera, others could come up with ideas instantly, and it slowly became more collaborative.
Over time, I was invited to speak at Prides, Events and Schools, and then to film them as well. That led to getting more involved locally, like pushing for accessible bathrooms in the New Forest, which then led to me founding a Charity to host New Forest Pride.
At a certain point, it felt like I could do more than just talk about things online, so I decided to run for town council as a small step towards being in the room and hopefully helping make things a bit better locally.”
Hannah Phillips | Hannah Phillips Real
Stonecrabs
StoneCrabs is a registered charity which delivers high-quality projects and performances of untold stories engaging at local, national and international levels. We produce socially engaging work that represents the diversity of the world we live in.
Our mission is to place underrepresented voices and untold stories centre stage whilst nourishing the next generation of theatre-makers.
We do this by:
- Delivering theatre productions that tell untold stories, expose social issues and engage in dialogue that ask difficult questions;
- Delivering training to young people to empower and nourish them into future theatre makers/arts leaders;
- Delivering community projects/workshops that offers local people opportunities to engage with creative conversations and doings.
Projects:
Out on an Island
Since 2019 we have run an LGBT history and community project called Out On An Island. With Out On An Island, StoneCrabs has supported research into the untold heritage of the LGBTQ+ community on the Isle of Wight.
Out On An Island – Our stories
Oral Histories – Out On An Island
Community Meet-Ups
As part of Out On An Island, StoneCrabs runs a monthly LGBT+ Book Club on the last Saturday of each month, in Newport and Ryde, and Ryde for the LGBT+ community
Additionally, they run meet ups to support trans+ communities and their friends and family (both groups are kept private, but please email caroline@stonecrabs.co.uk if you would like further details).
Follow their socials for regular updates on meet-up events: Instagram and Facebook: @outonanislandiw
Stories Underfoot
Stories Underfoot is an exciting new project which will bring to life four LGBTQ+ historical figures connected with the Isle of Wight’s history, starting with Virginia Woolf in Freshwater, and Oscar Wilde in Ryde.
Each walk has been produced by the Island’s creative community, from its script to its performance. Using inspiration from the Isle of Wight’s history, this series aims to encourage people to look at their local area in new ways and to feel a deeper connection with it.
Stories Underfoot 2026 | StoneCrabs Theatre
How can you help?
You can follow @StoneCrabs and @OutOnAnIslandIW on social media. Additionally, we are always looking for new volunteers.
