Who We Are
The Trans Formations Project is a trans-led, grassroots and volunteer-driven 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization dedicated to both informing about and advocating against the anti-trans legislative crisis in the United States. To these ends, we maintain a database of all anti-trans legislation that has been introduced since 2021, when our organization was founded, in all 50 states and nationally. We also maintain a database of contact information for all representatives both at the national and state level, as well as their voting records on anti-trans legislation both in committee and on the floor. We use our database and our team of researchers to publish a weekly newsletter of all happenings in the trans advocacy space in the US as well as maintain a robust social media presence. Above all, we are grounded in community and committed to providing our information accurately, actionably, and accessibly.
Our work has been featured in NPR, the Washington Post, and other notable publications. The Movement Advancement Project uses the Trans Formations Project’s database to check their work, and it is used by other movement organizations to track and inform legislative advocacy nationwide. Additionally, the Trans Formations Project’s newsletter has been shared by celebrities such as Alok Menon, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Billy Porter.
Our database is the only resource we know of to effectively compile all information about bills that threaten transgender people and bills that could help transgender people, as well as compile full contact information for all representatives relevant to such bill proposals. We are committed to compiling this information in a single place in order to shorten the path from information to action on behalf of constituents, and empower individuals to make tangible change in the fight for transgender rights. In addition to our continuously-updating database, we also are investing in writing and educating about these bills.
Your donation will allow us to continue funding web-hosting, legislative tracking and outreach services that can make our mission more accessible and broad reaching, allowing us to create change, together.
How it started
From a viral twitter thread to an organization at the forefront of legislative advocacy for transgender communities, ours is an underdog story. The first members of TFP were brought together in the spring of 2021 by Alex Petrovnia, our founder, with a simple idea; track anti-trans legislation in an accessible way. At the time, only one tracker existed that identified anti-trans legislation as its own category, and not a single tracker existed that explained what bills actually did. This ragtag team was determined to change that. In the fall of 2021, we incorporated as the Trans Formations Project, and since then we have seen exponential growth. What began as a simple idea has expanded into an organization that has attracted more than 250 separate volunteers, connected and collaborated with organizers, activists and advocacy groups nationwide, amassed over 50,000 followers across various platforms, and throughout it all, been a reliable leader in the sphere of legislative advocacy, tracking and reporting for transgender communities. We are still growing, and still committed to our mission. Be part of our story by donating, volunteering, or sharing our resources.
Mission Statement
The Trans Formations Project is dedicated to providing accurate, actionable, and accessible information about the anti-trans legislative crisis in the United States.
Vision Statement
We envision a world where through community all trans people are empowered in their lives, safe from persecution, and able to express themselves without fear.
Board of Directors
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Mika Fernandez (she/her)
Mika Fernandez is a civil rights attorney and president of the board of Trans Formation’s Project. For over a decade, she has been an activist, researcher, and non-profit lobbyist on issues including racial justice, transgender rights, youth rights, and their intersections, as well as building cross-community coalitions to fight systemic discrimination under the law.
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Evan Murray (he/they)
Evan Murray lives in Maine, where he does nonprofit work in nonpartisan voter engagement and democracy reform. He's been active in queer community spaces for many years as a mentor, advocate, and educator, and is grateful for the opportunity to combine his passions in this role.
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Nick Pressley (he/they)
A queer masculine nonbinary person, formerly incarcerated activist and a veteran, Nick was able to completely transform his life over the past decade. Since 2014, they have been working on electoral politics, legislative initiatives, and issue advocacy for candidates and organizations alike across the country. He is committed to bridging the urban/rural divide and winning power for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized communities everywhere. Mostly focusing their career on progressive issues like criminal justice reform and addressing poverty, Nick joined the board in 2022.
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Alex Petrovnia (he/ze), Executive Director
Alex Petrovnia is a vocal trans advocate, a biologist and a writer. Alex is the original founder of the Trans Formations Project and currently serves as the Executive Director. Trained as a scientist, he studied Environmental Resource Management at Penn State. An award-winning fiction writer, ze also has a background writing and speaking about trans issues, transmasculinity, scientific and queer history and more. Alex is well-known for founding the Trans Formations Project (TFP) in the wake of a viral tweet thread which was featured on Twitter’s front page. In zir spare sleepless hours, Alex sings, gardens and herds his clowder of cats. He is honored to be the named recipient of the National Center for Transgender Equality's Trans Equality Now 2023 Founder's Award for Leadership and Advocacy, and graciously accepts it on behalf of the volunteers who have been with him every step of the way. Alex is a multiply disabled, neurodivergent, bisexual transmasculine person.
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Sami Mendum-Purdy (she/her), Deputy Director
Sami is a founding member and Deputy Director of the Trans Formations project. She leads the database operations for TFP, and is in charge of the collection and organization of the data presented onto the Trans Formations website, as well as keeping all of the representative and legislative information as up to date as possible. She has a strong background in human biology, political science, and philosophy, stemming in large part due to her own experiences as a disabled neurodivergent trans woman.
