About TFA

Organized in 1998, the Transgender Foundation of America (TFA) is a Houston-based grass-roots nonprofit organization that obtained its 501c3 nonprofit status in 2001. TFA was brought into existence through the hard work and support its parent organization, the Gulf Coast Transgender Community (GCTC) which traces its roots back to 1965. In addition to TFA, GCTC was instrumental in organizing pioneering organizations like the Texas Association for Transsexual Support (TATS) and events like the International Conference on Transgender Law and Employment Policy. GCTC’s spirit lives on in the TFA mission of improving the quality of life for transgender people.

TFA does this by:

Being there: TFA provides homeless services and removes barriers to mental health support through free group therapy, counseling and vetted referrals. Additionally, TFA supports community development through providing free meeting space to groups and by hosting regular events that strengthen ties within the GLBT community.

Engaging in advocacy, education and outreach: Whether it’s doing things like organizing the Myra Ical vigil and meeting with officials or pushing for equal access to housing, medical care and social services, the efforts of TFA have fueled practically every effort to make medical care, social services and low-cost therapy services available to transgender Houstonians. Whether it’s training employers and professionals, providing the community access to the only TG library in Texas and the only TG archive open to the public in the nation or teaching our community about HIV and working with schools and universities to support greater understanding of the transgender community, TFA has paved the way for meaningful change in the services the community relies upon.

What makes TFA unique is that it is an agency that is run by the transgender community itself. Every program, meeting, educational effort and service is created by the transgender community for members of the transgender community.

Transgender Foundation of Americais a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, Inc which produces the Standards of Care for the ethical medical and psychological treatment of transgender people.