Transgender Resource Hub Goes Live to Provide Factual Information on the Trans Experience

Those who seek accurate, reliable information about the transgender community, from definitions to resources to the identification of experts, will now be able to access a newly developed resource that addresses the lack of quality information online. Launched on Wednesday morning, the Trans Data Library provides access to a central information hub about transgender experiences.

Virginia transgender journalist Evan Urguhart came up with the idea. His news site, Assigned Media, fights anti-trans propaganda.

It was in the fall of last year that Urquhart first thought of the Trans Data Library. Urguhart said that it's the wave of very well-funded, concerted efforts by anti-trans actors spewing and fostering appalling misinformation about transgender people that brought the project to life.

“A parent of a trans youth — they live in one of the dangerous states — was talking to me about the misinformation [out there] and their frustration that it felt like even people who wanted to be allies often the information they were coming across was flooded with bad information,” he said.

In theory, a politician might support transgender people, but they aren't informed enough to be a vocal advocate. The resources provided by Urguhart and his team could help the politician become knowledgeable to stand up to transphobia.

The ACLU has tracked hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills this year, many of which targeted the transgender community and gender-affirming health care.

“As a trans person, I’m very concerned about what’s going on for the trans community,” he said. He said he asked himself, “What can I do?”

His solution was to create a comprehensive repository of credible information regarding transgender issues.

“[So] this parent had an interest in putting a little funding behind this [idea],” he said. “So I sought out three other trans writers and a trans developer to create the site.”

The group is compiling and editing articles for the database that the team hopes will function as a Wikipedia of sorts, though without the public’s ability to edit content. However, there is a submission process for review or corrections of information.

The Trans Data Library raised 34 percent of its $20,000 goal in the first six days of the fundraiser. The project is still accepting donations.

“The trans community is small, just by a percentage of the population,” Urquhart said. “We are not wealthy. We are very marginalized. Very much struggling to survive.”

He said that to open people’s eyes to accurate information about transgender people, resources that can be relied on should be available to those who are open to learning.

“I’m not trying to reach out to people who have already made up their minds,” he said. “I’m trying to help people get better information if they want it.”