Who We Are
TransFamilies is a group of parents coming together to make the world a safer and happier place for gender diverse children. We are a parent-led peer support group with meetings in Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz County.
The Santa Cruz meetings started in 2011 in the office of local psychologist Shane Hill who understood that providing support for parents of trans kids could have a huge positive impact on the well-being of the kids. In 2012, TransFamilies of Santa Cruz County won the Queer Youth Leadership Award for Organizational Ally, recognizing the positive impact that TransFamilies' support for affirmative parenting has on gender diverse youth in the community.
In 2015, a small group of parents of young transgender and gender-creative children living on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the South Bay came together for support and community forming the TransFamilies of Silicon Valley group. This group continues to grow today, welcoming families with transgender and gender-creative children of all ages.
Around this same time, Transfamily Support Group of Santa Clara County formed to help parents and family members of transgender and gender fluid teens and young adults gain the support and education needed in a safe, loving, and respectful environment. This peer-led group is now a part of TransFamilies of Silicon Valley, and they usually meet monthly.
What We Do
TransFamilies of Santa Cruz County provides support to families of gender diverse children of all ages so they can help their children survive and thrive. We also participate in community outreach, education, and training events to improve knowledge of gender diversity within local schools, doctors’ offices, and the community at large. Our offerings for families include:
- monthly support meetings in Santa Cruz and Watsonville for parents and adult family members of transgender and gender diverse children, youth, and adults
- one-on-one peer counseling for parents and adult family members
- playgroups for gender diverse children and their families
- a Facebook page and email group for parents to connect with each other
TransFamilies of Silicon Valley is a welcoming community of families with transgender and gender-creative children up and down the San Francisco Peninsula and throughout the South Bay. In order to support our children, we offer the following to parents and caregivers (and their families):
- monthly playgroups for families with young children
- monthly support meetings for parents and caregivers of teens and young adults (formerly known as Transfamily Support Group of Santa Clara County)
- social events for family members of all ages
- an active online group for 24/7 parent and guardian support
San Francisco and East Bay families can also connect with Rainbow Families Bay Area.
TransFamilies is a project of The Children Are Our Future, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.