December 22, 2021
We at TransTech Social Enterprises know that in order to achieve a more just society and working environment for trans people, we have to model the world that we wish to see. We have to embody the values of respect, decency and transparency for our trans members and our entire community. At every level of TransTech, we have to be the best example of inclusion, equity and transparency.
Every day, there are moments where we are successful and others where we fall short. But that’s not enough, because we know that it means the world to our community that we show up all the time. Our community relies on us and we cannot demand for more accessibility, opportunity and equity if we ourselves are not showing up.
The Monica Roberts essay contest was supposed to be an opportunity for our members to express themselves and share their lived experiences, and to be rewarded for that expression and creativity with the thing that some of our membership regularly say they need the most: cash. But by failing to adequately ensure that that process was a timely and responsive one, we hurt many of our members more than we helped.
We intend to correct that today by not only announcing our winner but by immediately starting the process of awarding the winner their winnings and ensuring we create a process for future contests.
This process was not perfect, but we have learned from our mistakes. We intend to do better by our members, our community and by everyone who depends on us. Thank you to all who participated, thank you for your patience and your belief in us, and thank you for existing.
TransTech Community Advisory Board