A new non-profit organization aims help the island’s transgender community transcend.
An affiliate program with GALA, the LBGTQ non-profit organization, Project Transcend support and service organization’s mission is to help improve the lives of those who identify as transgender or gender diverse.
Founder of Project Transcend, Reena Maanao, won Miss Queen of the Pacific in November 2019 and Ms. Pacificana back in 2014. Maanao wanted to leave a legacy for herself that will help members in the trans community that goes beyond her reign.
“When the pandemic happened in March, that’s kind of when the wheels started turning because I had a lot more free time to myself so if I really wanted to get this thing going, I really needed to get the ball rolling,” Maanao said.
She added: “One of our biggest missions as well is to educate, hopefully make our island community understand the trans lifestyle. And side by side, we’ll start producing positive contributing members of our trans community by giving them all of the resources they need to not only to get good jobs but to transition in the way they’re supposed to.”
Though the organization is still in its infancy, Maanao has clear ideas on what services they plan to provide and which direction Project Transcend will go.
Some of the services the program plans include:
- Proper education and consultancy of taking hormones and testosterone medication from a professional doctor.
- Help build confidence and assistance for transgendered individuals to seek employment work with legislation and government and do sensitivity training when hiring transgender individuals, and more
The organization’s first launching event was their Transgender Day of Remembrance Zoom event, where they honored transgender individuals who died due to violence.
By the end of next month, Maanao says Project Transcend will have more social media presence and events coming up. They will start offering services in December.
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