‘Moments of joy’ — the motivation behind Spectrum Center’s service to LGBTQ+ communities

The concept is simple — gender-affirming care saves lives.

Increasing access to resources that affirm people’s identities — and lessen gender dysphoria — can improve a person’s mental and emotional well-being, says Anne Johnson (she/they), director of community care at the Spectrum Center.

“It’s not just one tangible item,” they say. “It’s also all the other ways they can live in a true and authentic way.”

But access to gender-affirming support is limited in the Inland Northwest. Spectrum is on a mission to provide these critical connections to hundreds of LGBTQIA2S+ individuals across the region by providing support, creating community, and improving health and wellness.

(LGBTQIA2S+ refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, intersex, asexual and two-spirit individuals. Two-spirit is a term used within some indigenous communities to refer to a person who identifies as having both a male and a female essence or spirit.)

Supporting the journey

Gender dysphoria is the constant, strong feeling of identification with a different gender than one’s sex assigned at birth. When those feelings persist, it can have extreme impacts on an individual’s mental, emotional and physical well-being, as well as their social, professional and educational lives.

On the flip side, gender euphoria is the joy an individual may feel when affirmed in their gender and free to live their true identity.

“A lot of times, the narratives we see around trans identity are narratives of pain, discrimination and harm,” Johnson says. “Those are all very real and important, but there are moments of trans joy, too. Moments of true expression of self.”

At 19, Gus Dinsmore (he/they) was going through a number of big changes. They had recently moved out of their parent’s house, and as a trans man, had recently legally changed their name. A month later, they underwent top surgery.

It was an exciting yet expensive time, and Spectrum was with Dinsmore every step of the way, helping them locate affordable housing options and covering the cost of legally changing their name. When they needed extra support for at-home medical care and rent while recovering from surgery, Spectrum stepped in.

“It was a great reminder that there are people who are supportive and organizations out there that are always looking to help people who need it,” Dinsmore says. “People can be scared to reach out for help and support, because they’re worried they won’t find it.”

If it wasn’t for Spectrum’s Gender Affirming Product Program (GAPP), Dinsmore adds, they probably wouldn’t have been able to change their name or make their rent.

Dinsmore says they were lucky to grow up surrounded by affirming family and friends, but for others, that’s not the case. A lack of support can be hugely detrimental.

According to the Trevor Project, incidents of LGBTQIA2S+ youth seriously considering and attempting suicide is significantly higher among queer youth, including:

• Bisexual: 48 percent considered, 27 percent attempted
• Gay/lesbian: 37 percent considered, 19 percent attempted
• Straight: 14 percent attempted, 6 percent attempted

Additionally, in a survey of 34,000 LGBTQIA2S+ youth, responses showed that queer youth of color were more likely to consider suicide:

• 12 percent white
• 12 percent Asian/Pacific Islander
• 16 percent Latinx
• 17 percent multiracial
• 19 percent Black
• 20 percent Middle Eastern/northern African
• 21 percent Native/Indigenous

“If you’re not feeling good about who you are and affirmed in that, then you don’t even want to be a person at all,” Dinsmore explains. “If somebody isn’t queer or trans, they’re not going to understand why that’s so important or what I mean when I say gender euphoria. I don’t blame them for that. I don’t view ignorance as inherently bad, but it’s about trying to educate themselves.”

A human experience 

Johnson says some people have a hard time looking outside of a transphobic lens.

“I think when we’re talking about how joy and euphoria are experienced, we’re talking about the full robustness of life. To encounter that is to see the realness of a human life,” they say. “Those with phobia can’t see the realness of another human, and to see their joy humanizes them.”

Even in a community as small as Spokane, Dinsmore hadn’t heard about Spectrum until they were referred by a peer support group for housing assistance.

“I think a lot of people don’t know about them,” Dinsmore adds. “But I think there’s a need for it … and there’s probably more people out there who need their support.”

Johnson says awareness is something they’re constantly working at. People often think Spectrum’s services are a scam, and question why they’d offer something for free.

But Spectrum doesn’t operate by quantifying someone’s level of need, they say.

“You could look at the poverty line or qualify with this or that,” Johnson says. “But we decided, if they say they have a need, we can believe that.”

Through GAPP, recipients can choose to receive either support and financial assistance toward a name change — currently a $287 process in Spokane County — or $250 toward gender-affirming clothing, gear and accessories.

“What’s going to be affirming to one person may be different to someone else,” Johnson says.

For those seeking a name change, Johnson explains how long and sometimes daunting the experience can be. From paperwork to speaking in front of a courtroom of strangers, it’s a lot, they say.

“Some want us there and some don’t. When we do go, we have a little meetup outside and a toast together after,” Johnson says. “It’s a really big deal to change your name and say ‘This is who I am.’ It’s so beautiful to be there and support and be part of that joy.”

A space for connection and security 

GAPP is just one of Spectrum’s many services. Driven by advocacy and education, the nonprofit also provides consulting and training to outside organizations to help them better work with the queer community.

Spectrum’s community care branch, which includes GAPP,  peer support and COVID care connect, helps in their mission to create a safe, intersectional and intergenerational LGBTQIA2S+ community gathering space. The organization also hosts pop-up clinics, Queer Maker’s Markets, Indigenous queer events and other opportunities for people to connect and find resources.

For some, the services Spectrum and GAPP provide may be their only safe route to support.

“A lot of times, I’ll do a [GAPP] meetup and they bring some friends with them,” Johnson explains. “An hour later, the rest of those friends have applied too.”

GAPP provided support to 117 people in their first year, 2021, and was nearing 130 for 2022. Applications are open to anyone in the Inland Northwest, including North Idaho.

Spectrum is a small organization, Johnson says. They face many challenges, especially as a neighbor to Idaho, where anti-trans legislation is up for discussion and access to care and resources is limited.

But, they say, “the joy keeps us motivated.”

Learn more about Spectrum, how to get involved, access resources or connect with others.

“Partnering for healing and a healthy future” is MultiCare’s mission, and it inspires us to form connections that help improve the quality of life for our communities. Community organizations all around us are doing amazing work, and we’re inspired and excited to support that work.

Stories from our Community is an ongoing series conceived to dive into some of these organizations*, bring their stories to life and spread the word about how they are making our communities better.

*Some of the organizations profiled in this series are recipients of MultiCare’s Community Partnership Fund, which awards funds to nonprofit organizations working on initiatives, programs and projects that improve our community.