Meet Dara Adkison of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dara Adkison.

Hi Dara, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In 2005 a small group of strangers convened seeking a shared community. They created a quarterly newsletter providing advocacy and resources to the transgender community across Ohio. What started as this newsletter grew into the Midwest’s first state-wide transgender equity organization. Currently in our 21st year and completely run by transgender individuals (the majority of whom are volunteers), we serve our community from both lived experience and highly skilled expertise.

TransOhio is dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights of trans, nonbinary, intersex, and gender nonconforming people in Ohio. We focus on direct support, education, advocacy, and community. Helping thousands of people a year, TransOhio is rising to meet this moment creatively, without gatekeeping and with earnest intention. From free legal help, emergency mutual aid funds, being a trusted information resource, breaking down medical barriers, building community spaces, and so much more, whatever the community needs we either try to make it happen or connect folks to those who are.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In 2026, trans Ohioans expressed a significant need for services, exacerbated by the national and statewide anti-trans environment. Conditions across the state are rough, 34% of transgender individuals report experiencing poverty, 18% experience unemployment, 11% have been fired because of their identity, and ⅓ experienced homelessness (U.S. Trans Survey). In addition, a 2026 Williams Institute study found that anti-transgender hate crimes had increased by nearly 300% between 2018 and 2024 (and the cultural climate has gotten significantly worse since then). Despite these negative statistics, we know that trans Ohioans are actively seeking the resources they need to empower themselves, their families, and their communities. We can’t help everyone, but we will help everyone we possibly can in every way possible.

In the first five months of 2026, 15 anti-trans bills have been proposed in Ohio, with 773 bills in consideration around the country (via Trans Legislation Tracker); this has been part of ongoing escalations in the last few years. The amount of additional harm done is honestly beyond words at this point; baring trans people from accessing government services, limiting and stripping our healthcare, limiting our ability to have accurate identification, proposed bills to make it a felony to be perceived as transgender, and and countless bills targeting our basic rights to simply exist in public. Trans people are not an ideology, an issue, or a talking point; we are human beings who just want to exist with the same rights as everyone else.

Despite discrimination and bias, transgender and gender-nonconforming people are happier and have a higher quality of life when they get to be their authentic selves. That increase in happiness is despite the current political environment, making increasing urgent community services in Ohio that much more of an imperative.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
TransOhio remains in constant conversation with the community so that we can adapt our services to meet the greatest areas of ever changing needs. We provide, and have significantly scaled up, our core programs, three of which include: Transformation Emergency Fund, Ohio Name Change Legal Clinic, The TransOhio Trans & Ally Symposium, and Community education and advocacy.

Transformation Emergency Fund: transgender Ohioans are facing increasingly unsafe environments and a lack of access to the resources they need to thrive. Through The Transformation Emergency Fund, we provide resources to trans people who urgently need healthcare, food, housing, or relocation to a safer environment. Since the fund’s launch in December 2023, we have distributed over $315,000 and served over 6,000 transgender community members. Providing vital cash assistance, in concert with a personal resource navigation conversation, and a community ear to talk with is a vital and directly impactful program.

Ohio Name Change Legal Clinic- We lead regular transgender focused legal clinics, both virtually and at in person pop ups across the state. These clinics provide professional, affirming attorneys to help navigate name or gender marker changes, employment and housing concerns, school issues, and general legal advice. Where possible, we host these clinics in partnership with county courts, allowing individuals who are pursuing a name change to receive a decision on the same day. In November 2024, the need for our services increased 350% overnight. Previously we served about 300 people a year- now we continue to see over a 1,000 per year.

The TransOhio Trans & Ally Symposium began as a one-day event in 2008, attended by approximately 80 people. Now in its 17th year, the Symposium has since grown to be a multi-day conference with 300+ participants, 75+ workshops, and various continuing education credits for qualifying professionals. Our theme for 2026 was Across Generations.

Community Education and Advocacy- TransOhio provides education in the community to business, ERGs, schools, legislators, businesses, and other intersectional community organizations. Our programming offers education and ongoing support to help better understand and support the transgender community. This past year we trained multiple housing authorities, other non-profits, city councils, and schools. We maintain over 100 trained speakers who specialize in law, employment and/or school policies and procedures, HR concerns, mental health topics, and gender-affirming services specialized to the target audience we are working with. TransOhio is crucial in guiding Ohio’s responses to discriminatory legislation, orchestrating calls to action, and developing informative community materials. We are the ‘go to’ for organizations who need a trans voice or a trans perspective to shape organizational positions, testimonies, and legislative advocacy.

Our programming includes but is not limited to these three programs. TransOhio’s 2025 highlights also include:
* 100+ free WPATH letter connections made breaking down healthcare barriers.
* 500+ physical copies of our Trans Joy zine circulated to uplift community voices.
* 100+ calls to action against anti-trans legislation to prevent as much as possible from passing.
* 1000+ trans folks helped at Ohio Name Change Legal Clinics so that people have correct identification.
* 4000+ trans Ohioans supported by the Emergency Fund helping with healthcare, housing and emergency transportation.
* Name/Gender Marker Micro-Grant Distribution: $50,000+
* Emergency Fund Mutual Aid Distribution: $160,000+ (2025)

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The urgency and scale of TransOhio’s work has intensified in response to the rapidly changing national and statewide landscape for the transgender community. In 2025 alone, service numbers for TransOhio’s Ohio Name Change Legal Clinic jumped by 350%. For the Transformation Emergency Fund need continues to increase 100% each year of the fund. These numbers indicate that our programs are working- but scaling to meet the overwhelming need our community is experiencing is difficult. As a mostly volunteer group, we can’t replace the gaps created by multiple shuttered state and federal programs, but we’ll help in every way we can.

Our community support is made possible by community fundraising through concerts, bake sales, art, t-shirts, readathons, drag shows, cycling, social media, individual donation large and small, and so much more. There are a handful of examples of how we got here: One drag show kept 6 trans people from losing their apartments & staying housed. One piece of original artwork got two trans people their 3 month supply of HRT. One tattoo got 4 trans people bus fare to get to medical appointments. One concert got 3 trans people relocated safely out of dangerous situations. Every amount of help we receive matters and goes towards tangibly helping trans Ohioans. We’re going to keep helping folks across Ohio no matter what, and we hope you’ll join us in rising to meet this moment.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.transohio.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transohio_org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/transohio
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/transohio
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/transohio
• Other: https://blueskydirectory.com/profiles/transohio.bsky.social