Thank you for supporting Trans Acro! Your solidarity means so much to our small but mighty (and growing!) collective of gender expansive acrobats. We have some updates below on what your donation is making possible, a review of what we’ve accomplished this past year, and what we’re looking forward to in the near and far future, thanks to your support. Read on for more!

A look back at 2024
Trans Acro was created in March of 2024 in response to the lack of resources for and blatant discrimination towards transgender and gender non-conforming circus artists, with a focus on the partner/group acro and acro yoga communities. As queer, trans people with liberatory values, we recognize acrobatics as an artform of resistance, that holds the power to strengthen community bonds by offering us opportunities to practice compassionate communication, consent, healthy risk taking, giving and receiving trust, advocating for our needs, and embodying our birthrights of creativity, movement, and connection.

We began developing a pedagogy to teach acrobatics through an abolitionist lens, and hosted three workshops across three states in the south, northeast, and midwest. All classes had a great turn out, and affirmed that there is a strong need and desire for this work in the circus community. When asked what they’re taking away from class, one student shared: “I realized, I really need to have more faith in people,” with another offering, “there’s such pleasure in watching somebody do something they’re “not supposed to do,” outside of their predetermined societal role…that’s really exciting, when you stop doing what you’re told and allow those shake-ups to happen!” We witnessed students try skills they previously thought they “weren’t allowed” to try, due to narratives of white supremacy, fatphobia, and transantagonism; we witnessed their elation, as they realized they were capable of so much more than they were previously made to believe. We watched people of all levels and backgrounds lift each other up, keep each other safe, and cheer each other on. We listened to reflections on racial capitalism, shame, and trauma that are often shunned from training spaces, and felt the collective relief in offering space to those conversations.

In addition to developing our educational initiatives, the Trans Acro organizers attended two gatherings to connect and engage more deeply with our wider community and values: the Carolina Anarchist Bookfair and the Trans Wellness Conference. We nourished our creative spirits by facilitating multiple trans acro photoshoots, and began platforming trans acrobats across social media. We shared narratives from trans acrobats about their experiences of discrimination and liberation, and partnered with CSAW to support their fundraising initiative for BIPOC circus artists.

2025 and beyond
We originally launched this fundraiser to support our vision of hosting the first training residency for trans acrobats, to provide an affinity space for participants to refine their skills in an environment that centers their needs. We began arranging accommodations, travel, and equipment, dreaming of classes and creative skill sharing, and secured the illustrious Dragons Egg as our residency space. Then… it burned down. We regrouped, and planned for the traincation to align with Pitch Catch Circus in Asheville, NC, in November, 2024. Then… Hurricane Helene devastated the region, and the program was once again postponed due to climate disaster. In light of these devastating symptoms of corporations destroying our mother Earth, and the ongoing, escalating campaigns to eradicate trans people in the so-called United States, we have decided to pause, rest, reflect, and vision another way for the trans acro residency to manifest.

Since we have paused our residency initiative for the moment and do not have any immediate expenses, we have made the collective decision to redistribute the funds we have raised thus far to another organization we are in close relationship with, BACCES: the BIPOC Acro Collective Care Ecosystem, who are dedicated to anti-racism efforts in acro spaces. Trans Acro organizer Mae is collaborating with BACCES to launch the Take Power, Make Power residency program, which resources BIPOC acrobats with tools to create circus performance for social change. Trans Acro is donating $1500 to sponsor three artist stipends, as well as an additional $1000 to the TPMP Mutual Aid Fund, which offers funding to residents in need of additional support such as childcare, medical costs, and travel expenses.

We understand that as a predominantly White organization, we are more likely to receive support and resources when we are in need, and it is important to us to prioritize initiatives that have the most immediate need. We deeply appreciate your trust in us determining the best use of our resources, and if you have any questions or concerns, we welcome you to reach out directly to transacro@gmail.com. For more information and updates on the TPMP program, follow @bipocacro on Instagram, and visit https://takepowermakepower.org/.

You can read the details of our original plan for this fundraising campaign below.
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In a time during which the rights and self determination of trans people across the United States, and globally, are being threatened with unprecedented anti-trans legislation and the increase of violent hate crime, trans athletes and artists have become a primary target of trans-antagonistic discrimination.

The circus industry is no exception; transgender and gender-expansive acrobats face significant barriers to accessing training spaces that are safe, inclusive, and considerate of their needs. Trans Acro is dedicated to facilitating training environments that not only provide high-caliber skill building, but also offer dedicated space for trans acrobats to connect in community and create virtuosic artistic work that centers social change, in a time when such work is so desperately needed within the landscape of live performance.

Our inaugural event will take place in 2025, with 10 trans and gender non-conforming, multidisciplinary artist/athletes coming together for a week-long skill-sharing and community building retreat. We seek to accomplish the following:

Provide a private, focused, affirming training and creative space for participants to refine their skills and work in a peer-to-peer environment, relieving artists of the anxiety of navigating spaces with potentially trans-antagonistic culture, coaches, or co-workers.
Offer accommodations to all artists that center their needs, including comfortable sleeping quarters, accessible bathrooms, nourishing meals, and athletic recovery equipment.
Cover travel costs for all attendees in order to bring together artists from across the country.
Brainstorm as a collective about the ways in which our community of trans acrobats and accomplices can come together to shift the circus industry towards more equitable training environments and hiring/production practices, and draft direct action plans based on these community conversations.
Dedicate time for Trans Acro organizers to strategically plan 2025 programming, and complete necessary development tasks, such as grant writing and outreach.
Center trans joy and communal healing through group excursions, meditations, and time devoted to rest and recovery.
Stage and document attendee training reels and/or drafted artistic work at the end of the retreat.

We are calling upon our community to support this imperative action with the potential to catalyze a new era of gender inclusive and expansive circus culture. Your generosity will help cover the following expenses:

$500 secures the necessary safety equipment required for high-level circus training
$1000 covers retreat space membership fees and rental costs
$1500 nourishes our community with a week of fresh meals
$3000 provides travel and/or accommodation stipends to each participant

Trans folks are more likely to face housing, food, medical, and/or job insecurity, often having to take lower-paying gig work or engage in criminalized labor to sustain themselves while navigating the circus industry, and upkeep their training. These conditions are, of course, exacerbated for trans people with other intersecting marginalized identities, such as BIPOC. Every donation received for this event provides an opportunity for those who are so often systemically excluded from stable training environments to finally enter a fully-embodied experience of the artform we all so deeply cherish.

Follow @trans.acro on Instagram for updates on our ongoing initiatives, community classes, and more!

Trans Acro Inaugural Campaign!

By Trans Acro

Trans Acro Inaugural Campaign!

Support trans circus artists furthering their professional practice.

Team Members