Uplifting the Trans and Nonbinary Community Through Opportunities in Tech

Anderson: Prior to her career as an award-winning actress, Angelica Ross engineered her own path in the tech industry. After teaching herself how to code and graphic design, Ross built a career in technology and sought to share these skills with her community. Hello, and welcome to "Comcast Newsmakers." I'm Tetiana Anderson. In 2014, Angelica Ross founded TransTech Social Enterprises with the goal of uplifting and empowering trans and non-binary people in tech. E.C. Pizarro, the organization's executive director, joins us to discuss Angelica's vision and TransTech's ongoing work. E.C., thank you so much for being here.

Pizarro: Thank you, Tetiana, for having me.

Anderson: So, we heard just a little bit about Angelica's story and how she broke barriers in the trans tech field. Why did she have to do that? What was going on at the time?

Pizarro: At the time, Angelica was engaged in sex work, like most Black trans people or trans people, in general, due to employment discrimination. And she just started googling and going on YouTube and teaching herself different Photoshop editing skills and web-development skills. And what happened was, she was posing on the website, and the owner of the website realized she had those skills, and she started doing those skills and was able to pull herself off of the website and be able to manage the website. And she saw that happen for her and realized that that could happen for others, as well.

Anderson: I want to get deeper into this idea about why something like TransTech Social is needed. I mean, a lot of these skills should be and can be learned in school, but we know that there are a lot of barriers for the LGBTQ community there. What kind of challenges are they facing in schools, for example?

Pizarro: Yeah, to show up in school and to be able to thrive and learn, you have to have a clear mind, you have to be affirmed, you can't be hungry, and all of these different things, and those are barriers that affect trans people in the larger LGBT community. If you're going to school and you're being bullied by your classmates or you're not affirmed by your teachers, it's very hard to focus on learning when you're focused on surviving.

Anderson: So I know you've got some pretty specific programming that helps smooth the way with some of that. The GROW Program is one I want to talk about. What is that, and how does it work? Pizarro: GROW is "gaining real opportunities at will." So it's supported by Google.org. It started in the pandemic as just a skillshare, and we ended up getting funding through Google.org to support that. And it's a career readiness where we résumé review, we do mock interviews, skillshare, and we also figure out what transferable skills do you have that can show up in tech.

Anderson: And I know that GROW was designed with this idea of cultural sensitivity. So I'm wondering what kinds of things you had to change, what adjustments you had to make to really make sure that this program fit that criteria?

Pizarro: Yes. As a Black trans-led organization and an organization that is led by trans people, we knew the barriers that trans people had. So we were cognizant of if somebody needed to go on an interview and they did not have clothes that affirmed them, we were able to provide that for them. If they were not able to get physically to the interview, we could assist with that. Being able to eat while they wait for their first paycheck, all of these things that people that are job to job and they go from one job and don't really have a lapse they don't think about. But having a transgender team leading this effort, we were able to put our own lived experience to make sure that we addressed all of those gaps.

Anderson: How much of your very specific work within the LGBTQ community is actually beneficial for all? I mean, there's this idea of, you know, helping one community helps all communities. What's your philosophy there?

Pizarro: Yeah, our philosophy is, when you center the most marginalized in the community, it is accessible to all. So we think about those that are formerly incarcerated, those who have housing insecurity, maybe they don't have secure Wi-Fi, or maybe they don't have a laptop or actual technology to tap in. Those are all of the things that we think about. So if those barriers are not affecting you, our resources are still accessible to you.

Anderson: And, E.C., I know a lot of people want to know more about everything you do. What's the website?

Pizarro: Transtechsocial.org and TransTech Social on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Anderson: E.C. Pizarro with TransTech Social, thank you for being here.

Pizarro: Thank you so much for having me here, Tetiana.

Anderson: And thanks to you, as well, for watching. As always, for more great conversations with leaders in your own community and across the nation, visit comcastnewsmakers.com. I'm Tetiana Anderson.