It’s International Trans Visibility Day, but just this week, some states have threatened the healthcare and school inclusion of their transgender citizens. It’s hateful and unacceptable, and it can feel too big to solve—especially if we live in other states. But transgender Americans are part of all our communities, and whether it’s through political activism or community organizing, we can all support our friends and neighbors dealing with feelings of exclusion or isolation.

To help us become active allies (keyword: active), we spoke with Carmarion D. Anderson-Harvey from the Human Rights Campaign. “Being a co-conspirator means that you are intentional about being a voice in a community,” she says.

Here are her tips for educating ourselves about trans rights, finding activists already doing the work, and supporting transgender communities during and after Covid.

As HRC’s Alabama State Director, you spearhead Project One America. What’s that?
It started in 2015 when [we] recognized the challenges of doing our work in the South. There is a difference in how we promote equality when it comes to southern states because of intersectionality with race—primarily Black folks. We also have to come against religion [since] we’re in the Bible Belt.

How do you work through those barriers?
We go out in the community and educate in various ways: HIV and health equity, inclusion in schools, and working with HBCUs… I’ll sum it up like this: As a southerner, I can’t be effective in our mission if I can’t sit at your table and eat your potato salad. We don’t eat everybody’s potato salad in the South, okay. But I have to build a level of trust, through food perhaps, in order for [people] to even hear about controversial issues that are keeping equality moving forward in Alabama. That’s the premise of Project One America: to identify the pro-equality gatekeepers that are going to allow that education to get into these hard-to-reach places.

How can we get involved?
Educate yourself holistically about the transgender community, and the definitions under that umbrella. Start online. Then learn from a regional level to understand your backyard culture. The needs of my trans community may be a lot different [than yours] because of lack of resources, lack of visibility, or the increase of violence on trans women in the south.

How do we know we’re being a good ally?
Empathize through a lens of looking through a mirror. When you look at them and see yourself, that will motivate you to not just be an ally mentally, but move into actionable steps, like finding and partnering with a [local] trans-led organization. And when you show up, you’re there to support them—not tokenize the community or take up space. And the final thing is, if you don’t know, don’t pretend. It’s okay to say, “I read something about the transgender community, and I don’t even know where to start,” [because] this is a space where we want to educate.

When we vote, how do we know which politicians actually support trans rights?
We keep a list of pro-equality candidates; we have relationships with these candidates, and they have partnered with us on initiatives. So it’s just a matter of going to hrc.org, or even just Googling that particular candidate.

What’s something we don’t often realize about the trans community?
I often teach that we all transition from something—[whether that’s] transitioning from taking a shower to putting on our favorite clothes—in order for our presentation to be what we want it to be. That mindset is the same for trans-identified communities. Sadly, we have to negotiate if we want to go out that day, because we know we’re a target the moment we leave our safe spaces. But we are [all] the same.

What can we do right now?
Post something on social media about something positive or educational about the trans-identified community. We have celebrity trans folks, from Laverne Cox to Janet Mock, so even [sharing] their latest Instagram and saying, “I think this is very powerful,” is the first step.