The Trans 100 is an International organization recognizing excellence in service to community by Trans People and for Trans people.

The Trans 100 is being set up by Antonia D’orsay, with immense gratitude for the work of Jen Richards, Crispin Torres, and Rebecca Kling in the past.

Our Mission

The Trans 100 celebrates excellence within the trans community. Our mission consists of three parts:

1. Provide an overview of the breadth, diversity, and history of work being done in, by, and for the transgender community across the United States and the World.
2. Act as a resource for the transgender community and our allies around the globe.
3. Provide support and resources to those organizations operated by, working for, and in the interest of Trans persons throughout the world.

In this way we hope to highlight exceptional work done by and for trans people, promote those who may not otherwise receive recognition, and increase positive visibility for the trans community as a whole.

Organizational Structure

The goals of The Trans 100 are broad, and given the current climate of and dearth of social and medical access, we seek to alleviate the challenges and needs of the trans community, both in the United States and abroad.

Who We Are

The Trans 100 is the result of dozens of hardworking contributors and volunteers from across the country. The people featured on this page are merely some of those supporting the work done by and for The Trans 100.

Executive Director & Chair of the Board

Antonia D’orsay is a speaker, author, advocate, and activist working primarily in the areas of infrastructure and social awareness around trans people, as well as Human Rights and Anti-Oppression work. She has been co-chair of Arizona Trans Alliance, past chair of the board and previous executive Director of This is HOW, director of the Phoenix TDOR and TDOV events, creator of several  support groups and community events for trans family, and consulted with several businesses and collegiate level organizations regarding trans people. She is currently the Strategic Programs Development Specialist for Borrego Health in Palm Desert, California, where she is focused on developing the medial, social, and systemic infrastructure to support trans persons in the counties of San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino.

Events Director

Those who made it possible

It is critical to The Trans 100 Team that we recognize the outstanding contributions of those who have worked so hard to make The Trans 100 a success in the past. Although they are no longer a part of the Trans 100, they are an invaluable and cherished part of its history.

Jen Richards is an actress, writer, NPO consultant, and advocate. In addition to co-founding The Trans 100, she created the website We Happy Trans, both of which have received national media attention. She was formerly the Managing Director of the multiple Grammy Award-winning contemporary classical music ensemble eighth blackbird, President of New Music Chicago, Central District Director for the Theosophical Society in America, and National Coordinator for the Young Theosophists Movement. Jen received her BA in Philosophy from Shimer College, studied at Oxford University and in Kyoto, Japan, is an Outward Bound alum, and has published articles, lectured, and led workshops on a variety of topics across the country. She recently wrote the award nominated web series Her Story.

Crispin Torres is an educator, activist, and rock musician located in Chicago by way of Mexico City. He has spent the last fifteen years working in LGBTQ advocacy, feminist movements, and anti-war & anarchist organizing. He has taught gender studies and American History at DePaul University and Chicago Public Schools. Beyond his advocacy roles, Crispin is a performer and recording artist and has most recently played with The Chicago Punk Rock quartet, The Recruitment at South By Southwest and is featured in Chicago’s premier gay and punk Alanis Morissette cover band, You fucking Oughtta Know. Crispin is also is the creator and lead promoter for Queer AMP productions, a production company focused on lifting up marginalized voices within the music industry through management support and rotating showcases. He currently serves as Lambda Legal’s Midwest Regional Community Educator and is President of the Board for the new transgender employment organization, Trans Tech Social Enterprises.

Rebecca Kling is a transgender artist and educator who explores gender and identity through solo performance pieces and educational workshops. Kling takes the position that sharing accessible queer narrative with a wide audience is a form of activism, and that understanding combats bigotry. In 2013, Kling was named as part of the inaugural Trans 100. In 2014, she was named as one of the Guild Literary Complex’s 25 Writer’s to Watch. She regularly tours to colleges, universities, and theatre festivals from coast to coast and has received praise from print and online publications across the country. Kling serves on the Pride Films and Plays Board of Directors, and on the Advisory Board of Trans Tech Social Enterprises. More information can be found at her artist website, www.rebeccakling.com

Rhys Harper is an Emmy®-nominated photographer, filmmaker, and the creator of the Transcending Gender Project, soon to be Transcend Magazine. His work has been featured in the Huffington Post, the Advocate Magazine, Cosmopolitan Magazine, the New York Times, and more – and he was also featured on TLC’s reality show, I am Jazz, in the summer of 2015. Rhys has been fortunate to travel all over the country photographing transgender and gender non-conforming people from all walks of life. Rhys is currently based in Little Rock, AR, and works in nonprofit communications and healthcare advocacy.