In rural Sullivan and Wayne Counties, a grassroots organization is using books to build community and support for transgender and gender-diverse people.

The Trans Support Initiative (TSI) hosts a monthly book club in Callicoon, bringing together trans people, gender-diverse community members, families, and allies to read and discuss trans history, memoir, and identity.

“We discovered that there were way more transgender people in the county than we thought,” said Luisa Santoro, a founder of TSI. “Our family’s involvement came with one of my grandchildren, and at the time there were very few resources around.”

Santoro said her family eventually found support — but only after navigating a difficult path.

“He is now a very successful person, a college graduate,” she said. “But it took a lot to find the resources to get there. We’d like to help other families do that without as much drama as we had.”

For Chana Pollock, the book club is both a cultural and political response to rising hostility toward trans people.

“If you can see it, you can be it,” Pollock said. “Given all the negative energy that’s out in the world currently about trans folks, we need to build a really stable, solid grounding in our history.”

Pollock said books offer both education and joy.

“Just because the world around you might seem really negative doesn’t mean you don’t have the opportunity to create joy,” they said. “There’s so much joy to be had in art and culture.”

The group’s discussions range from graphic memoirs like Gender Queer to classic and contemporary works such as Stone Butch Blues and Hijab Butch Blues.

“We open every book club by asking the simplest question: ‘What do you think?’” Pollock said. “And it just kind of takes off from there.”

Santoro said the book club has become a rare safe space in a rural setting.

“Some people are really afraid to come out, even to a small group,” she said. “But the books help people identify with others who have the same trials and tribulations — or whose children are going through them.”

Beyond the book club, TSI hosts movie nights, community brunches, and maintains a lending library. Meetings are held at St. James Episcopal Church in Callicoon.

“I have never been in such a positive, multi-generational room as when I walk into a TSI meeting,” Pollock said. “Without calling it a support group, it naturally becomes one.”

More information at transsupportinitiativenypa.org.