Nestled between a mix of homes and small businesses on the busy thoroughfare of Montgomery Road in Silverton, Ohio, lies Transform Cincy. This 3,000 square-foot house has been converted into a haven of sorts; Transform Cincy exists as a non-profit where trans and gender non-conforming youth under 18 can receive clothing to be their fullest selves. At the helm sits Tristan Vaught, an enigmatic, fiery force for a reimagining of what it can mean to affirm the next generation of queer youth. 

Like many modern origin stories, this one starts with Vaught posting a meme on social media. In their years of work in nonprofits serving LGBTQ+ youth, Vaught had kept hearing that they had to meet someone named Nancy Dawson, and this was the meme that launched a thousand outfits. Dawson reached out to them immediately, and the two began collecting clothing. Dawson owned BrideFace, a wedding hair and makeup salon in the Over-The-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati, so they used the basement as storage, and the space for appointments. 

photo provided by Transform Cincy

Despite limited space and resources, the city came together in a major way, overloading them with clothing, racks, and an outpouring of support. 

“I remember one younger person, 12 or 13, came in with mom, not making eye contact, mom was depressed… Parents get as much out of this sometimes,” Vaught recalls. “Well, the door flies open, and this kid is using the BrideFace front room as a catwalk. Mom starts crying and says ‘I have never met my kid before’ and it turns into this little fashion show. I didn’t think this kid was going to interact with any of us.” 

Moments like these cement that a vision has found execution, and from here Dawson and Tristan knew they were in the beginnings of something so much bigger than themselves. 

Dawson, a beloved member of the Cincinnati community, had been in cancer remission. A routine scan revealed the cancer came back. Transform Cincy was founded in September of 2019, this tragic return of aggressive, metastasized cancer was discovered in October, and she was given until the end of the year to survive it. Warrior she is, she stayed with us until April of 2020, leaving an indelible legacy of advocacy and heroism. The Transform space is imbued with a glow that can only be described as the healing, encapsulating love of a mother, with photos of her adorning shelves, and a mission being carried out daily she certainly smiles upon. 

Moving through grief and a global pandemic could have been curtains for Transform, but there is a steely perseverance that floats around Vaught. Fighting for Dawson’s memory, partnered with a love for queer and trans  youth, has brought Transform out of the basement and into the community. Their new Silverton location has ample parking, is on the bus line, and connects to most Cincinnati suburbs within a 20 minute drive. 

Transform is… full of clothing. Racks fill every room, the large garage is fuller than anyone could imagine , as is the shed in the backyard, and the storage unit off-site. Kids, and  families can make private appointments, peruse the racks, choose as many outfits (including shoes and accessories) as they’d like. They can also try on whatever they want, and keep what works for them. A full wardrobe is available, and can be  salon to freshen up their style, along with a wide breadth of community resources. 

Beyond a sartorial provisions, Transform partners with Beech Acres to provide community support for parents of queer youth and NAMI for peer-to-peer support for the kids. Every Wednesday and Friday night there is community to be felt in the space, facilitated by their team of dedicated and vetted staff members (who have all been FBI-background checked). From crafts, board games, movie nights, to community dinners, the entirety of a child’s spirit is embraced, and their families are given the space and grace to learn how to love every glimmering facet of their child’s identity. 

When asked about what it means to create a space for these children and families, Tristan uses the language “safer, braver spaces,” noting that true safety is always tenuous and requires ongoing care, intention, and maintenance. 

“I don’t call them safe spaces, I call them braver, safer spaces,” they say. “Anyone can come in and make it unsafe, and I need people to understand that. But you can make them braver, and safer. That’s how you build resilience right? You’re going to have to learn, and we can learn in a safer place what that looks like to be attacked. I push back on making things so sanitized. That’s what we’ve lost between generations. Queer and trans kids don’t have queer and trans parents to teach them code-switching or teach them the history or teach them spaces aren’t safe…” 

This sentiment encapsulates the less-articulable mission of Transform, and the oeuvre of Vaught and their work. The queer youth of this particularly nuanced generation need a place to sharpen their weapons for the world out there, a place to learn who they are, what gifts they have been given, and how they can collectively become the strongest, bravest, safest versions of themselves. 

Vaught adeptly strides across a tightrope. While this space is a place so loving and tender, doing something in the seemingly gentle realm of caretaking and dressing children, there is another edge to this sword entirely.

photo provided by Transfrom Cincy

“This interpretation of affirming can’t be coddling,” Vaught says. “There are lessons in that..spaces where they are going to grow in that. It’s much easier for me to knock down obstacles…and the parents too… It’s a balance. [in the past] I have watched people come in and take that armor off. They’ve taken a weight off. And we watch them put it back on again. I sometimes don’t see that with this younger generation. We can teach them to put their armor on, and give them a place to take it off. We all need to protect ourselves and each other.” 

“There’s a triage moment, you take them in, they need clothing, they need to start their journey. Then they need to build community. We need to support parents and their community. People can move on that scale of what they don’t know.” They say this, and they say they don’t want the kids dependent on the space, or on them. They want them to build the skills they need to thrive on their own. They don’t want Transform to be the only place for them. Not only because more spaces exist for them, but because they are given the launch pad to make any place theirs. “I miss some of the kids when they move on. But they needed us for the time they needed us, and we did our job. But they’re playing sports, they’re doing other things.” 

This pedagogy of preparedness, a refreshed take of the rearing of our youth, is one that allows kids to make their own mistakes, and learn the lessons necessary to thrive while suspended above a safety net. Vaught understands that in this new world we are entering, our children must be supported, but support only matters if it leads to the eventual standing on one’s own. 

Transform Cincy holds events in their Silverton space on Wednesday and Friday evenings every week at 6pm, private closet consultations are by appointment only, and they welcome their space to other non-profits in the area to hold events or build community.