First-years Lee Collings, Charley Frey and Javier Nunez have rekindled New College’s transgender support group, T Party, after the torch was passed along to them by original host, thesis student Elan Works. Collings, Frey and Nunez now aim to continue what Works had started and provide trans students a place on campus to call their own. 

T Party has acted as a support group with a variety of events keeping trans needs in mind. Notable past events have included clothing exchanges and shopping trips to Goodwill. Collings, Frey and Nunez had all been interested in T Party during orientation in the fall, but when official meetings never started, they reached out to Works and decided to take up the responsibility of running it themselves.  

“We were like, ‘We want this thing to happen. If you’re okay with it, we’re going to take it over,’” said Frey, describing their conversation with Works.

All three aim to continue marketing T Party as a safe place for trans students and continue hosting the same type of events Works did. 

“We definitely want to keep the support group [aspect],” Frey said. “It’s good to have a place where trans people can come and unload about all of the stress that they feel.” 

On the other hand, Collings, Frey and Nunez also have plans to introduce original events into T Party’s schedule. One example is T Party and Chill, the club’s debut event on Feb. 19 which they hope to make recurring. Working with the Pride Hall LLC to spread the word, T Party and Chill provided all interested students in attendance with tea, decoratable squishes and a place within T Party as its newest set of members. 

A more regular schedule will be available to students later this week, but Collings, Frey and Nunez intend to keep T Party going for as long as they can.