The Mutual Aid Network for Trans and Intersex Individuals in Seattle (MANTIS) is a political organization that has been making itself more known in the public conscience. In February, it held a rally in Cal Anderson Park, addressing issues affecting the Trans community, mainly the homelessness and refugee crisis. Since then, it has organized a march to City Hall in collaboration with the Gender Equity Movement (GEM) to get Mayor Katie Wilson to declare a state of emergency regarding the Trans refugee crisis and free up funds to help those fleeing from states that have passed legislation affecting their rights.
As the name implies, MANTIS isn’t one particular organization or group but instead a network whose purpose is to bring organizations that advocate for and assist Transgender and Intersex people in Seattle together to share resources so as to more effectively help provide direct support and develop more organized strategies. The general structure is extremely decentralized, described as a phonebook for Trans rights groups. This is intentional, as the group was formed during a time when the Trans community faces attacks from our own government.
Groups that participate in MANTIS include the Kawaguchi O’Conner Initiative, Project Open Arms, and Seattle Transfeminists.
The Beginning
The network was started by Jaclyn Brockschmidt after Donald Trump’s reelection. Brockschmidt had been doing mutual aid for years before this point, having lost her entire support network after coming out as Trans. She was close to losing everything she owned but had a few people in her life who helped her out. “I’ve seen in my own life how quickly things can fall apart, especially if you’re Trans,” Brockschmidt told the SGN. “I have been making good money ever since then, and I figured it’s my responsibility… having done well because of other people. I need to pay that forward.”
When it became clear that Trump was going to be re-elected, Brockschmidt began figuring out ways to help her community and those close to her. She later texted a few friends, asking them to discuss what to do next, and that’s where MANTIS was started.
In the early days, the first MANTIS meetings were held in Brockschmidt’s living room. Currently, it meets in a room at Peer Seattle. “It was clear that obviously there were a lot of people out there looking for answers and looking for someone to give them those answers, and we wanted to create a space for discussing these ideas and putting these ideas into action,” Brockschmidt said.
Brockschmidt stepped down from her leadership role at MANTIS after becoming overwhelmed with managing the entire organization, but she still does mutual aid on a smaller scale in her spare time.
Since Brockschmidt’s departure, the organization has adopted a loose leadership structure to avoid potential targeting from bad actors. Morgan, one of the many organizers, has taken it upon herself to facilitate the monthly meetings. She described how the first meeting she facilitated also happened to fall on Trans Day of Remembrance, at which point she organized a vigil at Cal Anderson Park after the meeting.
“If I was bringing together a bunch of Trans organizers on Trans Day of Remembrance, there probably needed to be [acknowledgment of] that in some way, so that turned into organizing a vigil after that, and that was a pretty intense experience,” Morgan said.
TRACTION (Project Open Arms)
Aspen Coyle, who has been regularly attending meetings, is the program manager for Project Open Arms, a project of Trans Community Action (TRACTION), a small local nonprofit that aims to shift the narrative around Trans people so that more people can hear their perspectives and stories.
Project Open Arms helps Trans people fleeing to the Pacific Northwest to escape states that pass legislation limiting Trans people's rights.
“One of the big benefits of MANTIS overall is that it’s a place for Trans people who are interested in activism to meet, socialize, and connect with each other, in places that are less based around social connections,” Coyle stated.
Kawaguchi O’Connor Initiative
Violet Kawaguchi is a major force in MANTIS, having organized the rally in February and the march in May with GEM. She is also the co-founder of the Kawaguchi O’Connor Initiative (KOI), which, like Project Open Arms, helps Trans people relocating to Seattle by offering them temporary housing and help accessing resources such as Medicaid and SNAP.
Like many organizations, KOI benefits greatly from MANTIS, through which KOI has gotten volunteers, connections and a share of information from other organizations. While becoming a public-facing organization puts MANTIS at greater risk, Kawaguchi stated that it is necessary, as MANTIS is a coalition of organizations that have experience in organizing events.
“It would be a waste for MANTIS not to be doing what it’s doing right now; we need to be publicly visible because this crisis isn’t really publicly visible,” Kawaguchi explained. “There is only so much we can do internally as a bunch of nonprofits and affinity groups. We don’t have infinite resources: we have to make the public aware so they can help out and contribute.”
Seattle Transfeminists
Seattle Transfeminists is a newer group, having formed in October 2025. As the name implies, it is dedicated to combating transmisogyny and improving the lives of transfems around Seattle. The group started in the U District, and one of its main activities includes hosting reading groups around the campus at the UW.
One member, Eden Quah, told the SGN about the organization's involvement in MANTIS: “It’s just good to hear from a lot of different organizations and to network and be able to coordinate.”
Gender Justice League
Galaxy Marshall, a board member of the Gender Justice League, has been involved with MANTIS for two years on his own time. According to Marshall, MANTIS has been very helpful for finding out what efforts people are making in Trans advocacy and figuring out which organizations are providing which services.
“One of the things I would see people run into a lot when they want to get involved in mutual aid is either not knowing what already exists or seeing a need and not knowing if trying to fix that need would be duplicating efforts, so I feel like spaces like MANTIS are helpful for going over what everyone is doing,” Marshall explained.
“In general it’s really useful, helpful, and fulfilling to get involved with mutual aid. I know a lot of Trans people in Seattle have talked to me about feeling pretty hopeless a lot of the time and that mutual aid and helping the community and being tapped in is something that can really help with that.”
HELP SAVE GAY MEDIA
As the third-oldest LGBTQIA+ newspaper in the United States, the Seattle Gay News (SGN) has been a vital independent source of news and entertainment for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest since 1974.
We have begun an S.O.S campaign in order to raise $50k to overcome rising printing costs, and remain continuing to provide critical news reporting for the local Queer and Trans community going into 2027 and beyond.
Help us keep printing and providing a platform for LGBTQIA+ voices!
How you can donate!
Using this link: givebutter.com/savegaymedia
Text “SGN” to 53-555
Or Scan the QR code below!
