Verónica (she/her)

Verónica first heard about Spectrum at a high school Gender & Sexuality Alliance meeting, around the time of Trans Day of Visibility. She was just beginning to explore her identity and didn’t yet have the resources to express it.

Spectrum’s Gender Affirming Products Program (GAPP) offered something immediate and tangible: access to clothing that aligned with who she was becoming.

“That was huge for me,” Verónica said. “I didn’t have the money to build a whole new wardrobe.”

Through the program, she was able to access everyday items: leggings, skirts, sweaters, crop tops. “It made me happy,” she said. “It helped me figure out my style and explore my femininity.”

That early support was about more than clothing. It was about confidence, identity, and the freedom to explore who she was. As she grew older, Spectrum remained a resource—this time helping her understand the legal process of changing her name. “When I turned 18, I was able to do it,” Verónica said. “And it was actually smooth. But I wouldn’t have understood the process without that earlier help.”

From identity exploration to legal navigation, Spectrum helps bridge gaps that many trans individuals face alone. “You need someone to explain it,” Verónica admitted. “You need support.”

Today, Verónica is also paying attention to the broader landscape affecting trans people, including policies that impact participation in sports. As discussions continue around proposed changes to athletic participation within the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), Verónica speaks from experience.

“They don’t talk about the reality,” she said. “Trans women lose. We come in second, third, seventh. It’s just part of competition.” For Verónica, sports are about effort, training, and personal growth – like they are for anyone else.
“People – women and men and transwomen and transmen – everybody who’s actually worked on their body to be good at their sport trains. Maybe you trained harder than some people, maybe you didn’t. It really ignores the way that your body responds to what you put it through and how you can actually train your body.”

Still, she refuses to let negativity define her experience and any other trans person’s experience. “If you want to do sports, go ahead and do it,” she encouraged. “Anything is resistance, even just putting on a smile. They're gonna cry no matter what, so give 'em something to cry about.”

Looking ahead, Verónica is working toward becoming a firefighter, a role that reflects both her athleticism and her commitment to helping others. “Communities survive by helping each other,” she said. “Organizations like Spectrum are the ones actually showing up.”

Supporting Spectrum means investing not just in individual moments, but in futures. Futures where people like Verónica can live, compete, work, and give back to their communities.