Bean bags fly across the lawn, slamming against custom-painted cornhole boards. They’re covered in artwork of “Bob’s Burgers” characters, a manifestation of the party host’s favorite show. The backyard is buzzing at Jamison Henninger and Yesenia Chavez’s new house.
“There’s always a theme. He goes all out,” said Oliver Coley, a volunteer, about the many events Henninger hosts for the D.C. Area Trans Masculine Society (DCATS). Trans masculine people include those who are transgender men and those who are non-binary but align more with masculinity.
DCATS is a transgender led nonprofit organization that provides resources and support for transmasculine people. It was founded in 1998 as a monthly support group, but has since transformed into a forum for support and services, including needle exchanges, binder exchanges and sexual and mental health resources.
Henninger’s love for the animated sitcom contrasts the descriptions of those close to him as focused and serious. Nonetheless, they all agree that “he is just a really good person,” in Coley’s words.
During the day, Henninger, 35, is an open data manager at a non-profit data organization. The rest of his time is spent in work for DCATS, where he is the executive director.
Before he was executive director, Henninger was a member of DCATS. He came out as transgender while in graduate school in 2011 at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and embarked on a research crusade like others who are trying to figure out their identities.
“I went to the library, I checked out a bunch of books as a good grad student does, and I watched a lot of YouTube videos,” he said, adding that “seeing other people who looked like me and felt like me out loud really helped me put those pieces together.”
Now he helps others with support and discovery in his role at the local trans masculine society. Henninger was born biologically female. While Henninger was “fairly-masculine presenting” before he came out, graduate school gave him the chance to ask himself questions about his identity.
After moving to Tacoma, Washington, post-graduate school, Henninger found a trans-masculine group after being part of all-trans inclusive groups.
“As I started to talk to others, I realized how much of a rarity it was to find a trans-masc specific group…other groups weren’t a problem, they just often talked about issues that didn’t seem to apply to me,” Henninger said.
When he moved to the District in 2014 and joined DCATS, Henninger realized that “D.C. has a very vibrant and alive trans community.”
“It’s nice to be in a space where you can talk about anything without getting weird looks,” he said. Later on, the director role opened up, and Henninger saw himself in a place to lead. As issues surrounding transgender people become a source for disinformation and discrimination, this space, for many, is one of hope and haven.
“I wanted help with isolation and not really having a community of other trans people. I think it’s important to have a community that knows what you’re going through,” Coley said about joining DCATS themself.
The reversal of Roe v. Wade in June amplified the forgotten nature of transgender issues, making community even more crucial.
“Hysterectomies became more of an urgent issue because people were so terrified of possibly getting pregnant, being denied care and forced to carry a child, and the dysphoria around that.” Henninger said. “The idea of being forced into doing that would require them to stop taking hormones, and basically put their whole transition on pause. That’s terrifying for people.”
Healthcare is already disproportionately less accessible to transgender people. Sixty-one percent of transgender respondents reported having a personal doctor or health care provider, compared with 76% of cisgender heterosexual respondents, according to a 2021 TransPop survey.
Additionally, transgender individuals are less likely to have access to reproductive health services, and 37% have to travel more than 10 miles in order to receive routine health care according to the same survey.
To assist in accessible and equitable healthcare, DCATS has a forum where users can share trans-competent healthcare providers and inclusive businesses and services, such as barber shops.
Simultaneously, ideological attacks on transgender people are on the rise. Recent debates about transgender athletes on girls’ sports teams gave rise to opinions on the legitimacy of transgender people. Eighteen states have enacted laws or issued statewide rules that ban or limit transgender sports participation, according to the New York Times.
Topics like these can exacerbate already existing mental health issues for transgender people. Three in five transgender respondents reported experiencing poor mental health at least one day in the past month—a rate 23 percentage points higher than that of cisgender respondents, according to the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which is sponsored by the CDC.
Support groups and organizations like DCATS work to combat this kind of discrimination, and provide gender-affirming resources for their members. For example, its binder exchange program provides a free chest-flattening garment to anyone in the U.S. who requests one.
Originally, the program only catered to the Washington area. After more requests came in from other states, Henninger and his team decided to open it up for the rest of the country.
“If he wants to do something, he’s gonna figure everything out to make it happen,” said Yesenia Henninger, Jamison Henninger’s wife.
Henninger believes this has changed lives, especially for young trans people. “I have been trying to make the outside look like the inside…I now have a way not only to feel free, but to feel like myself. Although I may not be ready to tell the world, I can feel comfortable in my own skin,” said a young binder exchange recipient in a letter to DCATS.
Henninger’s dedication and transformation of DCATS shows his work ethic, according to colleagues.
Still, “He’s had a very trying year. He has had five surgeries within the span of the year, and another one in December. Even though he’s had a lot of trouble, he’s not gonna complain about it…He jumped right back in,” Yesenia Henninger said.
These surgeries are part of Jamison Henninger’s gender-affirming journey, but they are anything but easy, according to Yesenia Henninger. Still, he doesn’t show that.
While Henninger has done a lot for DCATS, the organization has done a lot for him too. “It’s made me open my eyes to the trajectory of trans issues and what trans means to the younger generation, which I wouldn’t have had an opportunity to otherwise.”