For many, finding community in college can be difficult. With ASU's multitude of student organizations, there is a place on campus for everyone.
TransFam is a trans-focused and gender non-conforming club at ASU. The organization concentrates on cultivating a comforting space where students can feel safe and accepted through bi-weekly meetings and a variety of activities.
Some of the activities the organization has held include its queer history trivia night, a clothing drive and board game nights.
Vice President Clover Schwalm, a junior studying journalism and English, said the organization is working to make its meetings and activities more ambitious to further support the community.
"We care deeply about supporting our community, and we care deeply about trying to make this community better and safer beyond our bubble," Schwalm said. "We're committed to making this campus a safe and accessible and accepting place for people of all gender identities, whether that's trans people, whether that's cis people or people that are still figuring themselves out."
Avery Wells, a former ASU student and current member of TransFam, learned about the club her freshman year as she worked to adapt to her new environment. After a leap of faith and regular attendance, she found that not only was TransFam a club, it was a community.
"It gave me somewhere where I could come back to know that I have people who support me," Wells said.
As time went on Wells got more involved in the club, and ultimately stepped up to the role of vice president last year. Now graduated from ASU, Wells remains an active member of TransFam.
President of the club Delilah Siegel, a senior studying creative writing, described similar experiences when first encountering TransFam, and throughout her journey as a member.
"Through TransFam, I was really able to not only be more honest with myself and be proud of who I am, but also meet with and work with and befriend a lot of similar people," Siegel said.
It was through this found family that TransFam was able to begin strengthening one of its core values as an organization — advocacy. Utilizing partnerships, events and mobilization, TransFam has increased its efforts to stand against hate and provide further awareness for LGBTQ+ rights.
One of the club's first major collaborations was with Planned Parenthood Generation Action at ASU to host Sex Week, an event hosted in Spring 2026 to teach about sex education, reproductive health and gender-affirming care.
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TransFam is also an active member of the Rainbow Coalition, a student-led coalition that advocates for the rights, safety and overall health of the LGBTQ+ community. The coalition brings together many organizations within the University to celebrate individuality and advocate for the acceptance of all people.
However, Schwalm stated that advocacy was not a recent development for the organization, but a long-standing value that it is just beginning to emphasize. The foundation of community has allowed the organization to take action as a community, not just as a club.
"As the club has evolved, opportunities shifted," Schwalm said. "We always had aspirations for being people that did work outside of our bubble, that helped our broader community. We are just executing a little more on that right now."
As midterms approach, the organization is looking at ways to campaign regarding some of the propositions on the ballot.
"I believe strongly that if we work to try to improve our community, even if we don't get everything we want in one day or one week or one year, we can still make it a better place," Schwalm said.
Edited by Dhemi Bell, Senna James, Grace Lawrence and Sophia Keeling.
Reach the reporter at eratwell@asu.edu.
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