When Brave Space Alliance Development Manager Troy Taylor moved to Chicago last March, he was determined to find new trans guy friends at the social events he attended. That proved difficult for Taylor, so he decided to create the Transmasc Society of Chicago (TMS).
TMS was born out of commiserations between Taylor and his close friend Jey McCreight, a grassroots organizer and event planner.
“I met Troy at the Northalsted Market Days in 2023,” said McCreight. “I rarely run into other trans guys at these things, so when we spotted each other’s top surgery scars, we instantly bonded and spent that entire day together. He lived in Columbus, Ohio at the time but we kept in touch over Instagram.”
When Taylor moved to Chicago he lived with McCreight for a month and a half. McCreight said Taylor would ask them for “advice about everything from HRT to fun things to do in Chicago.”
During their conversations, Taylor and McCreight realized that there was a lack of social events specifically for transmasculine people so they decided that since no one else was making this happen, they should do it.
“It started with me putting out a Partiful invite for a Tboy Taco Tuesday event at my place last October,” said McCreight. “I ordered a bunch of tacos from a local restaurant, and we both invited the maybe five local trans guys we had met once in bars. We asked our cis friends to pass on the invitation to any trans guys they knew.
“Twenty transmascs showed up. It was such a diverse group, with a wide range of ages, races, gender presentations and sexual orientations. Everyone was blown away by how magical it felt to be in a room where you could fully be yourself and talk about things no one else ever understands. They asked us to please do it again.”
They hosted a Transgiving Thanksgiving Potluck which was such a huge success that they realized their events had to move from McCreight’s apartment to another larger location. McCreight said current TMS leadership team member Ace Porter knew the people over at Whiskey Girl Tavern “who graciously lent their space for us to host a Tboy Takeover of their bar in December.” That event was when TMS was officially formed.
Since then, Taylor has taken the reins of TMS while McCreight has moved into an advisory role.
Taylor said the mission of TMS is to be “a social group for the transmen and transmasculine community dedicated to fostering connection and brotherhood. Through a wide range of social gatherings, TMS creates affirming spaces throughout Chicago where 21+ transmasculine people can express positive masculinity together.”
TMS leadership team member and Brave Space Alliance Community Engagement Strategist and good friend Aicha Chehmani said Taylor, “invited me to be involved based on work we already do together. There aren’t enough spaces for the trans community to socialize that aren’t clubs or parties, even less spaces that are inclusive of BIPOC and the range of trans identities that exist. I wanted to be part of building those intentional spaces committed to uplifting and caring for each other. Out of this experience I’ve found community in a way that I’ve never had before.”
Original TMS member Simón Hobbs said he met Taylor “when he booked me to photograph Brave Space Alliance’s Dignity Dash last summer. This was before the groups inception—it had actually started as a taco night at Jey’s apartment and we all asked when the next hang would be. Since then, it’s grown into something much bigger. It’s been really special to watch the community evolve into what it is today.
“I continue to participate in TMS events not only because they provide safe spaces to make friends and socialize, but also because there isn’t always a lot of POC representation among attendees. Being present is important to me—I want to help create a space where more people feel comfortable showing up and being part of the community. Through TMS, I’ve made many friends and had a lot of meaningful and memorable experiences.”
Porter said TMS came at a time when he “deeply needed community, adding that it “felt powerful to be in a transmasculine space because it showed me I wasn’t alone, and that there was room not just to exist, but to be fully seen and understood. It has given me connection, belonging, affirmation and a sense of purpose.
“What made me want to step into leadership was that I knew how meaningful that kind of space could be—not just for me, but for other people who might be looking for exactly what I had needed for so long. I wanted to have a hand in shaping what that will be with a focus on creating spaces where people feel safe, heard and celebrated.”
Along with TMS being the go-to space for transmen and transmasculine people in Chicago, Taylor wants the organization to “make real tangible change” in the community.
“As we look to become a 501c3, in our future programming we plan to incorporate fundraising for the TMS Mutal Aid Fund,” said Taylor. “This initiative hopes to provide emergency funds for gender affirming care, housing, food insecurity or for other common financial emergencies our community faces.”
Taylor is also in the process of creating a written Trans Guy Chicago Survival Guide under the TMS umbrella, an idea that was the result of repeated advice inquiries that came up in the organization’s Instagram group chat. Taylor made a centralized Google Doc form that is also located on the organization’s Linktree page for people to relay information about where to get top surgery, which trans inclusive barbers they recommend and other topics of interest for trans men and transmasculine people. He said eventually there will be an online reference guide that includes everyone’s recommendations.
The Instagram group chat plays a vital role in how TMS operates because it provides a platform for people to ask questions, promote events and connect with each other. Taylor said they hope to formalize this forum in the future.
Taylor’s role at Brave Space Alliance means he is heavily connected to the LGBTQ+ community in Chicago, which he said is a great advantage because he “already lives and breathes this type of work every day. I often pinch myself for how lucky I am to have the opportunity to promote and grow TMS, alongside the already impactful work I do for Brave Space Alliance.”
So far, the biggest and most popular TMS event is their monthly Tboy Bar Takeover where Taylor said they “fill the space with all transmasc folks.” Since TMS’ launch, they have partnered with Whisky Girl Tavern, Babe’s Sport Bar and The North End with plans to expand their reach throughout Chicago. The most common statement Taylor has heard from event attendees is “I’m so glad something like this has started.”
“I’ve been so impressed by how much Taylor is getting done and how smoothly events always go,” said McCreight. I’m immensely proud of Troy for stepping up as a leader and creating spaces for trans joy. Every time I go to an event, trans people come up and thank us, gushing about how desperately they needed something like this. I get it, because every time I now go as an attendee, my heart feels healed. It’s powerful to not feel alone.
“And just over the last six months, I have seen so many other trans people creating new events and communities in addition to TMS. I think that’s amazing. The more, the merrier. After spending four years feeling very isolated as a trans person in Chicago, I feel like I’m witnessing a massive tipping point for our community. And we are stronger together. keep quoting ‘build it, and they will come’ from Field of Dreams. I hope our story inspires others to build the community they’re looking for.”
TMS will hold a Knife Skills Class taught by Chef Urban at Center on Halsted on March 12 from 6-8:30 p.m., their fourth installment of the Tboy Bar Takeover at Logan Arcade on March 20 from 7-10 p.m. and a Trans Day of Visibility event on March 29 (details will be released soon). All event RSVP’s can be found on the organization’s Linktree page.
“Whether your non-binary, gender non-conforming or a trans man, we welcome folks from all walks of life in the trans community here in Chicago to come out to one of our events,” said Taylor.
