Transitioning? There’s an app for that.

In 2021, well-known trans activist Aydian Dowling looked out over the social media landscape and didn’t like what he saw.

The 36-year-old transitioned 12 years ago and appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and the cover of Men’s Health to talk about it. He has a thick skin when it comes to life online and the slings and arrows that come with celebrity.

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But Dowling cites a statistic from GLAAD that indicates 49% of trans and non-binary people consider themselves unwelcome on social media. That includes TikTok and Reddit, online communities closely associated with people in transition.

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So he set out to provide a space unconditionally welcoming to the trans community.

The result is TRACE, an app designed by trans people for trans people who are transitioning, along with their friends, families, and allies. 

LGBTQ Nation: Walk our readers through it. What does TRACE stand for?

Aydian Dowling: TRACE is an acronym, because we love acronyms in this community. It stands for Transition Recording And Community Engagement.

We have two sides of the app. One, you’re documenting your gender transition. On the other side, you’re building community and getting support from your allies.

LGBTQ Nation: What are users going to find on the app that makes transitioning easier?

AD: On one side, you’re going to get peer-to-peer support, so you’re going to be able to ask for support very openly and feel secure, to get information, to hear different people’s opinions about the same thing. You want information on top surgery? We’re going to tell you that, plus the negative, the realistic.

Then on the other side, many people want to document their gender transition. “No, I didn’t look like this when I first started transitioning.” To be able to look back to see where you come from — to see your journey — it’s really moving. It’s very inspirational to remember how far you’ve come, to not just yourself, but to other people as well. So this will automatically remind you to take that photo, to take that video, and be a place to store your anniversaries.

Also, it’s a place to get reminders to take your medication, so that your hormone levels are good and steady. You would think that after taking a shot every single week, for years, you would remember, but it just gets harder to remember.

LGBTQ Nation: Does it work like a medical assistant for you?

AD: Yes and no. We don’t like to use that language, just because we are not storing or asking for any of your medical information. You are just choosing that if you would like, you can also have a reminder to put on your compression chest vest, for example. So we have reminders; you get to use them how you would like.  

LGBTQ Nation: How is the app different from other trans-supportive communities, like TikTok or Reddit?

AD: It’s trans-first. We are trans-owned, we are trans-run. TikTok has been known to ban trans people’s bodies. You just have to get one person to report you from the wrong side of TikTok and you are automatically deemed inappropriate. You’re getting your lives taken down and you’re not able to post over time.

And then, you know, Reddit — it’s kind of a hit or miss with Reddit. I think that it can be a dumpster fire in a lot of ways if you get off on the wrong thread. We really do our best to prevent dumpster fires here at TRACE.

LGBTQ+ Nation: TikTok in particular among online communities gives non-trans users an inside view of people transitioning. That can draw criticism, but it can also foster empathy among non-trans folks and produce allies. Is TRACE just for trans folks, or is there a place on the app for allies and those who just want to be supportive?

AD: Allies are 100% welcome to TRACE. Statistics show that with the support of just one person in the life of a trans or non-binary person, suicide attempts go down by 40%. That’s a huge deal.

There’s the opportunity that you’re mentioning for people to develop the empathy to learn about other people, experiences that they may not be familiar with, and kind of humanize the trans experience. But also there are moms and dads and partners and friends and family who have a transitioning loved one, and they don’t know what to do. They don’t have support because they’re going through their own transition.

So, we’re hoping that a trans mom in Mississippi, when they hear that their 20-year-old is transitioning, and they think that they’re the only person going through this and they’re the only mom, that they can find another mom out there and connect with them: someone who’s gone through what they’re going through. They could get support, they could get advice. They can meet other people who are at the same stage as them and just be able to have someone that they can ask questions, to develop a friendship and an allyship with. We think that that’s going to directly impact that transitioning person.

LGBTQ Nation: Is nudity allowed on the app? It seems like it would be an important part of sharing the physical effects and the results of HRT and surgery.

We understand and want trans and nonbinary people to have places to go to see surgeries, to talk about the different options for surgery, the results of those surgeries — with the consent of the poster — so that’s definitely something in our roadmap. But we don’t have it at this moment.

LGBTQ Nation: The app is open to anybody 13 and up, right?

AD: Correct.

LGBTQ Nation: Trans kids are under a lot of scrutiny right now, with dozens of states imposing bans on gender-affirming care for minors. What are you hoping younger folks are going to get out of this app?

AD: I hope that they get the connection and support that they can’t find online right now. I hope that they can have conversations with other youth and support one another, that they can have conversations with supportive people, in general, and know that they’re not alone, that just because they can’t get the hormone replacement therapy or the blockers that they’re looking for in their state doesn’t mean that everyone doesn’t want them to have happiness and safety.

We can ignore the youth population and make it 18+, but our youth need us right now. They need the support.

Gen Z spends three and a half hours a day online. When GLAAD puts out numbers like 49% of trans and nonbinary folks don’t feel safe or welcome online, that’s half of the entire trans and non-binary population. It feels very important to provide a space where all transitioning and non-transitioning trans people can go to feel supported.