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Not sure which membership describes you? Check out our membership FAQ for common questions!
Looking for how to join? Fill out our form.
Why join the Trans Journalists Association?
First and foremost, we’re the only trans-led organization of journalists working on trans issues in media and journalism spaces.
We do that in two ways:
- We promote more accurate, nuanced coverage of trans issues and communities. As part of that work, we have built resources for journalists of all gender identities to learn best practices for reporting on trans people, discuss common coverage issues, and seek trainings and resources from expert trans journalists.
- We support trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive journalists in their careers. To do that, we sustain private communities where trans journalists can learn from each other, share job opportunities, swap tips, discuss the unique issues facing us as freelancers and staffers in the news and media industry, and more.
Our membership is open to journalists of all gender identities as well as to people outside of journalism who are invested in our mission and want to support our work.
Some online communities are limited to journalists only, and some are further limited to trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive journalists specifically. (Those spaces are open to you even if you have not disclosed your identity professionally, but everyone has to fill out an extra form to request access).
Our jobs board, public-facing coverage resources, public workshops, and many other resources are accessible to all regardless of membership status.
Membership types cheatsheet
| Journalist member | Student member | Community member | Directory-only | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who qualifies? | Current journalists. Full-time, part-time, or freelance/independent. Includes academics and people who work for organizations that directly support the creation of independent news and media products. Must derive income from this work. | Current students who aspire to become journalists. Any degree program or educational program type. | Non-journalists. Includes aspiring journalists who are not students; public relations professionals and public informations officers; former journalists; and freelancers who hold any paid positions doing public relations on trans topics. | Non-members who are verified hiring managers, commissioning editors, or communications professionals. |
| What does the TJA offer? | Eligibility for all organizational resources, including events, directories, and professional opportunities. Spaces to discuss journalism about trans people and communities. Can request access to online communities specifically for trans journalists. | All benefits of standard journalist membership, plus student-specific communications. | Access to most events, all job resources, and other organizational resources. Ineligible for online journalist communities or directory inclusion, but can request to view directories. | Access to our directories of freelancers or journalist who are open to PR inquiries, depending on your eligibility. |
| How much does it cost? | $0 Recommended donation: $50 |
$0 | $0 Recommended donation: $100 |
$0 |
| How can I join? | Fill out the membership application and select the "journalist member" option. Provide verification that you are a working journalist. | Fill out the membership application and select the "student member" option. Provide verification that you are a current student. | Fill out the membership application and select the "community member" option. If requesting PR directory access, provide verification that you are a communications professional. | Fill out the directory-only access application. Provide verification that you are a hiring manager, commissioning editor, or communications professional. |
Benefits for all members
Hiring and job-seeking resources- Automatic access to our public jobs board
- The option to subscribe to email updates from our jobs listserv
- Members-only organizational communications
- An online account with access to members-only TJA resources
- A public newsletter subscription, if you want it
- Orgwide meetings
- Access to internal members-only trainings and past recordings of some events
- Registration for paid events
- Discounts on ad space in our newsletter
- Discounts on job highlights in our newsletter
- Discounts on posts to our jobs board
Journalist membership
This membership is for people who work as journalists, whether that’s full-time, part-time, or independent/freelance.
We define this broadly: if your work contributes to the creation of news and media products for an editorially independent publication, this membership tier is for you — even if you do not write or report stories directly.
This tier includes people who work within the journalism industry in any capacity (including editorial, business, product, journalism education, etc). People whose work directly supports journalism are also included (e.g. you develop an online tool like Datawrapper that is commonly used by journalists, you are a First Amendment lawyer, or you work for another journalism affinity organization).
There’s one big exception: If you hold any paid position that involves sending press releases on trans topics to journalists, sending other PR communications on trans topics to solicit coverage from publications, or overseeing people who do, please apply only for the community membership tier. That applies whether you’re engaged in that work full-time, part-time, or as a freelancer. (See our membership FAQ for more on this.)
Journalist membership benefits
- "All members" benefits above
- All events
- Eligible to join our all-gender-identities journalist-specific online communities
- Eligible to request to join trans journalist-specific online communities
- Eligible to opt in to be listed in our freelancer and PR directories
- Ability to request access to view the TJA freelancer directory (for eligible hiring managers)
- Eligible for members-only fellowships
- Eligible to apply for professional support, stipends, and other programs
Student membership
Student membership is open to anyone who aspires to work as a journalist and is attending college, university, or another educational training program.
If you are a degree-seeking student, your declared course of study does not have to be in journalism.
Student membership benefits
- "All members" benefits above
- All events
- Eligible to join our all-gender-identities journalist-specific online communities
- Eligible to request to join trans journalist-specific online communities
- Eligible to opt in to be listed in our freelancer and PR directories
- Ability to request access to view the TJA freelancer directory (for eligible hiring managers)
- Eligible for members-only fellowships
- Eligible to apply for professional support, stipends, and other programs
Community membership
If you don’t fit into the above types of membership, you can still join us as a community member.
This type of membership is intended to support those who are interested in following our work closely, considering working in journalism, or developing journalism skills to support other work.
Community membership is open to anyone who has a strong personal interest in the coverage of trans issues and upholds the TJA’s mission. This includes former journalists as well as those who work in public or media relations, public information, policy, legal, and so on.
Community members are not eligible for any journalists-only online spaces.
Community membership benefits
- "All members" benefits above
- Most events
- Ability to request access to view the PR directory (for eligible public relations professionals)
- Ability to request access to view the TJA freelancer directory (for eligible hiring managers)