The Chicago Therapy Collective is a group of community organizers and therapists who work on transgender-related issues. The collective’s focus is to improve the health of transgender people in the Chicago area. In addition to working on mental health issues, the collective hosts art shows by transgender artists as a way of increasing transgender visibility. It also offers trainings and seminars for organizations to encourage them to hire transgender employees. ¹

The collective’s worldview is based on the far-left identity politics view of intersectionality. It claims the mental health struggles of Black and indigenous LGBT people are the result of systemic injustices. ²

In 2020, the Evanston Skokie School District 65 in Illinois hired the collective to conduct a curriculum development and training, among other things. ³

Overview

The Chicago Therapy Collective is a group of community organizers and therapists who work to improve the health and well-being of transgender people in Chicago. The collective works through therapy, education, advocacy, and the arts. ⁴

The collective was founded in 2018. The organization works to promote transgender art through exhibitions and performance nights. It also produces seminars and trainings to encourage businesses and other institutions to hire transgender people. ⁵

The collective’s focus is transgender Black and other people of color, and it accepts the far-left principle of intersectionality that views the mental health issues that black and indigenous transgender people suffer as caused by systemic oppression. ⁶

The collective’s flagship initiative is called Trans Inclusive Chicago. The program seeks to encourage the employment of transgender people in Chicago. It also sponsors trainings and seminars to encourage non-transgender people to feel more comfortable with working with transgender people. ⁷

In 2020, the organization renamed the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is celebrated on November 20, to the Transgender Day of Resilience. A member of the collective told a Philadelphia TV station that it was done to stop portraying transgender people as victims. Instead, the collective hosted its “Trans Art Is” presentation, which was done virtually in accordance with COVID-19 protocols. ⁸

Contract With Skokie Schools

In 2020, the collective received a contract from the Evanston Skokie School District for $25,000, to provide a “LGBTQ+ Focused Policy Review,” staff survey, and curriculum development and training. ⁹

According to the school district, the collective hosted a series of workshops and trainings and produced content to encourage the hiring and retention of transgender staff. It also taught school staff to be “allies in the workplace.” ¹⁰

Leadership

Iggy V Ladden is the founder of the collective. Ladden also serves as the collective’s lead trainer and the co-founder of the #HireTransNow campaign. Ladden also has a private practice in the Andersonville section of Chicago that serves a transgender clientele. ¹¹

Finances

While the collective is described as a nonprofit, ¹² the collective has not filed for nonprofit status with the IRS as of November 2021. The organization accepts donations through its website, which it claims are tax-deductible.

1. “Mission.” Chicago Therapy Collective. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://chicagotherapycollective.org/mission/.
2. “Mission.” 2021. Chicago Therapy Collective. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://chicagotherapycollective.org/mission/.
3. “Chicago Therapy Collective.” Parents Defending Education. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://defendinged.org/report/chicago-therapy-collective/.
4. “Mission.” Chicago Therapy Collective. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://chicagotherapycollective.org/mission/.
5. “Mission.” Chicago Therapy Collective. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://chicagotherapycollective.org/mission/.
6. “Mission.” Chicago Therapy Collective. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://chicagotherapycollective.org/mission/.
7. “TRANSINCLUSIVECHI.” Trans Inclusive Chicago. Accessed November 1, 2021. http://www.transinclusivechicago.org/.
8. Henderson, Jalyn. “Chicago Trans-Led Non-Profit Emphasizes Resilience Over Victimization On Trans Day Of Remembrance.” 6ABC Philadelphia. November 22, 2020. https://6abc.com/transgender-day-of-remembrance-resilience-tdor-2020/8124033/.
9. “Chicago Therapy Collective.” Parents Defending Education. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://defendinged.org/report/chicago-therapy-collective/.
10. Miracles In Action- Highlights From The 2020-21 School Year. Evanston Skokie School District 65. 2021. https://www.district65.net/cms/lib/IL01906289/Centricity/Domain/4/MIRACLES%20in%20Action%202020-2021%20English.pdf.
11. “Team.” Chicago Therapy Collective. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://chicagotherapycollective.org/team/.
12. Henderson, Jalyn. “Chicago Trans-Led Non-Profit Emphasizes Resilience Over Victimization On Trans Day Of Remembrance.” 6ABC Philadelphia. November 22, 2020. https://6abc.com/transgender-day-of-remembrance-resilience-tdor-2020/8124033/.