Doula Training International’s Trans Health Initiative has had an exciting first year out of the gate. At almost every training, we are bringing trans and gender nonconforming doulas into our ranks and teaching all of our doulas about the importance of trans inclusion in their birth work. We have committed to gender neutral language in our trainings and materials, and encourage our doulas to do the same. We added Trevor MacDonald’s groundbreaking book Where’s The Mother: Stories from a Transgender Dad to our required reading list for all certifying doulas.
We want our certifying doulas to have the opportunity to dive deeper into understanding how birth workers can be radically inclusive in all areas of their work. Mac Brydum, a DTI doula from That Doula Guy, interviewed Trevor about pregnancy and birth as a trans man, parenting, chestfeeding, advocacy, and also focused on the role of birth workers.
That Doula Guy, Mac Brydum
This video will be part of our Expert Affiliate Videos which all of our certifying doulas watch during their 9 month mentorship. We could not be more excited to share this video with certifying DTI doulas in October! ENJOY!
We would love to share widely our scholarship opportunity for trans doulas. The application process is simple, and recipients receive a full scholarship (a $1,597 value) to an in-person training and a 9 month mentorship for both birth and postpartum lifetime certification. You can view our full list of trainings to apply for in our 2016-2017 schedule. You can learn more about our in-person trainings and certification process here.
If you are not trans but want to join a community that values all birth workers and all birthing people, we encourage you to register for an in-person or online training, and know that your tuition supports the Trans Health Initiative and Birth Workers of Color scholarship programs.