We Are DAPS: Community-Led, Justice-Driven, Unapologetically Trans

Our Roots, Our Resistance

Diversity Alliance of the Puget Sound (DAPS) began as the Tacoma Transgender Support Group (TTSG) in the late 1990s—born out of a need for connection, safety, and visibility in a time when those were hard to come by. We later became a registered nonprofit under the name Gender Alliance of the South Sound (GASS) and spent over two decades building the foundation of trans community care in Tacoma and the South Sound.

From establishing peer-led support groups and launching the Transgender Speakers Bureau, to founding TDOR Tacoma and creating our Name Aid and Scholarship programs, GASS became a crucial hub for local trans life.

In 2020, during a time of nationwide upheaval and transformation, we expanded our mission to reach trans and gender-diverse people across all of Washington—and beyond, wherever safe resources were lacking. With that evolution came a new name: Diversity Alliance of the Puget Sound.

From 2020 to 2024, we ran eight weekly peer groups, organized TDOR Tacoma and Seattle, served holiday meals to those without affirming family, and drove across the state every summer to attend 7–13 Pride events, carrying resources and radical care with us every mile.

But in 2025, as a second Trump administration took hold, it became clear that the threats to our communities were escalating—and that our work needed to evolve again. We responded by restructuring with purpose and urgency, centering our work on survival, self-determination, and safety.

We officially brought Securing Our Own People (SOOP)—a trans-led security and medical team founded in 2018—into the core of our leadership. Together, we committed to a deeper focus on mutual aid, advocacy, and community-based safety.

Today, DAPS stands as a trans-led, justice-rooted organization dedicated to:

• Meeting urgent needs through mutual aid and direct support
• Changing systems through advocacy and grassroots power
• Keeping each other safe through abolitionist, community-led security and medical teams

Empowering trans and gender-diverse communities across Washington and beyond—because no one keeps us safe like we do.

Mission Statement

Diversity Alliance of the Puget Sound (DAPS) is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that empowers marginalized communities by providing mutual aid, advocacy, safety consultation, and trained volunteer security teams as an alternative to police presence at events. Prioritizing dignity, safety, and community care, we focus on protecting marginalized communities, fostering trust, and creating secure spaces where all individuals feel respected and valued. Through comprehensive training and community collaboration, we aim to build a model of community-led safety that is inclusive, accountable, and just. By equipping communities with the training and resources needed to ensure secure, accessible, and inclusive spaces, we strive to reduce harm, build trust, and empower communities to take charge of their own safety in a way that is just, accountable, and centered on human dignity. DAPS believes that safety is a fundamental right, not a privilege.

Our Pillars: What Grounds Us

Everything we do at DAPS is rooted in three core pillars: Support, Advocacy, and Community Action. These guide not just our programs, but our values and the way we show up for our people.

Support

We meet our community where they are—with tangible resources, affirming spaces, and zero judgment.
From HRT kits and group support to emergency mutual aid and seasonal care drives, our direct services are designed to be flexible, fast, and rooted in dignity. Support at DAPS means showing up consistently and centering the most impacted.

Advocacy

We organize for liberation, not assimilation.
Our advocacy is built by and for trans and gender-diverse people—challenging harmful systems, uplifting our voices in policy spaces, and responding to injustice in real time. From legislative wins to local solidarity actions, we push for systemic change with community accountability at the core.

Community Action

We don’t call the cops—we call each other.
Our SOOP (Securing Our Own People) program provides trained, trans-led teams offering security, medical, and accessibility support at events, protests, and emergencies. Grounded in abolitionist values, our safety model centers trauma-informed care, de-escalation, and protecting community without policing.