Mx. Lex Horwitz

My baby boy OP needed emergency surgery yesterday and the rescue I have him through, (Nicole), came to the rescue.

Just under a year ago we pulled Oreo Pie from his timestamp at ACCT Philly, and to put it lightly, he has behavioral needs. Which was right up my alley since I rescue senior special needs cats. He was going to be euthanized because no one was willing to take the time to build his trust back after, from what we can surmise, was an abusive former home. OP was surrendered to the city shelter because his former family got a kitten, which caused OP to act out, and they likely used inhumane methods to try and shut him down. He found himself on the euthanasia list until I found him and took him in with the unwavering help and support of .

I’ve made unbelievably amazing progress with OP — going from 6 months where he wouldn’t let me touch him with hissing and fear anytime I tried to be near him, to now, being attached to my hip at all times — but my little man had an emergency this week while I was in FL spending time with and taking care of my uncle who has early onset Alzheimer’s.

OP started urinating a ton of blood and because he only trusts me, my mom was not able to get him in a carrier to go to the vet. Nicole drove there to get him and it took her all of 5 minutes to realize OP’s likely abusive past. The way he flinches with any new hands is heartbreaking. Yet with me, baby boy will lay on my chest and let his guard down.

🤍He finally feels safe and has the unconditional love he deserves.

At urgent care they discovered he was absolutely loaded with bladder stones and was at huge risk of blockage.

He had an emergency cystotomy yesterday which went very well! But between the sedated exam, diagnostics, & surgery cost it cost $3,000 that the rescue really didn’t have and ended up having to finance.

We’re so happy he’s on the mend but between this and Jose’s hospitalization just 2 weeks ago, the rescue’s funds are pretty much depleted.

🙏🏻Please consider a donation, no amount is too small and every dollar adds up!

⬆️Links in bio⬆️

✨I’m so excited to host and facilitate a day for learning and celebration, ending with my keynote, for on Monday, April 20th to kick off their Pride Week!

We have an action packed day with different events for the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and local community!

⬇️Check out more about each event ⬇️

🌟Student Life🌟: This program centers on how to build community and resilience in the face of tough times, including conversation on self-care, community care, and allyship, ending with a Q & A.

🌟The TRUST Center Communtiy event🌟: This program focuses on allyship. We will discuss the importance of inclusive and affirming school environments and what educators can do, in addition to the importance of non-profit centers and how they can best support the LGBTQIA+ community.

🌟 Sociology and WEST Class Lecture🌟: This program is for students interested in learning more about LGBTQIA+ identities, topics and issues and engaging in effective allyship.

🌟Keynote🌟: “Serving Liberation with Lex Horwitz”: A powerful, thought-provoking conversation with nationally recognized LGBTQIA+ educator and award-winning trans athlete Lex Horwitz, offering an insightful look at navigating sports, challenging misconceptions, and ways to engage in effective allyship.

📍Check out more on my website, www.lexhorwitz.com.

🥳Thanks to all of our community partners and sponsors for making this day happen!

lgbtqia

🏳️‍⚧️ For Trans Day of Visibility 2025 I spoke at the Capitol in Harrisburg alongside other community organizers and advocates, and then we lobbied.

It was so beautiful and empowering to be together in community like this. 

During a time when fear is driving so much hate and ignorance, compassion and empathy are our paths forward.

There is no “us” versus “them”. That is a damaging mentality that is used to further “other” LGBTQIA+ people, especially non-binary and trans folks, and strip us of our humanity and our dignity. 

We are all more similar than we are different. Every single person, whether you are trans or cis, is impacted by gender (norms, roles, stereotypes and expectations). These norms restrict and limit the freedoms of all people by encouraging conformity instead of celebrating uniqueness. 

🌱 The narrative on transitioning is connected to all of us too, it is not reserved just for non-binary and trans folks. We are all, whether you are trans or cis, actively in a state of transition. We are all learning and growing and evolving into greater versions of ourselves. This happens on a micro/molecular level in our cells to a more conscious level in our minds when we work to be better for ourselves, and do better for others. 

So let our differences be the bridge between “us” and “them” that acts as a guide in understanding, not a barrier or excuse to invalidate and “other” those who are different. 

📣 Fear of difference is a threat, not difference itself. When we move from a place of fear into a place of knowing, or even a place of being comfortable in the discomfort of not knowing, that is where we can start to thrive. That is where the bridges are built.

🎙️One of my favorite quotes from Audre Lorde is “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”

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What does “fairness” mean in sports?

Back in April I had the opportunity to join to speak on their panel, “A More Fair Playing Field: Trans Rights in School and Sports.” 

Trans athletes belong in sports.

Trans athletes are not going anywhere.

I do not know where I’d be, or who I’d be, without my lifetime in athletics spaces. I will never stop fighting for non-binary and transgender athletes. 

‼️ Misinformation and disinformation are driving fear and discrimination of trans athletes, primarily transfeminine people of color. 

🏳️‍⚧️ We must first understand that this is not a “debate” but rather a fight for equal and equitable rights for all transgender people. And that this was never really just about athletics – this is about a trans person’s place in society. 

🏳️‍⚧️ The “debate” is the guise hiding the real goal – remove trans people from our society and culture, using athletics as the gateway. Make no mistake, trans people have, and will always, be here. No law can or will ever change that. We are resilient, strong, and powerful. We aren’t going anywhere.

🎯 In order to understand how to approach the “debate” we must look at the reputable research, dismantling core misconceptions, which are rooted in transmysogynoir (this term was coined by writer Trudy, stemming from Moya Bailey’s term, “misogynoir”).

Transmisogynoir refers to the unique form of oppression faced by Black transfeminine people – it is the intersection of misogyny (prejudice against women), cissexism (prejudice against non-binary and trans people), and anti-Blackness.

📣 Without the understanding of the role and impact of misogyny, cissexism, and racism as systems of oppression that have a long history of harming all athletes (transgender and cisgender folks alike), we can not identify or understand what is actually happening. 

📖🎯I do a deeper dive on trans athletes, how to address and engage in the “debate”, and share best practices for supporting and advocating for non-binary and trans athletes in my workshop “Trans in Athletics: Inclusion & Fairness”, check out my website for more info!

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I love presenting my workshop, “Strategies for Addressing Transphobia and Homophobia in Our Schools” (this one was for ’ “Equity and Belonging in Action” Professional Day of Learning).

During the workshop, I used one of my favorite frameworks, the locus of control. 

🎯 The locus of control framework helps us identify what we can impact so that we stay empowered and can effectively work towards our goals without becoming hopeless (which can happen when we focus our energy and time on pursuing goals and change that are outside of our control).

📣 It is a call to action that empowers individuals to identify themselves as agents of change who have a real, critical impact on those around us (from strangers to family members to the government).

It emphasizes that as individuals we have a personal responsibility to be not only allies, but advocates, accomplice, and co-conspirators. And to do this, we can use an individual and systems-based approach to identify where we should focus our advocacy efforts (more on these approaches in my blog post!).

🚨So what’s the TLDR?
In my work, the locus of control framework is essential. We engage in advocacy from a place of empowerment, preventing burnout by identifying what we can change and focusing our attention and energy on that.

But in order to do that, we must first accept the call to action that we are all individually responsible for our impact on our collective community — we all have a critical role and impact on everyone around us. We can then use the locus of control framework to identify what is within our control to advocate for and fight for change using our individual and systems-based models.

But don’t forget to take care of yourself and your wellbeing as you engage in this critical work — that’s the only way we can sustain this journey.

Check out the full article here: https://substack.com//note/p-177187489?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=3yz4s8

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I had such an incredible time facilitating workshops at ‘s Rainbow Ball Weekend!

I facilitated my workshop, “School Based Strategies for Addressing Transphobia and Homophobia” for GSA Advisors

A special shout out to the lovely people I got to spend time with 🤍

Yesterday was my 28th birthday!!! 

I always give a different age for my heart, body, and soul. I say that my heart is 4 (both my lucky number and because I am a child at heart), my body is 28 (the number of years I’ve existed on this planet), and my soul is 94 (because I’m an old soul, and for the life of me I can not really figure out technology and ironically do not really know how to use social media). 

But, frankly, although it’s my 28th year on earth, it really feels like it should be my 8th birthday – because ~6 years ago is when I started testosterone and had top surgery and about 8 years ago is when I came to (and came out) as non-binary and trans and started living my truth. So when you really think about it, I’ve only experienced life as myself for 6-8 years. Most of my life I wasn’t able to be me. But I finally am now. And that gives me so much to celebrate. 

I am so grateful to be where I am today. I am so grateful for my loved ones, my chosen family. I am so grateful to do the work that I do advocating for my community. I am so grateful to be loved and love unconditionally. 

My wishes for myself this year are more experiences, adventures, travel, rest (and slowing down), and time with my loved ones. I’m looking forward to exploring new things. I wish to deepen my relationships and connections with others and myself. I wish to enjoy all the simple and big things that come my way. 

So cheers to 28, I’m excited to see what this next year brings.

p.s. Thanks to all the lovely souls who made this past year what it was. Love you all so much. Let’s see what adventures this year has in store 💗.

Birthday

I have an announcement!!! I started a blog/newsletter, and I hope that y’all will check it out and subscribe (link in bio ⬆️) :).

It’s called the Affirmation Station with Lex (swipe to see the logo I made!). It’s an LGBTQIA+ community space where I share my personal experiences, advocacy strategies and tools, resources for community members and our allies, and hopefully, with input from you, even more. (Check it out here! affirmationstationwithlex.substack.com).

Here’s a little piece of the intro article:

Hey, I’m Lex. Right now he/they feels good for me. Maybe you’re asking why I’m here and maybe also why you’re here. I think critically thinking and questioning (most everything) is a great practice so thanks for showing up with that intention. Or maybe you stumbled across this and are curious about what it holds – curiosity can be such a great guiding force so yay! Either way, welcome, I’m glad you’re here. I’ll start with what brings me to you – I’m here because I want to bring love, care, affirmation, and support to as many people as I can, centering non-binary, trans, and gender diverse people. And, frankly, I’ve been feeling a little lost lately. And the saving grace has been my community – my chosen family, my partner (and our kitty), and just knowing that every q***r, non-binary, and trans person out there is existing just as they are and there is unmatched beauty and power in that truth.

So I’m here to cultivate a space for community (and our allies) to come together and share in the glory of our existence – all we have to do is show up. And showing up can be a battle if you feel you are in it all alone. If this space does one thing, I want it to be an example that you are never truly alone. That someone, me, is out there thinking about you and wishing all the good in the world will find its way to you (and it will). That even on days when it feels like everything is weighing or tearing you down, there’s still one person who’s on the sidelines cheering you on (very loudly, maybe even with pomp pomps) and ready for you to reach out if you need a hand to hold (or a person to advocate on your behalf).

Check out the full article for more!!

I think I found my calling as a camp counselor.

Getting to support youth, facilitate joy, and show them unconditional love was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had. I miss my kids so much already. They are some of the most amazing individuals I have gotten the opportunity to meet so far in my life. They are fun, wise, strong, and silly — they give me so much hope for our society’s future.

I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to share my story and talk about my personal journey to understanding myself and the growth and changes in my identities, and also my professional work and what my journey has been to having my own business and coaching.

I also led a self-love & self-care workshop two nights of camp where we did independent journaling with discussions, and then used what we learned from each other to make bracelets with affirmations so that everyone can carry around reminders about how deserving and worthy they are of love, care, peace, and compassion — especially from themselves.

I can’t wait for q***r camp next year!

p.s. it will come as a surprise to absolutely no one that I loved the walkie life at camp.