T-Buddy is a group established by trans* individuals in Antwerp, Belgium in autumn 2022, with the aim of providing experienced buddies to support trans* people starting their gender transition journey. The group receives support, advice, and space from "Het Roze Huis Antwerp" to carry out their work. Finding suitable buddies to match with applicants has been and is a major challenge. There are currently few buddies with a migration background available to support trans* individuals, and communication barriers due to language and cultural differences make it difficult to connect with trans* individuals from different backgrounds. Currently, the group receives many requests for buddies, particularly from younger individuals, and there is a significant backlog of applicants waiting to be matched. Therefore, the group is currently focused on recruiting more buddies to meet the existing demand. While the intention was to work primarily in and around Antwerp, the network is gradually expanding, and the group has already received requests for buddies from the Netherlands.
The group remains committed to providing support to the trans* community and continues to work hard to recruit and match suitable buddies.