On March 13 at 8:00PM, CNN will air Susan Stanton's story in the documentary Her Name Was Steven. To increase visibility of those who are gender variant, CNN is asking trans people to take a self-portrait while holding a sign that has a message that you would like to share with the public about being transgender. CNN states, "People whose gender identity doesn’t match with that assigned to them at
birth say they often feel misunderstood and their voices unheard." This is a chance to be heard. If you wish, you can remain anonymous by not taking a head shot and keeping your name anonymous. You can see an example of what they are doing with this project here. The deadline for submissions is April 9, 2010. In order to submit your story, just head to CNN's iReport section.

Hello everyone, my name is Gwen. I am transgressive, I am transgender, and I am new here. I am also excited to have this opportunity to share with everyone my opinions and experiences. I don't usually speak about myself but since this is my first post I will indulge in introductions. As I write this, I am still at the beginning of what will probably be a very long transition. One that is hopefully filled with rich and exciting discoveries as I define and redefine myself in search of personal candidness and honesty. Although I have not yet begun HRT and I do identify as female, I still occasionally operate under my male identity, especially at my job. I do this not out of an irrational fear of socially awkward situations, but the same rational fear of job security in the face of potential ignorance or bigotry. I understand getting a job here in the northwest is definitely not as hard as it is elsewhere for the trans community, but for anyone at the beginning of their transition this risk is relatively intimidating.

Josh Friedes was chosen as the new Executive Director by Equal Rights Washington in a move that surprised no one. Josh has been invaluable in our battles for full equality and he is the natural choice to continue the fine work of ERW. According to the Slog, ERW's work for the coming year includes changes in the laws so that transgender citizens can receive all medically necessary healthcare. In addition, Equal Rights Washington is committed to supporting a fully inclusive ENDA. Please join us in congratulating Josh Friedes and Equal Rights Washington.

Why not use your experience of gender and identity as a spur to your creative life?

The work you have done - may still be doing - on understanding your gendered identity allows you to look with intensity into how our personal and private worlds develop.

Take that same set of experiences as a force to drive other work! To drive your education, your art, your writing, even the business of work itself.

And this method can be a gift to others as well; we will live life as an example of complexity, reporting to the world through our creations.

For the Future,
Marsha Botzer

I think activism is in my genes. I know that being an activist is part of my identity. I've been an activist since I came out as a babydyke back in the mid-80's. As you were handed your dyke credentials and taught the secret dyke handshake, you were also instructed to get to work. One of my first political acts outside of voting was to write to my senator urging him to vote against Robert Bork's confirmation. I can remember being so excited to march to the state capitol about 1,000-strong to demand our rights. We decried the Bowers v Hardwick decision. We stated how we would never give up until gays and lesbians were treated equally (bisexuals and transgender people were still invisible at that point). I understand Columbus' pride parade has grown up.

My first March on Washington was back in 1987. I remember feeling absolutely giddy that for one moment in history, we were in the majority. I really cut my activism teeth with ACT-UP. I had friends who were diagnosed with HIV. I've lost some of them. So I was angry. I was angry that our government turned a blind eye to the suffering of its citizens. We took our anger to the streets in the form of civil disobedience. We cried as we walked through the AIDS Quilt memorial project. We engaged others and explained how the AIDS crisis affects them as well. And we organized to March on Washington in 1993.

I've worked with other organizations over the years but I think my proudest work is right here with Ingersoll Gender Center. No, no one paid me to say that. It is an honor to see people walk through our doors for the first time, taking those first courageous steps towards living a more authentic life. I see people rebuilding their lives after losing everything when they come out. I see people thrive.

In addition to being an activist, I have a reputation for being a hothead. I honestly have no idea why <insert tongue-in-cheek smiley here>. Sometimes I can channel my anger into constructive endeavours. But usually, my anger is unbridled and gets in the way of my activism by damaging important relationships. I can also be accused of acting before thinking and this is the point of this blog post.

Creating Change empowers grassroots organizers by providing them with skills and opportunities to further their work at home. I had a good friend in Dallas and had wanted to attend Creating Change for years. Thanks to being unemployed, having a free airline ticket and a friend who was willing to let me crash in her room, I was finally able to attend. On February 4, I attended the day-long institute for Trans Rights NOW! I heard time and again that one should "expect good intentions" when working with other people and organizations. Expect Good Intentions. What a simple concept yet one that I seem to have missed in all my years as an activist. This was never made more clear to me when I confronted my own actions in the debacle otherwise known as Ron Gold-gate.

It is with great sadness that I report that Gender Odyssey 2010 has been canceled. The good news is that the producers are working on an exciting project to bring a year-round health and wellness program to the Trans community. This saddens me greatly because Gender Odyssey has a big place in my heart. It was Gender Odyssey 2007 that I discovered that I was Trans. It was a pretty intense time as my wife and I grappled with what this meant to our relationship. Believe it or not, it was just as difficult for me to come out to my transgender wife as I imagine it is coming out to any spouse. My wife had to deal with guilt for not being totally supportive because she was just as angry and hurt as anyone would be. I told her that there's no need to feel guilty because I did change the rules after 12 years of being together. Now, I could not ask for a better supporter. Breanna is not only the Love of my Life but she is also my best friend. While I did not actively begin my transition until January 2008, The discovery of my identity will always be linked to GO.

On Thursday, February 18, 2010, history was made when Dr. Oz covered the lives of transkids without resorting to the usual "fair and balanced" coverage of providing a NARTH expert to "balance" the show. This was 15 minutes of true delight as these families presented their stories. You can see the video here. Please join us in thanking Dr. Oz by signing the petition. The times, they are a'changin and this time, it is for the better.

Every decade, the US Government performs a headcount of all US residents as required in our constitution. The results present a detailed snapshot of our country. These results are used to form or change congressional districts and to assist the federal government in allocating over $400 billion in aid to states and local communities. Think of the census as your voice for how you are represented and how your tax dollars are spent. Unfortunately, the 2010 US Census silences the voices of the LGBT community. Not one question is asked about our lives and our families. This silence can prevent us from gaining political momentum, keeping our issues underrepresented in congress. This is where the Queer the Census campaign comes in.

The Task Force created this campaign to give us visibility as we work to get questions that actually include us into the next census. If you click on the picture to your right and fill out the form, you will receive a hot pink sticker to slap onto the back of your census form that states that you want to be counted as well. So join me by Queering the 2010 Census.

Abroad, America's greatest source of strength has always been our ideals. The same is true at home. We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we're all created equal; that no matter who you are or what you look like, if you abide by the law you should be protected by it; if you adhere to our common values you should be treated no different than anyone else. President Barack Obama: State of the Union, January 27, 2010

Political eyes in Washington are beginning to focus on our tiny community. Will it be enough to generate some “ayes” in Congress to lift the economic roadblocks that too often bar us from living a basic life? For more than three decades, Ingersoll has fought to end discrimination based on gender identity. The city of Seattle passed one of the first ordinances barring this long-standing bias back in 1984. The state of Washington did not pass a statewide ban until 2006. Finally, our plight is being heard in the other Washington. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is currently moving through the Congress and our own community can do its part! The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) is organizing its annual “Lobby Days” from March 14-16.

One of the things I love the most is serving on the NGLTF (The Task Force) national Board of Directors.

This wonderful organization is fully and wholly Trans and Gender Identity inclusive, and a prime mover in the effort for Trans Equality – in fact, along with the National Center for Transgender Equality, the Task Force leads UnitedENDA in the work of winning inclusive Federal Employment Non Discrimination legislation. (check out http://www.unitedenda.org for info).

The Task Force has many other virtues, and here is one I want to bring to your attention, coming up this week. Every year the Task Force hosts the most exciting conference in the worlds of Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual people. The annual conference is known as the National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change. http://www.thetaskforce.org/events/creating_change .

“The 22nd National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change will be held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel in beautiful downtown Dallas, Texas, Feb. 3 - 7, 2010. Produced by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Creating Change Conference (as it is affectionately known) is the nation’s pre-eminent political, leadership and skills-building conference for the LGBT social justice movement.

Since 1988, Creating Change has been the opportunity for thousands of committed people to develop and hone their skills, celebrate victories, build community, and to be inspired by visionaries of our LGBT movement and allied movements for justice and equality.

The primary goal of the Creating Change Conference is to build our movement’s political power from the ground up to secure our overarching goal of full equality, social justice and dignity for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the United States.”

Here is a partial list of the Trans and Gender Identity specific Workshops, Trainings and Caucuses that will be occurring at Creating Change – I’m proud of this work and of all the folks who have developed these offerings. And I know that new caucuses and meetings will rise up from the interests of those who attend, it always happens that way!

• The National Transgender Discrimination Survey: A Talk on Preliminary Findings Research and Policy
• Transgender Inclusion at LGBT Orgs: Mastering the Basics Training Academy
• Train the Trainer: Teaching Transgender Inclusion for LGBT Orgs Training Academy
• Forget the Polite Conversation: Getting Real About FTM Transition Transgender Community & Issues
• No Retreat Transgender Community & Issues
• SOFFAs Supporting Each Other Gender Issues
• Creating Transgender-Inclusive College Policies and Practices Campus
• Talking About Sex in the Trans and Trans Allies Community Sexual Freedom
• Trailblazing for Transgender Health Health
• Trans Youth & Safe Schools: Advocacy & Policy School Issues
• transACTION -- A Transgender Curriculum for Churches and Religious Institutions Training Academy
• Getting to Know You Transgender Community & Issues
• Transitioning Beyond the Boxes Gender Issues
• The Cutting Edge in Trans Rights: Healthcare, Prisons, and ID Documents Transgender Community & Issues
• Staying Safe While TRANSitioning Transgender Community & Issues
• The Journey from Laws to Jobs For Trans People Transgender Community & Issues
• Caucus for State and/or Local Transgender Advocacy, Legal, and/or Political Organizations/Activists Transgender Community & Issues

And even if you can’t make it to the Conference, do try to visit one of our Ingersoll support groups in Seattle. Easy access, a warm and respectful welcome, and real direct help are some of the reasons we think you’ll be very happy with adding Ingersoll to your short list of Trans and Gender Identity supports in your personal process of Self Discovery.

With respect,
Marsha Botzer

 

Snowball is all about growing our community — not by handing out toasters in exchange for recruits — but by celebrating achievements, not only in the trans world, but in the greater world.  Since its first event, in an attic room above the Coastal Kitchen, Snowball has called out to LGBT activists around the world and politicians who have made a difference.  

 Ingersoll Gender Center is a place where transformations often happen.  It’s only proper that it’s annual party should be held in an auspicious location.  This year, the venue for Snowball on December 12, is all new — the glamorous Café Metropolitain at 1701 E. Olive Way on Capitol Hill.   For a mere $9,  you can enjoy the full flavor  of a Parisian café and an in-Seine evening.   (You don’t have to be French to get the last pun, but it helpsJ)

This year, you can stroll the streets of Paris,  bite down on some refreshments, and dance the night away as usual. Snowball has reeled off its annual holiday event at a diverse selection of  venues over the past few decades.    Through the years  Snowball grew from a “need to party” to a primary fundraising activity for Ingersoll. “The first year, we celebrated in the attic of someone’s house,” says Ingersoll founder, Marsha Botzer.

It began as a reason to party. A community forced to keep its head down, challenged to find a reason to celebrate, and driven to change, had few reasons to mark the early setting sun that obliged others to bring out the decorations and the champagne. In the early 1980s, gender identity was as obscure as the idea of sending information from one desktop computer to another. Sure there were those of us closeted in our basement, tapping a 300-baud modem to connect to a large mainframe in Columbus, Ohio, and experience this weird thrill called email. But there were fewer of us who could think of going to a classy formal party dressed as in our dreams. “It was time for everyone to celebrate,” recalls Ingersoll Gender Center founder Marsha Botzer. Celebrate we did. The little party that began in a small attic space, developed into more than a celebration. Snowball, Ingersoll’s annual Gender Gala became the non-profit organization’s primary fund raiser. This year’s party is scheduled for December 12 at the beautiful Metropolitan Café on Capitol Hill. As usual, Snowball features a diversity of entertainment, greeting old friends, and celebration of those who have helped Ingersoll reach its current state of success. Again, this year’s celebration fills a need to celebrate good times when all around us there is challenge. However, in view of the world’s economic situation, ticket prices this year are at a record low level of just $9.

In a world where a money and power talk, our community is not only silenced, it walks with its head down. Hate is an act of blind rage and deafened listening. Our community needs to lift its head and power up our voices. Our very lives are at stake. That is the power behind the Transgender Day of Remembrance. This is merely a reminder that there is power in numbers to overcome the cheapening of our lives, and in reflecting upon our own safety. Just a day after the “Great American Smokeout” and days before we gather with the reminders of our upbringing on Thanksgiving Day, we reflect on members of our community who paid the ultimate price for their determination. Each year, Q Center at the University of Washington directs our local reflections with a candlelight vigil, remembrances, and thoughtful discussion. This year, the activities begin with a panel on “Working Toward Justice from a Place of Grief” beginning Wednesday, November 18, at 5 pm at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre. Later at 7 pm that same evening, Ravenna United Methodist Church holds its own reflection service. On Friday, November 20, the actual Day of Remembrance, UW begins its commemoration by offering reflective space from 9 to 5:30 pm in the Q Center conference in Schmitz Hall 450. A dramatization or “Die-In” will begin at 12:20 pm Friday afternoon at the Obelisk structure in Red Square (orientation for Die-In participants starts at noon).