Welcome to the International Foundation for Gender Education

Waltham, MA & Washington, D.C., January 5, 2009 - The Awards Committee of the International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE) is proud to announce the 2009 Trinity Award recipients:

Ms. Lisa Mottet, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Mr. Spencer Bergstedt, North Sound Law, P.S.
Mr. Gunner Scott, Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition

“The Trinity Awards honor our heroes: living transgender persons who have performed extraordinary acts of courage and love in service to the Transgender Community,” noted Yvonne Cook-Riley, Awards Committee Chair, “and this year’s winners exemplify those traits in every way,“ she continued. As in past years, the awards are to be given out at the upcoming 2009 IFGE Annual Conference, to be held at the Hilton Mark Plaza Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia from February 3-8, 2009.

TGSF will be having its Holiday party on Friday, December 19th, at 8:00 PM at the Blue Muse Restaurant, 370 Grove St., San Francisco (415)701-9888. Those of you who have been involved with TGSF for a long time will certainly remember The Blue Muse as the fine restaurant where we held our socials for many years. The restaurant closed several years ago, but the original owners recently reopened it in a new location. We are looking forward to seeing it once again.

Sweden: November 16, 2008

Transvestism, along with six other sexual behaviours, will be struck from Sweden’s official list of medical diagnoses starting on January 1st, 2009. The National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) took the decision to declassify the behaviours as illnesses in order to avoid strengthening prejudices about them, said Lars-Erik Holm, Director General of Health and Welfare.

“We don't want to contribute to certain sexual behaviours being thought of as diseases. These individuals’ sexual preferences have nothing to do with society,” he explained in the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper.

The other diagnoses which will soon disappear from the disease registry include fetishism, fetishistic transvestitism, sadomasochism, gender identity disorder in youth, and multiple disorders of sexual preferences.

www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?a=852616
www.thelocal.se/15728/20081117/

Mariette Pathy Allen is exhibiting her groundbreaking photography at the Brooklyn Museum for the show "Burning Down the House: Building a Feminist Art Collection" October 31 2008 - April 15, 2009
Watch her on YouTube remembering Felicity.

Saturday, November 15, 2008
9:30 am - 3:30 pm
Wheelock College Brookline Campus
43 Hawes Street, Brookline MA

This gathering features Dr. Nancy Orel, who authored one of the first studies on LGBT grandparents, plus opportunities to share resources and experiences, connect, learn and celebrate . . . and lunch too!

Fee: $20 (free for those 75 and over)
Please RSVP by November 10:
RSVP@StonewallCommunities.com
617-369-9090
Lifelong Learning Institute at Wheelock College Central Boston Elder Services

September 19, 2008 WASHINGTON, DC -- Today a federal judge ruled that the Library of Congress illegally discriminated against a Special Forces veteran when she was denied a job after announcing her intention to transition from male to female. In a groundbreaking decision, the court ruled that discriminating against someone for changing genders is sex discrimination under federal law.

“It is especially gratifying that the court has ruled that discriminating against someone for transitioning is illegal,” said Diane Schroer, the plaintiff in the case. “I knew all along that the 25 years of experience I gained defending our country didn’t disappear when I transitioned, so it was hard to understand why I was being turned down for a job doing what I do best just because I’m transgender. It is tremendously gratifying to have your faith in this country, and what is fundamentally right and fair, be reaffirmed.”

The IFGE Awards Committee is seeking your help in searching for candidates for the 2009 the Trinity Award. These awards will be presented during the 23rd Annual IFGE Convention to be held in Alexandria VA (South of Washington DC), February 4 to February 8, 2009 at the Alexandria Hilton, Mark Center (by Old Town), Alexandria VA USA.

Annapolis, Md. – In a one paragraph order issued Tuesday (September 8, 2008), the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a challenge to a referendum that attempted to block a unanimously enacted transgender protection law.

“We’re pleased with this victory. The court ruled in our favor in our challenge to this improper referendum,” said Natalie Chin, Staff Attorney at Lambda Legal. “Though the order was brief we feel confident that we’ve stopped this referendum from being on November’s ballot.”

The court indicated that they will be releasing an opinion at a later time.

The Fantasia Fair Planning Committee will be awarding several scholarships to the 34th annual Fantasia Fair in historic Provincetown, Massachusetts from October 19 through October 26, 2008.

Recipients awarded full scholarships will receive free tuition to the Fair, including all seminars, workshops, and events, daily lunches, and shared room accommodations for seven nights. Partial scholarships are also available as well as the "Dottie Laing Scholarship" for couples with a transgender partner.

In keeping with its theme "Toward a Greater Diversity", the IFGE Annual conference has successfully engaged many leaders and champions for the FTM community to take part in its 23rd Annual Conference. The conference, which runs from Monday, March 31, 2008, to Saturday, April 5, 2008, is being held in Tucson, Arizona at the Doubletree Reid Park Hotel. Wingspan's Southern Arizona Gender Alliance (SAGA) is the local host committee. Past conferences have been decidedly transfeminine-oriented, but organizers made concerted outreach efforts for 2008 to transgender men, as well as people of color and allies of all ages, to ensure a broad range of issues, identities, and dialogues are represented in Tucson.