Topic: People

Patricia Murphy (photos), a 39 year old Albuqurque NM resident, was shot 3 times in Albuquerque's first murder of 2008. Patricia was a prominent drag performer in the New Mexico area. Dana Madsen is being held in lieu of a million dollar cash bond in the murder.
The story was reported January 12th in the Albuquerque Tribune, and was also reported on 365gay.com.

Dear Friends,

It is with great sadness and respect that I report to you, that our sister and friend, Brenda Thomas, passed away on August 6, 2006 at 6:20 AM. Her daughter, Jennifer, was with her at the time of her passing. Funeral arrangements are pending. A memorial service will be scheduled at Bering United Methodist Church.

Peace and love to all,

Sara Rook

Pioneer sexologist Dr John Money died July 7, 2006 on the eve of his 85th birthday due to complications from Parkinson's disease. A groundbreaking researcher, he is credited with coining the term "gender identity". He was also controversial for promoting surgical assignment of intersex children, a practice opposed by intersex organizations. Cheryl Chase and Denise Leclair discuss his legacy in the Washington Blade. http://washingtonblade.com/2006/7-21/news/national/obit.cfm

Briony Jay, of Towcester, UK, widely considered to be the ?mother? of British trannies, passed away of undetermined cause on February 2, 2006. Born in 1941, and raised in Liverpool, Briony is survived by two stepchildren, and three grandchildren, whom she dearly loved, and by easily 1,000 transgender people in the UK and America, whose lives she touched.

January 17, 2006
by Dr. Laura Ellis

This morning, in the company of his family, Dr Stanley Biber, 82, died in St Mary Corwin Hospital, Pueblo, Colorado. He had been ill for the past 2 months. He had done more transsexual surgeries than anyone else in the world.

The IFGE awards Committee is seeking your help in searching for candidates for the 2006 Virginia Prince Award, the Trinity Award, and the Partners in Diversity Award.
These awards will be presented during the 20th Annual IFGE Convention to be held in Philadelphia, PA at the Philadelphia Airport Hilton, April 2006.

Vanessa Murray, 56, passed away on Friday March 26, 2005 at her home in Rhode Island. Vanessa was the well known manager of IFGE's Synchronicity Bookstore from 1995 through 2000. Vanessa had previously been a firefighter in Fall River, MA for many years, but had retired due to illness. After her retirement from firefighting she came to work with IFGE, travelling around the country from conference to conference with the bookstore, and answering our support line. Hers was the first voice that people heard when they called IFGE. She spent countless hours offering support and a sympathetic ear to our callers. She will be sorely missed

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #104, Winter 2004.

A Modern Day Christine Jorgensen
by Christine Beatty

Calpernia Addams is a woman you can?t help but notice. Even among the remarkable landscape of transsexual women, she stands out. In some ways she is a new millennium version of Christine Jorgensen. She has adapted marvelously to her unexpected role on The Big Stage, and she has used that position to educate others and advance the cause of transgendered people everywhere.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #104, Winter 2004.

Sex and Marriage... and Mr. Bailey
A word from the Chair of the IFGE Board of Directors

The challenge in writing a quarterly column is that one is forever locked in a time warp? needing to say something relevant to the current events of, in this case, July ?03, when the world will have danced for four or five more months and set itself in a completely new arrangement by the time this is read. Not only will those July events seem distant, but my words, perhaps, archaic.