|
Academy Announces Awards
The results of the
voting for the Virginia Prince Award and the Trinity Awards are in. These
awards are sponsored by IFGE, but are not IFGE awards. Nominations are
open to the entire Transgender Community. A body of respected and experienced
members and friends of the community who have agreed to serve on the Selections
Academy make the final selection. The members of the Selections Academy
are not necessarily members of IFGE, and must not be a current Director
of IFGE. Since the Transgender Community makes the nominations at large,
and the final selections are made by the Academy, these awards are truly
the Transgender Community's awards.
The Virginia Prince
Lifetime Contribution Award is the Transgender Community's highest award.
It is given to the person who has made a significant lifetime contribution
to the community.
The
winner of the 2001 Virginia Prince Lifetime Achievement Award is Jane
Fee.
|
Jane is an exceptional individual in the Trans Community. As a very early
advocate and member of community groups such as the Cherrystones
of Boston, MA, and Tiffany Club, she helped build and establish the founding
organizations that later became strong social and activist community organizations.
Jane fee is an exceptional individual in the Trans Community. As a very
early advocate and member of community groups such as the Cherrystones
of Boston, MA, and Tiffany Club, she helped build and establish the founding
organizations that laterbecame strong social and activist community organizations.
Her work in the Trans Community has spanned the Pacific Ocean. She has
worked for the community in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand
and received special recognition from the Royal Family of Thailand. She
has visited Europe and made connections with many of the leaders of the
Trans Community. She has appeared on Italian TV.
Jane is active in the Imperial Court in Minneapolis/St. Paul. She is
Empress XIII and XV of the Imperial Court of All Hawaii. She is also active
on the National level with the Court.
As an early advocate for IFGE, she added her expertise in business to
the discussions that lead to the formation of IFGE. Jane served two terms
on the IFGE board in the 1990s. She assisted to plan and market
the IFGE conventions in Boston, Denver, and Houston.
For Jane being Transgendered is a wonderful gift, not a disabling or
debilitating situation. She proudly teaches that as a Trans person she
can do anything, anywhere, anytime. Jane is an exceptional spokesperson
and advocate for the community.
Jane has received numerous awards from various organizations including
a Trinity Award in 1995 and the Transgender Law Conference Pioneer
Award in 1994. The Pioneer Award was for her participation in getting
the state of Minnesota to pass a law giving equal rights to GLB and Transgendered
persons. Jane has worked for strong relations between the GLB ant T Communities
that proved instrumental in the passage of this law. After this success,
she founded Its Time America, which now has chapters in 26 states working
to change their laws to be similar to MN. She now holds the position of
Director Emeritus.
Since 1990 Jane has worked with the Program of Human Sexuality at the
U of MN to develop and present programs in the community that promote
self-esteem, good health and the prevention of HIV/AIDS specifically for
Trans people. She also serves on the advisory board of the MN Historical
Center and Archives relative to GLBT documents and artifacts. She speaks
frequently at universities, civic organizations, and police departments
and is active politically to educate others and gain acceptance of all
in the GLBT communities.
Jane is one of the quiet leaders in the community who acts behind the
scenes by assisting in hundreds of unheralded ways. Most recently she
was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.Her work
in the Trans Community has spanned the Pacific Ocean. She has worked for
the community in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand and received
special recognition from the Royal Family of Thailand. She has visited
Europe and made connections with many of the leaders of the Trans Community.
She has appeared on Italian TV.
Jane is active in the Imperial Court in Minneapolis/St. Paul. She is
Empress XIII and XV of the Imperial Court of All Hawaii. She is also active
on the National level with the Court.
As an early advocate for IFGE, she added her expertise in business to
the discussions that lead to the formation of IFGE. Jane served two terms
on the IFGE board in the 1990s. She assisted to plan and market
the IFGE conventions in Boston, Denver, and Houston.
For Jane being Transgendered is a wonderful gift, not a disabling or
debilitating situation. She proudly teaches that as a Trans person she
can do anything, anywhere, anytime. Jane is an exceptional spokesperson
and advocate for the community.
Jane has received numerous awards from various organizations including
a Trinity Award in 1995 and the Transgender Law Conference Pioneer
Award in 1994. The Pioneer Award was for her participation in getting
the state of Minnesota to pass a law giving equal rights to GLB and Transgendered
persons. Jane has worked for strong relations between the GLB ant T Communities
that proved instrumental in the passage of this law. After this success,
she founded Its Time America, which now has chapters in 26 states working
to change their laws to be similar to MN. She now holds the position of
Director Emeritus.
Since 1990 Jane has worked with the Program of Human Sexuality at the
U of MN to develop and present programs in the community that promote
self-esteem, good health and the prevention of HIV/AIDS specifically for
Trans people. She also serves on the advisory board of the MN Historical
Center and Archives relative to GLBT documents and artifacts. She speaks
frequently at universities, civic organizations, and police departments
and is active politically to educate others and gain acceptance of all
in the GLBT communities.
Jane is one of the quiet leaders in the community who acts behind the
scenes by assisting in hundreds of unheralded ways. Most recently she
was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
Click
here for more coverage of the 2001 Virgina Prince Awards Ceremony.
The
Trinity Awards honor our heroes and heroines, people who have performed
extraordinary acts of courage and love.
The winners of
the 2001 Trinity Award are:
1.) Holly
V. Ryan
Holly is a long-time member of the Boston TG community and a regular
volunteer at IFGE. She has also worked tirelessly for the Tiffany Club,
as Facility Manager, head of security for the past several First Event
conventions, and is currently a member of the Tiffany Club Board of
Directors. She has been a member of the Tiffany Club for 12 years. She
has also been the marshal for the Transgender segment of the Boston
Pride parade for the last several years.
Holly was instrumental in creating the transgender sensitivity and
access training for Intake Coordinators, LICSW counselors, and Substance
Abuse counselors, Case Managers, Registered Nurses, and Doctors who
work in Massachusetts Department of Health and Department of Transitional
Assistance funded programs which include Detoxes, Alcohol & Drug
Treatment Centers, and many Boston area Homeless Shelters. Through her
efforts she has convinced the two aforementioned state agencies to change
their requirements for the program intake forms to include Transgender,
Transsexual and Other in addition to the usual Female &
Male categories. This action is recommended by the state if the
agencies wish to retain their state funding.
In June of 2000, Holly was appointed to the MA Dept. of Public Health
GLBT Addictions Task Force Coordinating Committee (task force executive
committee). She is the first transgender person to be appointed to this
inner circle. This committee is responsible for recommending
legislation for treatment access denial for under-served parts of the
population, in this case, GLBT people; and funding mandated GLBT treatment
and accommodations. Hollys goal is to ensure that no transpeople
will be denied access to any Massachusetts state funded and licensed
healthcare facilities.
Hollys past personal experiences, being denied access and treatment
due to her trans-status is the burning force that propels her into tackling
these not-so-pretty aspects of social injustice.
Holly identifies herself as a transsexual woman. She transitioned
on her job with the full support of her peers, Board of Directors, and
CEO (he was responsible for actually outing her!) This action has precipitated
her company to hire five more transpeople and she is the Director of
Food Service & Purchasing for the Middlesex Human Service Agency,
which is a non-profit multi service agency with seventeen programs
providing services for youth & adolescents, homeless families, substance
abuse and outpatient counseling.
Through her job she has worked with the federal parole system recommending
services and treatment to lower the recidivism rate of transpeople.
She has also worked with the MA Dept. of Social Services Child Protection
advising them that being a transperson is not a sufficient reason to
withhold visitation or custody of tanspeoples children. As a result,
in Massachusetts it is no longer considered a reason to deny visitation
or custody.
Together with a member of the FtM community, she started the first
Boston area Trans-AA meeting four years ago. IFGE is proud to support
Hollys efforts and provides the space for the weekly meetings.
Holly is an activist and is quite passionate about fighting injustices
in the world, especially fighting for the rights of transgender, transsexual
and gender variant individuals.
2.)
Penni Ashe Matz
This award was presented posthumously. Penni
was aware she was receiving the award but was too ill to attend the convention.
Unbeknowest to anyone at the convention, Penni passed away on March 12,
2001. Kim Carver of GAIN accepted the award in Penni's behalf.
Penni will be sorely missed.
Penni was known to many for her untiring
work with GAIN, the Gender Advocacy Internet News, the AP of the TG
world. Any magazine editor, activist, newsletter writer or person committed
to following events that happen in and impact the TG Community subscribe
to GAIN. While this is the most widely known aspect of Pennis
work, it is only one part of it.
Penni Ashe Matz self-identified as visibly gender variant. She was the
instigating co-founder and current State Director of Its Time Massachusetts!
(ITMA), a chapter of Its Time America! (ITA). She was also a board
member of ITA and GEA (Gender Education and Advocacy). She was the editor
of GAIN a free news service of ITA and GEA. She is a board member of GLOBE,
a company-sanctioned employee resource group at Verizon Communications.
Penni focused on building bridges and relationships and fostering collaboration
and coalitions. She was an active member of Boston Voices for an Inclusive
21st Century (BNV), a very broad and diverse coalition of individuals
and organizations opposing hate crimes. Through her involvement in BNV,
Penni was able to nurture contacts with the MA Governors Task Force
on Hate Crimes as well as a relationship with the Chair of the MA Commission
Against Discrimination. Penni helped convince The Hate Crimes Task Force
to approve a change in regulations, making explicit the implicit coverage
of transgender under gender in the states hate crimes
law. At this time, the change is pending signature by the Governor. She
was also active in the fledging MA Leadership Summit, a coalition of GLBT
advocacy groups in MA, sponsored in part by the NGLTF (National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force).
Through her leadership, ITMA developed the ITMA Equality Principles
on Gender Variance, and has garnered many signatories to the Principles.
The Greater Boston Business Council (GBBC) recently voted to incorporate
the ITMA Principles into their pre-existing ACE Principles. ITMA is
also forging a close working relationship with the LBGT Political Alliance
of MA in preparation for doing some legislative work at the state level.
In order to outreach to the MA Transgender Community of Color, Penni
began nurturing a relationship with Men of Color Against AIDS (MOCAA).
She was also a volunteer in the preparations for the 2001 12th Annual
Bayard Rustin Community Breakfast, sponsored in part by Boston AIDS Action
Committee.
Because of her work in building
a relationship with Rep. Barney Frank and his staff, Penni was recently
consulted regarding specific language to use in an amendment Rep. Frank
introduced to the Violence Against Women act of 1999. The amendment
was to specifically include transgenders a member of the list of under-served
populations While this amendment and other language regarding
specific naming of under-served populations was defeated,
for the first time in House history, transgenders were treated on a
par with gays, lesbians and bisexuals.
3.)
Joan Goodnight
Joan is a pioneer
in the Transgender Community who has paved the way for many people.
Joan has made it possible for us to come out and feel less fearful and
to be welcomed in an environment that was non threatening and comfortable.
Joan has been a
major leader of the TG Community on the West Coast. She founded PPOC
(Powder Puff of Orange County) in 1987, later renamed Powder Puffs of
California. In 1990 she formed the California Dreaming Convention Group
and the first convention was held in Los Angeles in 1991. She has been
manager of event annually since then.
Joan headed the
CA support group team that co-sponsored the 1997 IFGE Unity Convention
at the Queen Mary Convention Center in Long Beach. She helped build
a format to welcome other organizations to participate in this event.
Joan served as
an advisor to the early IFGE Board. She was an early member of Tri-Ess
Alpha Chapter and has been a Tri-S Board member. She also
has been an advisor to and has assisted many other National and Local
Support Groups.
|
|