The International Foundation for Gender Education

Colorado Gold Rush Transgender Conference is fast approaching. You don't want to miss this, Great Workshops, Best banquet food ever, Best Hotel and staff ever,, Our entertainment on Friday and Saturday is out of this world,, check out the site and sign up,, The Colorado Gold Rush and IFGE and have partnered up this year to bring you a great conference. http://gicofcolo.org/gold-rush-2012.aspx

The International Foundation for Gender Education Commemorates the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

“Today, November 20, 2011 is the 13th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. We take this day every year to memorialize the people who have lost their lives due to anti-transgender violence. This violence and hatred is the result of society portraying transgender people as being worth less than other people, and as objects to be erased.

The only way to combat this violence is to get society see us as human beings with family and loved ones, dreams and aspirations, and not as objects. The Transgender Day of Remembrance is our opportunity to make this statement in solidarity with transgender people across the world, and to make sure that our fallen brothers and sisters are not forgotten.

We will not be erased.” –Denise Leclair, IFGE Executive Director

TRANSGENDER WORKPLACE DIVERSITY by Jillian T. Weiss J.D., Ph.D is now available at the IFGE Bookstore

January 14, 2010 - Marietta Georgia

Dr. Maxwell Anderson, born August 26, 1956, died today after a short bout with glioma, a highly aggressive type of brain cancer. He has been a prominent figure in the transgender community for many years, and is probably best known for his appearance in "Southern Comfort," the documentary about Robert Eads. Maxwell was a recipient of IFGE's Trinity award for his years of service on behalf of transgender people, and recently received his PhD in Psychology.

Maxwell is survived by his sister Susie and his cat Blue.

He left a farewell message on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/v/lHEod3CGskg
His blog can be read at: http://drmaxwellanderson.com/
His Facebook page is: http://www.facebook.com/drmaxdaddy

January 8, 2010 - Washington DC

The International Foundation for Gender Education is calling on David Letterman to apologize for a defamatory skit that ran this week on the Late Show. On the program, Mr. Letterman announced President Barack Obama's appointment of Amanda Simpson to serve a national security role in the Commerce Department as Senior Technical Adviser. The show's announcer, Alan Kalter, ran offstage in a panic when Mr. Letterman stated that Ms. Simpson was transgender, implying that he had had a sexual relationship with her, and that she had deceived him.

The Capital Conference 2010, IFGE’s 24th Annual conference, will have two segments. A Providers Day will be held on April 22nd in collaboration with the George Washington University's Department of Speech and Hearing Science with a theme of “Building Competencies for Serving TransPeople and their Families”.



There will also be a poster presentation session that evening. The Provider Day will allow those who provide speech, medical and mental health services to the transgender community, to share their knowledge with an audience of other providers. We welcome applications for participation in the Provider Day Poster session. Poster presenters will receive a discount off the full registration fee.



Seminars for the main Capital Conference will be held April 23rd-24th with a theme of “Education for Action; Knowing Yourself, Knowing Your Community and Committing to Action”. This component is targeted towards the broader transgender community. The Capital Conference may address gender related issues, emerging ‘trends’ and triumphs in the community, the politics related to gender issues, and other issues of interest. We are also interested in cross-disciplinary contributions from related fields such as medical professionals, mental health providers, researchers and educators of gender studies. Seminar sessions are typically 75 to 90 minutes and may be conducted by one or more speakers or another format as suggested by the submitter. It can present a case study, how to, big idea, theoretical discussion, new topic, a new way of looking at an existing topic, or other material. We welcome all applications for presenters at the Capital Conference.

October 28, 2009 – Washington, D.C.

Culminating years of effort by leaders across the nation, President Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law in a Rose Garden ceremony at the White House. This is the first federal law to specifically protect transgender people, adding protections for gender, gender identity, disability and sexual orientation to the 1969 Hate Crime Act, which already covered race, color, religion and national origin.



"Transgender people have lived in fear far too long," said Denise Leclair, executive director of the International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE). "When we are repeatedly targeted with acts of violence, we are deprived of the basic rights and freedoms that other people take for granted. This law sends a clear signal that we deserve, and are entitled to equal protection."

Oct 11, 2009 – Washington, D.C., - The International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE) is pleased to announce that nominations are now being sought for the Trinity Awards – to be presented at the 2010 IFGE Annual Conference – The Capital Conference, to be held at the Hilton Mark Plaza Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia April 22-25, 2010. “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. “Participation across the entire transgender community, its allies and friends, is essential to the awards-nominating process, and we hope to see everyone at the awards ceremony at the Capital Conference next April, “ Cook-Riley continued.

Dottie Laing passed away this evening, September 5, 2009, about 6:40 p.m. just before sunset. Dottie was married to former IFGE Executive Director Alison Laing for over 50 years.

Dottie worked tirelessly on behalf of the transgender community even though she was not transgender. She held many leadership roles such as Director of Fantasia Fair, and Fund Raising Chair for IFGE, as well as leading workshops and special Significant Others activities at conferences.

Dottie's work was recognized by numerous awards from the transgender community including IFGE's Trinity and Virginia Prince awards, in addition to the Fantasia Fair Award of Merit.

North Dakota is a key state in the fight for ENDA.



There are three votes in play here. Please call them today to ask for their support. Facts and contact info after the jump.

Senator Kent Conrad is a Democrat who previously voted for the hate crimes bill. According to Wikipedia, Conrad has a mixed record on gay rights. While he personally is opposed to gay marriage, he voted against a proposed constitutional ban on the matter and has supported bills that prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation. Call him at 701-258-4648 to support S1584.




Senator Byron Dorgan is a Democrat who has previously cosponsored a bill that inclusides the language of sexual orientation. Co-sponsorship suggests a higher level of support He also voted for the hate crimes bill. According to Wikipedia, As chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee, Dorgan is one of the most powerful Democrats in the Senate. He recently sent a letter to a constituent stating his support for sexual orientation discrimination protections, but said nothing about gender identity. Does he support an inclusive ENDA? Find out. Call him at 701-250-4618 to support S1584.



Representative Earl Pomeroy is a Blue Dog Democrat. However, he voted yes on the hate crimes bill and voted yes on ENDA in 2007. Call him at 701-224-0355 to support HR 3017.



Please list any info you get in the comments section below. We need to know where these three are on ENDA.



If you want to see info on the ENDA target list for the Senate, click here.