2013: A YEAR Of PROMISE for the Transgender community

2013: A YEAR Of PROMISE

for the Transgender community

by Rachel Crandall

Published in Between the Lines, 1/3/13

http://www.pridesource.com/guidearticle.html?article=57720

The coming years shows a lot of promise for the transgender community. Our visibility has increased much over the last year.

However the still is one thing that we are missing. A number of years ago non lesbian and gay individuals began to show support for the gay community. This has greatly helped the gay community to gain acceptance. Honestly that is one thing that for the most part the transgender community is still lacking.

This coming year we must reach out to the LGB and straight communities. W e must ask for their support and even more importantly for their action. We desperately need non-transgender people to join us in the call for transgender inclusion and transgender rights. We must ask them to demand these for the transgender community. We need them to call their legislators write letters and demand employers to accept and treat better the transgender community in their employment. Unfortunately most LGBT organizations and agencies do not fully include the transgender community.

It is up to us, the transgender community, to reach out to their friends and families neighbors and everyone to support our community. The transgender community must become much more comfortable asking for support and for action.. The key is that we must ask our supporters to come out of the closet as transgender supporters. This may sound silly but overall transgender community supporters keep their support quiet and guarded. This must change!

We will not be asking for anything that the lesbian and gay community has not been asking for years. It is regular practice of the lesbian community to ask for support. Even leaders of the transgender community are not good at asking for financial help for their organizations. Leaders of transgender organizations must also gain skills to write grants and raise resources.

March 31 is the International Transgender Day of Visibility. This is the one day every year that the transgender community around the world comes together for visibility and for pride. This year around the world we must also ask for our supporters to show their visibility. This is a very unique day for the transgender community. As a community we are must better at mourning for transgender people who have been killed then we are at showing our visibility and our pride. Showing our visibility and our pride is an important step in the process to ask for support.

On a more local level 2012 has been a year of progress for the Transgender Community in Michigan. Great progress was made in offering support to more and more transgender individuals throughout the state.

There currently are more support groups then ever before. Transgender Michigan has helped many new groups to form. We have many more chapters and affiliates then any time in the past. Also new transgender organizations have formed in Michigan that show much promise. Right now as I am writing this article a chapter of Transgender Michigan is forming in the Traverse City area. This is an achievement for both Transgender Michigan and Traverse City.

Transgender Michigan is now also working with the HIV transgender community in our partnership with Michigan Aids Coalition. This population is one of the fastest growing HIV populations. As a result of the sharing of needles, etc HIV is now a major issue for the transgender community. Hopefully soon Transgender Michigan will be providing HIV testing for the transgender community. This will be accompanied by work in the HIV prevention area.

Also this past year major transgender events have had record breaking attendance. The Transgender Michigan Pride in the Park had a record showing along with the Michigan Transgender Health Fair. Transgender Michigan recently started chapters in Lansing, Sault Ste. Marie, Detroit, and Traverse City. This increases the effort to truly represent the whole state of Michigan.

Movie Night: Tokyo Godfather

Transgender Day of Remembrance

     November 20th is Transgender Day of Remembrance.  This is the day we designated to remember all those who were murdered just because they were transgender.

     This year we went to the service in Detroit where over 200 names were read.  It was a very emotional experience.  But the day is not over so take some time today to remember those who have died.

    Just because the Detroit and many other observances are over, it don't mean the message of Transgender Day of Remembrance is complete.  The battle is still ongoing.  We are still losing many more of our brothers and sisters to violence every hour.

    But what can be done to stop this?

•     It begins with people.  Come out as a transgender ally.  Let your friends know that you support rights for transgender people.  If you are transgender, let people know it you are able.  It is very hard to put down transgender if they personally are friends with a transgender or transgender ally.
•    Report it.  Most crimes (and even murders) against transgender goes unreported.  Either the transgender nature of the crime is ignored, or authorities do not consider crimes against transgender as worth of investigation.  The more people understand the extent of the problem, the harder it will be to ignore.  In Michigan, Equality Michigan http://www.equalitymi.org/report helps to track these types of crimes.
•    Support Transgender organizations.  Such as Transgender Michigan, www.transgendermichigan.org

Transgender Michigan Birthday Bash and Halloween Costume Party

Transgender Michigan
Birthday Bash
and Halloween Costume Party

At our office at:
429 Livernois St (corner Fielding)
Ferndale, MI 48220
Parking and entrance at the rear of the building, off Fielding.

Celebrate Rachel Crandall's Birthday
15 years as "Rachel".  Presents cheerfully accepted.

Celebrate Halloween & Day of the Dead
Costumes welcome. Prizes for best costume.

Celebrate the 15th Anniversary of Transgender Michigan

Celebrate our Open House
Come see our office!
Learn about our new strategic plan

DJ & Karaoke....Food....Fun...Friends...

No Cover charge,
but donations to Transgender Michigan encouraged.
Transgender Michigan is a 501(c)3 Michigan non-profit. All donations are fully tax deductible.

Contact Rachel at 517-420-1544

http://transgendermichigan.givezooks.com/events/bd2012

Rachel Crandall Appears on Street Beat Television

Link: Rachel Crandall in interviewed on Street Beat, CW50 television.

State of the Transgender State

This has been a year of growth for the transgender communities of Michigan and for Transgender Michigan. Some areas of growth include:

• This past year many new chapters of Transgender Michigan have been created such as Transgender Lansing and Transgender Flint as well as new affiliates.
• Collaboration of Michigan transgender groups has greatly increased.
• Many new support groups have been created around the state.
• Transgender Michigan events have been averaging over one hundred participants each.
• Many new events for Transgender Day of Remembrance took place in many parts of the state.
• More transgender individuals are now in leadership positions such as at Equality Michigan.

However we still have more areas where we can grow more such as:

• Providing more support for the homeless transgender.
• Providing more employment support and opportunities.
• Expanding our outreach to transgender with AIDS/HIV.
• Finding more funding for our many projects.
• Expanding outreach to colleges and universities.
• Expanding our speakers bureau.

Thank you for your support.

Please donate at http://www.transgendermichigan.org/contribution.html

Transgender Michigan's (TGMI) reason for being is to give all year, serving the transgender and gender non-conformist communities throughout the state. Regrettably, in order to continue the mission of giving, we need to receive. Not surprisingly, that's where you come in. We need you.

If you're already a member, friend or sponsor of TGMI, you're familiar with our work. If not, this is what we do:

• Transgender Michigan is a lifeline and communications link for the statewide transgender community. The transgender person—or one approaching that crossroads—often needs someone to talk to who has been through that complex journey. S/he might be seeking practical advice, guidance, a referral, emotional support—or just the sympathetic ear of someone who has endured the peaks and valleys of transition. Through our 24-hour TGMI Hotline, we lend that ear, free of charge to the caller. But, of course, not free. http://www.transgendermichigan.org/help-line.html
  
  
• Transgender Michigan is a strenuous advocate and coalition builder for transgender issues. We work closely with other organizations, such as Equality Michigan, Affirmations, Transgender Detroit, the Michigan AIDS Coalition and others. Our joint project with theMichigan AIDS Coalition in support of transgender people with AIDS continues; as does our work with Equality Michigan's victim advocates and lobbying arm. Your help in these and other efforts would be invaluable.   http://www.transgendermichigan.org/advocacy.html
  
  
• Transgender Michigan stages, promotes and participates in events throughout the year. In addition to maintaining a presence at Pride festivals across the state, TGMI sponsors and operates the annual—and vital--Transgender Day of Visibility, Transgender Pride in the Park, theTransgender Health Fair, and, of course, Rachel's Infamous Birthday Party.http://www.transgendermichigan.org/events.html
  
  
• Transgender Michigan is a voice serving the transgender community. Our Speaker's Bureau travels the state, offering education and inspiration to transgender persons and the people who love them at little or no charge. We seek to expand this growing program even further in the coming year and you can help.  http://www.transgendermichigan.org/sb.html
  
  
• Transgender Michigan is a billboard, maintaining a detailed online Calendar of Events—social and informational--of interest to the transgender community for every day of the year throughout the state. We maintain and continually update the TGMI TransPages, a directory of public and private services and resources available to Michigan's transgender communities. We created and service TGMI TransNet, a state-wide web of transgender volunteers who serve as contact points or form local chapters, directing people with transgender issues to support groups, advisory groups and even the liveliest parties of the like-minded—a vital function, particularly in under-represented areas. We plan to improve these services and provide more, if we can count on you.
  http://www.transgendermichigan.org/calendar.html
  http://www.transgendermichigan.org/transpages.html
  http://www.transgendermichigan.org/transnet.html

This is a snapshot of the work we do every day on behalf of the transgender, but our efforts to unify and empower transgender and gender non-conformist individuals and communities does not end there. As part of our mission to educate, support, advocate, lobby and build coalitions, we publish informational materials free for the asking, and also distributed free to all comers at every function. We bust transgender myths, address questions unique to the logistical, social and health problems encountered by the transgender person or aspirant specific to his or her situation, and pay special attention to the education and support of significant others and the families, friends and allies so needed by the transgender individual. We tirelessly seek the social equality and inclusion of those in the broad community we serve, and look forward to a society where they are judged based not on what lies beneath their clothing or the content of their wallets, but what lies inside their hearts and the content of their character.

We can achieve this...but we cannot do it alone. Your taxes do not support our work, but your gifts do. If you support our mission—if you support equal justice and opportunity for all, recognize the necessity of inclusion for the betterment of common humanity, and believe in a world where these things are not only desirable, but possible—please, in this time of giving, back that belief and support that mission with a gift of your choosing. “Tis the season. Thank you.

Please donate at http://www.transgendermichigan.org/contribution.html