A Heretic’s View of the TG Community
I will start by stating something that is sure to get a rise out of you. At the moment, there is no such thing as a transgender community. Rather, there is an odd assortment of fiefdoms scattered about the country with a very large number of free agents and lost souls wander about on their own. Some of the TG organizations that exist today work in conjunction with each other such as the groups in the Pacific Northwest who put on Esprit or the crew who have made Southern Comfort something of an institution. Others, like my local support group pretty much exists on its own. A few have glommed onto larger non-TG organizations such as PFLAG and GLADD. As a community however we TGs simply do not have a cohesive identity or an organization we can call our own which serves the good of the entire community and to which everyone and anyone who is a TG or needs information about TGs can turn to.
In the early Nineties IFGE was on the verge of becoming just such an organization. It did have its faults but it also had tremendous potential. Somewhere along the way it failed to live up to that potential. Like the Qing Dynasty of China in the mid-1800s IFGE lost its mandate with heaven. In doing so some of the best and brightest members of the TG community turned their backs on the community. While no one will ever accuse me of being particularly bright, I know that is what I did.
On the plus side the GLB community did end its practice of throwing the TG community under the bus whenever it was politically expedient to do so. We now have a seat on the GLB bus. However, as best I can tell we have little say if any in where the bus goes and no one is willing to let us anywhere near the steering wheel. Can someone say tokenism? While it is true that many of the issues and concerns that plague the TG community are the same that bedevil the GLB community, we have our own unique issues that have no counterpart in the world of GLBs, concerns that few GLBs understand and even fewer are concerned about. A prime example is the humble married hetero-sexual crossdresser.
Now to the heart of the matter. Do we need an umbrella organization that is geared to serving the needs of the TG community? If yes should this organization be independent or can it be part of another institution such as HRC or GLADD? And most importantly, what would its charter be? Just how would it operate and what would it provide the TG community?
Not being the sort that presents a problem with at least being able to offer some thoughts on how to resolve it I will put forth some thoughts on what a TG community wide organization could and should do. For those who remember the old days like Holly, you’ll recognize some of these things as goals IFGE once pursued.
1. Provide a reputable, reliable and easily accessible place where people can go to find out about all aspects of transgenderism. While the internet meets some of these needs the internet is both a blessing and a curse. Anyone can post anything on the net and they do. What is truly needed more than anything else is an agency or organization that serves as both a repository and a clearing house of information on transgenderism, news effecting TGs and links to reliable and proven support groups and professionals that TGs and people needing to learn about TGs can draw upon. To the best of my knowledge no such organization exists. Not to beat a dead horse, but this was what IFGE was suppose to have been.
2. Provide resources, information and assistance to local support groups and leaders within the TG community. This would include a monthly bulletin containing news and information that is of interest to the transgender community, a master schedule that tracks what is going on and where, links to local support groups, assistance in leadership training and outreach to organization, corporations and institutions that need to learn how to deal with TG employees.
3. Assist organizations such as NCTE in promoting and lobbying for legislation that is needed to protect TGs of every flavor and stripe at the national, state and local levels.
4. Serve as a liaison to Federal, state and local communities on issues concerning TG issues as well as other GLBT organizations.
The above are just one person’s vision, or if you prefer rants and ravings. No doubt each of you will see things differently. I am sure you all have a well measured opinion as to whether or not we actually need an umbrella organization to do what IFGE should have been doing. All I am doing here is asking you to think about this.
If you view this as nothing more than a dumb idea then I’ll simply chuck it into the closet where I keep all my other dumb ideas safely stored away. If however some of you see merit in all or part of what I have put forth then let’s talk about it, I mean really, seriously talk and see if there is something we can do to make this a reality.
Hoping that all is well with you and yours, till next time stay safe and sane.
Nancy Cole