Thursday, February 2, 2017

Become Ungovernable

Refuse to participate in the machine

Disobey arbitrary laws

Spread Love

Stand strong

Ignore the media

Barter

Withhold participation in unfair tax systems

Fight Locally Love Globally

Commit an act of Civil Disobedience daily


Hack the system, save the world

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Resources for Transgender people in crisis

Resources for Transgender People in Crisis

Transgender people in crisis should contact The Trevor Project’s 24/7 Lifeline at 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386), Trevor Chat, the Trevor Projects’ online messaging service, or The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Transgender Organizations

Transgender Programs at LGBT Organizations

General Information and Resources

  • I AM: Trans People Speak is a campaign created by the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) and sponsored by GLAAD to raise awareness about the diversity of transgender communities. It lifts the voices of transgender individuals, as well as their families, friends, and allies.
  • The Trans 100, sponsored by GLAAD, is a list of 100 amazing and inspiring trans Americans who are visible within their communities.
  • We Happy Trans is a website devoted to sharing positive stories from trans people everywhere.
  • TSER, Trans Student Equality Resources, provides trans*-related information on school issues and supports efforts for creating policy change in school districts.
  • The full “Injustice at Every Turn” report, with breakdowns by race and ethnicity. “Injustice at Every Turn” is a survey of over 6,400 transgender people detailing the discrimination faced by this community.

UK Based Resources:



Culture and community

The Angels
angelsforum.co.uk
Forum ‘supporting the TG community’.
Club Wotever
woteverworld.com
A London bar space for trans, queer, LGBT people and their friends, with an emphasis on queer/trans performance.
Deep Stealth Productions
deepstealth.com
Founded by Calpernia Addams and Andrea James, Deep Stealth strives for positive media representation of trans people.
Gendered Intelligence
genderedintelligence.co.uk
Creative workshops, arts programmes, conferences and youth group sessions.
Meta
pocketmags.com
‘A unique digital magazine which brings you the very best of trans and genderqueer news, advice and entertainment’.
Sparkle
sparkle.org.uk
The ‘national transgender celebration’ which takes place in Manchester every year.
Trans Media Watch
transmediawatch.org
Aims to combat prejudiced or sensationalist media reporting of trans issues, and offer advice to people or organisations.
Transfabulous
transfabulous.co.uk
Former London-based organisation devoted to transgender performance art, with an interesting archive.
Transfriendly
transfriendly.co.uk
Online forum for the trans community.

Female-to-male (FtM)

FTM International
ftmi.org
A comprehensive website for the female-to-male community, offering information about healthcare, law, events and family support.
FTM Network
ftm.org.uk
A British-based site acting as a friendship/support group for FtM transgender and transsexual people.
FTM Resource Guide
ftmguide.org
For trans men and friends, with tips on hormones, grooming, clothing, surgery and more.
FtM UK
ftmuk.net
UK-based FtM lifestyle forum.
Original Plumbing
originalplumbing.com
US magazine ‘dedicated to the sexuality and culture of FtM trans guys’.
TransGuys
transguys.com
‘The internet’s magazine for transgender men’.

History and politics

The Empire Strikes Back
actlab.utexas.edu
Trans woman Sandy Stone’s spirited rebuttal of Janice Raymond’s book The Transsexual Empire (1979). This essay is one of the key texts of the 90s trans rights movement.
Genderqueer Revolution
genderqueerrevolution.org
For people beyond gender binaries.
Gender Variance Who’s Who
zagria.blogspot.co.uk
‘Essays on trans, intersex, cis and other persons and topics from a trans perspective’. Includes plenty of further reading, with a list of international trans resources.
Intersex UK
intersexuk.org
Committed to human rights for intersex people.
Just Plain Sense – The Trans Tapes
blog.plain-sense.co.uk
Interviews by Christine Burns with a variety of trans people.
Press For Change
pfc.org.uk
Political lobbying and educational organisation campaigning for equality and human rights for British trans people through legislation and social change. The original website is archived here.
Sylvia Rivera Law Project
srlp.org
US-based organisation seeking to raise the voices of marginalised trans people.
Trans London
translondon.org.uk
London discussion group.
Transgender Day of Remembrance
gender.org
Observed every 20 November to commemorate victims of transphobic violence.
Women Born Transsexual
womenborntranssexual.com
‘For people who recognise transsexualism as an innate condition rather than a gender identity disorder’.

Medical services and healthcare

Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic online support group uk.groups.yahoo.com
A discussion group for those who have used the Gender Identity Clinic at Charing Cross.
Mind OUT
lgbtmind.com
Service for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people with mental health concerns.
National archives – Gender Identity
webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Department of Health documents relating to gender identity.
NHS Choices
nhs.uk
The NHS page on gender dysphoria, covering terminology, symptoms and treatment.
Trans Health
trans-health.com
Magazine covering health and fitness issues.
Transhealth UK
transhealth.co.uk
The London Gender Clinic, the UK’s largest private service.
World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH)
wpath.org
Professional organisation devoted to ‘the understanding and treatment of gender identity disorders’. Originally named after pioneering physician Harry Benjamin, WPATH produces the ethical guidelines and standards of care for professionals working with patients with gender identity issues.

Support groups and information

The Beaumont Society
beaumontsociety.org.uk
National self-help body run by and for those who cross-dress or are transsexual, and for their partners.
Clare Project
clareproject.org.uk
Brighton-based support group ‘open to anyone wishing to explore issues around gender identity’.
Depend
depend.org.uk
Support group for families and friends of transsexual people in the UK.
Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES)
gires.org.ukInformation for trans people, their families and medical professionals.
Gender Trust
gendertrust.wordpress.com
Organisation which supports adults whose lives are affected by gender identity issues, as well as families and employers of transsexual or transgender people.
Mermaids
mermaidsuk.org.uk
Family and individual support for teenagers and children with gender identity issues.
Scottish Transgender Alliance
scottishtrans.org
Support for trans people, equality organisations, policymakers and employers in Scotland.
Susan’s Place
susans.org
A comprehensive collection of online transgender resources, allowing people to add links/information themselves.
Trans Resource & Empowerment Centre
transcentre.org.uk
Based in Manchester, with monthly meetings, talks and workshops.
Transgender Zone
transgenderzone.com
Comprehensive website including medical information, a guide to venues and opinion about transgender representation in the media for both MtFs and FtMs.
Transsexual Road Map
tsroadmap.com
An excellent free guide to process of transitioning, and the social issues around it.

Thanks to GLAAD for compiling the original list, as well as all the work they do on behalf of equality for all!

You can't even lead a horse to water, let alone make it drink

Most people live in a myth and grow violently angry if anyone dares to tell them the truth about themselves.
Robert Anton Wilson
So much of our time is spent trying to teach, to persuade, to educate and enlighten. We seek to make others aware in many ways, and in the age of social media it has become commonplace for contrary ideologies to clash. We debate and we proselytize, we call out perceived logical fallacies, we quote statistics to bolster our positions. We scream into the wind desperately clinging to the notion that if we could just make ‘them’ aware, like dominoes the rest would somehow fall into place, and a ‘better world would be possible’.
Sadly, I don’t believe this to be true. I don’t believe you can ever change someone’s mind in an echo chamber, can’t ever overcome cognitive dissonance with clever witticisms, won’t ever defeat confirmation bias with hugs and statistics. I truly feel that the only way to change the world is to change yourself, and the only way one changes themselves is by themselves, of their own volition. You can try to educate, you can point to the destination, but they will never follow the path you lay out, they must find their own path to the knowledge if they are ever going to accept it, truly internalize and use it for growth.
this doesn’t mean stop disseminating the knowledge, it simply means that I feel we must simply make the knowledge available, and leave it at that. I feel we should stop fighting and trying to convince, and simply share. Share what you have learned and experienced. Share the books and artists that have inspired you. Let others make the connections themselves. Perhaps when they have torn down the constructs and reality tunnels they mentally and spiritually dwell in, they will be free to open hearts and minds and bring about the change in themselves that you have. Maybe they will even be better, and in turn educate you.