ATTN: VANCOUVER, BC + FOLKS IN THE SURROUNDING AREA (ie: Victoria, Seattle, Portland)

[mindtheft.livejournal.com]

Vancouver, July 07, 2010
The Vancouver Trans Forum organizing collective, in collaboration with a number of community organizations, presents:
THE VANCOUVER TRANS FORUM
A community forum, conference, and cultural event for the diverse trans communities of Vancouver

Do you self-identify as being a member of, or an ally to, Vancouver’s trans community? Well why not come have your voice heard the week of July 19th to July 25th at The Vancouver Trans Forum – Vancouver’s newest attempt at sharing skills, breaking isolation, deepening community, and building healthy coalitions.

Join us for a weekend of trans themed workshops, facilitated discussions, panels, all ages dance parties, “all-bodies-included” pool parties, film screenings, music, and performances.

This innaugral forum aims, to be held at Rhodes Wellness College (located at #280 - 1125 Howe St) to bring together members of diverse trans communities, both individuals and service providers, to establish a cohesive vision of what the specific needs of our trans communities are at this exact moment in time, through a focus on health and coalition building. The organizing collective sees this is an opportunity for trans people, their allies and the health professionals that work with them to: create community, hear the needs and concerns of the communities, and to share the skills and knowledge that we all have.

( For more details (including confirmed workshops) )

To keep up-to-date on all news about The Vancouver Trans Forum please visit our website at http://www.vancouvertransforum.com

For more information or media interviews with local trans organizers, please contact Kate Lamothe at 604-838-0661. vancouvertransforum@gmail.com

***Note for Out of Towners: we are billeting folks so if you need a place to stay don't hestitate to get in touch*** 

X-posted to a bunch of different places across the Interweb, sorry if you see it a lot ;)

This is the Letter I Sent to My Mom

[shelleybear.livejournal.com]

It had four pictures of me from a photo shoot I was a part of.
It's important because while I don't expect her to call me Shelley (she is 92) I feel she'd like to know who I am.


Dear Mom,

Here are a few of the pictures the photographer took of me for her project.
I am very pleased with them and I hope you like them.
I want you to know, that, in my life, I have NEVER been happier or as sure of myself.
One of the things I'd like to tell you (even though I don't expect you to use it) is the name(s) I use for the new person I am.
My first name is Shelley. It chose me. I have no idea why.
I have two middle names.
One is Adrienne. I hope you remember Adrienne. I was living with her for a while and she came to the house a few times. She died of cancer in her 40s, but, she is surely one of two people who would have approved of who I am now more then anyone. I take her name as a tribute.
The second is Mimi. To me, perhaps one of the most wonderful people I have ever know. I love her very much. She also would have thought this was a great thing for me to be doing. However, please, do not tell Ina about this. I am honestly not sure how she would take it.
Anyway, I'll always be Neil to you, and I'm okay with that.
Here are the pictures.
The fourth one I had Barry's girlfriend take of me in an outfit I had bought

UK - Sense Spoken in Parliament re Trans People and ID Documents

[auntysarah.livejournal.com]

I'd just like to take a moment to draw attention to something my MP, Julian Huppert, said yesterday in committee in respect to transgender people and identity documents, the selected transcript is taken from here. For background, the committee is engaged with dismantling the previous government's Identity Cards Bill, in which transgender people were to be issued with two ID cards - one male, the other female. Anyway, I think the following is made of total win:

There are a number of different circumstances: there are people who are neutrois and inter-sex people—there is a complicated collection. The simple solution to many of these circumstances is just not to have gender information on any of these identity documents. The people I spoke to would push for that very strongly. They are concerned about a repeat of what happened in Trafalgar square at Pride 2008 when there were inappropriate demands for gender recognition certificates. Hon. Members will know some of the history of that.

There does not seem to be a need for identity documents of any kind to have gender information. It is not a very good biometric; it is roughly a 50:50 split. Military ID, such as the MOD90, which obviously can have quite a high security clearance, contains no gender information. That might be what we should look at.

The emphasis is mine. I am so very proud of him :-)