NCTE Panels and Presentations at the 12th Annual Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference

National Center for Transgender Equality will be presenting panels and workshops at the Philly Trans-Health Conference coming up on June 13^th – June 15^th. Find out about what we will be presenting and where you can connect with us below.

National Center for Transgender Equality will be presenting panels and workshops at the Philly Trans-Health Conference coming up on June 13^th – June 15^th. Find out about what we will be presenting and where you can connect with us below.

Thursday June 13^th

10:15am – 11:15am
ID Documents – How to Change Your Own and Advocate For Better Policies
Presented by:
NCTE Director of Policy Harper Jean Tobin
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Transgender Civil Rights Project Director Lisa Mottet
Jerner & Palmer, PC Managing Shareholder Benjamin Jerner, Esq.

2:20pm – 3:40pm
Deafhood, Transhood: Cultural Identity and Activism
Presented by: NCTE Director of Operations Avory Faucette

4:05pm – 5:25pm
Non-Binary Narrative As Self Care
Presented by: NCTE Director of Operations Avory Faucette

Saturday June 15^th

8:45am – 10:05am
Trans Aging Policy – how we can support those who paved the way
Presented by:
NCTE Director of Policy Harper Jean Tobin
SAGE Director of Federal Government Relations
Transgender Law Center Equal Justice Works Fellow Danny Kirchoff

4:05pm – 5:25pm
The Trans Advocacy Toolbox: Concrete Strategies to Improve School Communities for Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Students
Presented by:
NCTE Director of Policy Harper Jean Tobin
Trevor Project Government Affairs Director Alison Gill
GLESN Public Policy Assistant Bryce Celotto
Bullying Stops With Us and Reach Out activist Caden Krawchuk

NCTE Staff Top Inaugural “Trans 100″ List

Released today, the Trans 100 list celebrates transgender activists, artists,  and legal advocates  in the U.S. NCTE is honored that the inaugural Trans 100 list recognizes the contributions of current staff and board members Mara Keisling, Harper Jean Tobin, Marisa Richmond, and Avory Faucette, as well as former staff and board members Diego Sanchez, Masen Davis and Jaan Williams. The Trans 100 list will be released annually.

Trans 100 is an effort to change the media conversation around transgender people to highlight the positive changes transgender people are making in the U.S. Nominations were collected in an open nominations period and the effort to curate the list was co-directed by Toni D’Orsay, Executive Director of This Is How, and Jen Richards of We Happy Trans, and sponsored by GLAAD.

“The only sustainable self-interest is that which extends the sense of self to include the whole,” said Jen Richards at the Trans 100 launch event. “Look around: women, men, people of color, genderqueer people, crossdressers, showgirls, sex workers, academics, activists, artists, and allies. We are all one community.”

NCTE Board Chair Marcus Waterbury said, “NCTE is proud to have our staff and board be among those recognized in the Trans 100 and especially proud to be honored alongside many of our close friends and allies. As NCTE Board Chair, I have the pleasure of working with this profoundly effective team and these  accolades only pushes our team to do more and to do it better.”

View the full list here.

NCTE Condemns Committee Action on AZ Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill, SB 1045

Yesterday, in a 7-4 vote, the unnecessary and discriminatory bathroom bill, SB1045, moved forward from the Appropriations Committee to the House floor. SB1045 renders local LGBT nondiscrimination laws unenforceable and protects businesses and other facility managers that choose to discriminate against transgender and gender nonconforming public restroom users.

In response to the committee vote on SB1045, National Center for Transgender Equality Executive Director Mara Keisling said:

“The Arizona Appropriations Committee approved an incredibly discriminatory and hateful bill that specifically targets transgender people. Rejecting the thousands of people who’ve spoken out against SB1045 in Arizona and across the United States, Rep. Kavanagh and his six allies instead chose to defend discrimination and protect discriminators. SB1045 brings more shame to Arizona’s legislature for isolating and targeting another marginalized community. Transgender Arizonans and our allies stand stronger and more determined to put an end to Rep. Kavanagh’s anti-transgender campaign.”

Share this on Facebook:  

LGBT History Month Spotlight: Sylvia Rivera

For LGBT History Month, NCTE is highlighting outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the movement for trans equality and justice. Our first spotlight is on Sylvia Rivera, a transgender activist who worked tirelessly for more than three decades on behalf of trans people and all LGBTQ people marginalized by poverty, racism, and a narrowly conceived “gay rights” movement.

Born and raised in New York City, Sylvia had already been living on the street for years when at 17 she became a veteran of the Stonewall riot. She was active in the formation of key post-Stonewall gay rights organizations such as the Gay Activists Alliance, as well as in organizing with the Young Lords, the Black Panthers, homeless youth, and sex workers. She campaigned for an early gay rights law in New York City, famously getting arrested for scaling the walls of City Hall (in heels, no less) to crash a closed-door meeting on the bill.

NCTE Condemns Sensationalist Trans Segment on “Anderson Live”

Tomorrow, Anderson Live will feature an exclusive interview with a person who claims an anti-baldness drug made them transgender. In response to the show’s decision to air the segment, National Center for Transgender Equality Executive Director Mara Keisling said:

“All of us here at the National Center for Transgender Equality are surprised, saddened and disappointed that a respected show like Anderson Live would give credence to this type of sensationalism and misinformation. This segment is just another case of sensationalizing an already marginalized population plain and simple.”

Tweet this to keep Anderson honest about trans lives:

I share @TransEquality’s disappointment in @anderson for sensationalizing #trans lives. http://act.ly/62x #lgbt RT to #KeepAndersonHonest

Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Trans Discrimination: New Analysis from the National Trans Discrimination Survey

Today, NCTE, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) released new analysis on Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander (API) trans people, a supplement to the groundbreaking National Transgender Discrimination Survey.

Even given the unconscionable levels of discrimination and violence against transgender people in the United States, Asian and Pacific Islander (API) trans people experience heightened levels of discrimination and had worse outcomes than the sample overall. API transgender people faced the combination of anti-transgender bias with structural and interpersonal racism.

“These findings underscore the importance of recognizing that API transgender people are a significant and too often marginalized part of both API and LGBT communities, and a community that faces substantial and sometimes unique challenges,” said Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “And the broader racial justice analysis has too often excluded APIs. This research contributes to our long-held belief that policy makers must understand and act on the deep disparities that exist within people of color communities.”

Trans Advocate Spotlight: Freedom Center for Social Justice

July 2012 – NCTE would like to highlight the Freedom Center for Social Justice as a part of our Trans Advocate Spotlight series.

While NCTE and other national groups have a lot of visibility, the lion’s share of the work of advancing equality and justice happens at the local and state levels – some of it involves public policy (the focus of our work), but there is so much more that needs to be done.

Too often this critical work goes unrecognized, particularly in the South. One of the organizations with whom we worked to develop the recent report on Improving the Lives of Transgender Older Adults is the Charlotte-based Freedom Center for Social Justice, which works to expand opportunities for low-income communities, communities of color, LGBT people and youth. Arising out of the Unity Fellowship Church movement, the Center started with a tutoring and career development program for high school students, and eventually made supporting transgender people of color a central component of their work. Recognizing both the broader problems of discrimination and marginalization and the frequent alienation or rejection of transgender people of color from faith communities, the Center launched the annual Trans Faith in Color Conference, now in its third year.

Trans Advocate Spotlight: Trans Youth Support Network

June 2012 – NCTE would like to highlight the Trans Youth Support Network in Minnesota as a part of out Trans Advocate Spotlight series.

As the leading organization advocating for transgender people at the federal level, NCTE is very visible, and sometimes we’re looked to as the leader on all work for trans equality. The truth is that most of the work being done for trans equality is being done by organizations at the state and local level, as well as by other national civil rights and LGBT organizations. This work doesn’t just happen through working on federal policy, it also happens through local and state level education, lobbying and grassroots organizing. We’ve decided to highlight some of that work by identifying trans advocates and organizations who are doing great work around the country.

NCTE recognizes the remarkable work of Minnesota’s Trans Youth Support Network (TYSN). Founded in 2004 in response to a rash of violence targeting young trans women of color, TYSN works to promote racial, social, and economic justice for trans youth. TYSN’s activities include creating social, cultural, and leadership development opportunities for youth; educating and training service providers and others who work with you about trans issues; and advocating for change through public policy and other venues.