http://glbtseniorsdc.blogspot.com/

Primetimers of DC Day Trip to Winterthur

Primetimers of DC is planning a day trip to Winterthur Museum & Country Estate on Saturday, July 19th, 2008.

Primetimers of DC is a social organization for older gay and bisexual men and their admirers. It is a catalyst for bringing together men for social and recreational activities.

Winterthur is the former home of Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969), an avid antiques collector and horticulturist. A visit to Winterthur will immerse you in another time and place. Rediscover America's heritage through its unparalleled collections of antiques and Americana. Wander through the breathtaking beauty of the 60-acre naturalistic gardens.

The day-trip features a private group tour of Winterthur, cocktails at Quest Sports Bar, and Dinner at Eastern House Restaurant. For additional information, visit the Primetimers website.

In recognition of Transgender Day or Remembrance, the FORGE website
goes "black" on November 20, 2007.  http://www.forge-forward.org

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those
who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.  Day of
Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of those who might
otherwise be forgotten.  Many cities and communities have expanded
the original intent of the Transgender Day of Remembrance to also
include non-fatal victims of hate crimes related to gender identity,
expression or affiliation; those who have died as a result of lack of
access to health care, housing, or other basic survival needs; and
transgender and SOFFA individuals who have committed suicide.

The majority of victims of anti-trans violence remain unidentified,
unrecorded, and often not-remembered.  Please take a moment today to
remember that hate and violence against transgender, gender
non-conforming, and individuals who love trans+ people happens every
day -- in "small" and profound ways.

Perhaps more important than only remembering, "Be the change you want
to see in the world." (Mahatma Gandhi)   Although it's difficult to
disarm external violence, part of what we _can_ change is how we
treat the people in our lives.  Show the people in your life how much
you love and appreciate them.  Take 10 minutes to call your parents,
grandchild, minister.  Hug your child, partner, or sibling.  Send an
email to an old friend or lover.  Or reach out to someone you don't
even know and offer your kindness, warmth and love.  As trite as it
may sound, practicing "random acts of kindness and senseless acts of
beauty" may actually change the world and reduce the amount of
violence and suffering we collectively experience.

Remember the living, as well as the dead.

michael munson

FORGE
PO Box 1272
Milwaukee, WI 53201
www.forge-forward.org
tgwarrior@...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

In honor of the 2007 Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20,
2007), FORGE is pleased to announce the release of two new handouts
individuals and organizations are invited to download and
distribute:  "Keeping Yourself Safe: Anti-trans Violence Awareness
and Prevention," and "SOFFA Victims of Anti-Trans Violence."

"Keeping Yourself Safe" acknowledges that while victims are never to
be blamed for violence against them, there are tactics transgender
and SOFFA (Significant Others, Friends, Family and Allies)
individuals can use to keep themselves safer.  The handout lists 12
safety tips, such as carrying a whistle and wearing clothes you can
breathe and move easily in.  "Keeping Yourself Safe" is available in
.pdf (Adobe Acrobat) format at
http://www.forge-forward.org/docs/KeepingYourselfSafe.pdf, or in web
format at http://www.forge-forward.org/transviolence/safety.php


SOFFA Victims of Anti-Trans Violence" gives vignettes of eleven
SOFFAs who were killed or seriously injured in anti-trans
violence.  All too often, Transgender Day of Remembrance events have
acknowledged only trans victims of transphobia, even though many
SOFFAs have also lost their lives due to transphobia.  In some cases,
SOFFAs were killed along with their trans loved ones but are no
longer remembered nearly as well as their trans co-victim, such as
Lisa Lambert and Philip DeVine, who were killed along with Brandon
Teena.  Other SOFFAs, like Pvt. Barry L. Winchell, were targeted
specifically because of their connection with a trans person.  Still
other SOFFAs, like Willie Houston, were attacked because they were
(erroneously) believed to be trans.  "It's important that we
recognize transphobia is dangerous to everyone, not just trans
people," FORGE director michael munson said, "And this handout is
designed to raise that awareness."  The SOFFA Victims handout is
available in PDF format at
http://www.forge-forward.org/docs/SOFFAVictims.pdf or in web format
at http://www.forge-forward.org/transviolence/SOFFAvictims.php

The new handouts can also be accessed by clicking on the links at the
upper right-hand side of the FORGE homepage, at www.forge-forward.org

FORGE
PO Box 1272
Milwaukee, WI  53201
www.forge-forward.org
tgwarrior@...

FORGE* needs your help!  Please take our survey on sexuality online
at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=mYuMJuTQuNxOyZFzEfwGOA_3d_3d

(If you'd like us to mail you a paper copy, please contact us at the
address below.)

Sexuality is an important part of many adults' (and teens')
lives.  Because trans people's relationships with their bodies and,
especially, the body parts many people associate with sexual
activity, are often different from non-trans people's, sexuality for
trans people and sexual partners can present new issues, challenges,
and joys.

FORGE aims to provide valuable information to a wide spectrum of
individuals, including those who are transgender, significant others,
friends, family, allies, professionals, and many more. Although our
focus is typically geared towards FTM+/SOFFA experiences, we welcome
and encourage all to respond to our surveys. This survey, for
example, has many body-specific questions that were written with a
transmasculine/partner focus. People who identify as MTF+ or another
gender identity should feel free note differences in the numerous
comments fields, as appropriate.

We have tried to write one survey that can be answered by both trans
and non-trans people, by individuals who are and aren't in a
relationship, by people who are partnered with trans and non-trans
partners, and by people who have one or more partners. Ultimately, we
need you to help us. Skip questions and/or add comments to your
answers to make them fit your situation. Because some questions seem
to presume you are part of a couple that has one trans and one
non-trans partner, we particularly ask those in trans-trans
relationships and/or polyamorous relationships to help us accurately
reflect your experience by commenting on your answers.

Take the FORGE sexuality survey by going to
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=mYuMJuTQuNxOyZFzEfwGOA_3d_3d

The results will be published in a Connectivity newsletter later this
year.  FORGE took a small break from compiling our topic-centered,
survey-driven Connectivity newsletters.  Connectivity is a
publication of FORGE which illuminates the dynamic, multifaceted,
challenging, and interrelated process by which personal,
interpersonal, and community growth and development occurs. It is
dedicated to helping move the fragmented trans+/SOFFA communities
beyond identity politics and forge a movement that embraces and
empowers our diverse complexities.

We are thrilled to announce that we have three newsletters that will
be available within the next six months: 1) sexuality, 2) sexual
violence, and 3) the role of T in LGBT.

If you would like to be notified by email about survey results, calls
for submissions for future Connectivity issues, or would like
information about advertising in Connectivity, please send your email
address to the contact information below.

Thanks for your participation!

michael munson


FORGE
PO Box 1272
Milwaukee, WI53201
info@...
www.forge-forward.org


*  FORGE is a progressive organization whose mission is to support,
educate and advocate for the rights and lives of female-to-male
transgender individuals and SOFFAs (Significant Others, Friends,
Family, and Allies). FORGE is dedicated to helping move fragmented
communities beyond identity politics and forge a movement that
embraces and empowers our diverse complexities.

Last Thursday's ACTION Lunch

We had one of the biggest turn-outs ever for last Thursday's ACTION lunch, where the topic was Transgender Community Involvement in HIV/AIDS Research. As many of you know, the DC Area HIV/AIDS Community Advisory has been working on changing the way the NIH collects data on sex and gender, and I think the lunch took us one-step closer (in a very long process) towards that goal. There were great presentations by Ben Singer, Karin Klingman, and Jessica Xavier (pictured left). To see more pictures from the event, click here. Jessica Xavier is a transgender health researcher who has worked in the HIV/AIDS epidemic since 1984. She earned her Master of Public Health degree at the University of Maryland, and her current interests are transgender epidemiology methods and program evaluation of interventions targeting transgender persons at risk. From 1998 to 2000, she was Principal Investigator for the bilingual Washington, DC Transgender Needs Assessment Survey. Currently she is a co-investigator of the Virginia Transgender Health Initiative Study, a statewide qualitative/quantitative survey of the transgender population of Virginia, implemented by the Community Health Research Initiative of Virginia Commonwealth University for the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia HIV Community Planning Committee. click here to download Jessica's presentation Ben Singer is a PhD Candidate in English at Rutgers University working on an ethnographic dissertation: “On the Medical Margins: Transgender Risk Reduction in Public Health.” Since 1993, he has worked as a consultant and trainer in the public health sector, specializing in reducing health disparities through improving access to culturally competent care. He has consulted on local, state and national levels with the CDC, HRSA, Philadelphia Department of Health, AIDS Activities Coordinating Office, and other health and human service organizations. Ben has applied his knowledge to the successful design and implementation of government-funded projects that includes co-founding the Trans-health Information Project (TIP), a program of Prevention Point Philadelphia and the Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative, with funding by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From 2002-2004 he served as Director of TIP. In addition to presenting on transgender issues to government and community-based organizations across the country, Ben most recently taught “Transgender Queries in Medicine, Law, Politics and Culture” at Barnard College in New York City. click here to download Ben's presentation. Karin Klingman has been a Medical Officer in the Therapeutics Research Program in the Division of AIDS since 2000. Karin’s work includes protocol development and oversight. Her work has been primarily with the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), but has also included the CPCRA, the HPTN, and the PACTG which is now known as IMPAACT. This topic will be addressed at an upcoming Community Partners meeting, and I hope the Community Partners will submit a recommendation to the NIH so that we can continue to move forward. Labels: ACTION, transgender

posted by David Mariner at 3:02 PM Monday, June 18, 2007

 

• Why trans elders may be less healthy than non-trans elders due to fear of transphobia from physicians and home health care providers.
• How "mainstream" elders would benefit if the aging network better met the needs of LGBT elders, based on the concept of universal design.
• Why the LGBT movement needs to pay more attention to SOFFAs (Significant Others, Friends, Family, and Allies) in order to improve life for LGBT elders.
• How and why we should be re-thinking retirement.

OFD Update: Donald Hitchcock Sues DNC

* Press Release: Hitchcock Sues DNC
* The Merits of the Lawsuit
* Paul Yandura Weighs in.

PRESS RELEASE: HITCHCOCK SUES HOWARD DEAN & DNC
http://outfordemocracy.org/arch/000626.html
- - - - - - - - - -
Donald Hitchcock, former employee of the Democratic
National Committee (DNC), filed a lawsuit charging
the DNC with violating his rights as an openly gay
man, and Governor Howard Dean, DNC Treasurer Andy
Tobias and DNC Deputy Finance Director Julie Tagen
with defamation.

THE MERITS OF THE LAWSUIT
http://outfordemocracy.org/arch/000625.html
- - - - - - - - - -
Hitchcock makes three very specific claims in his suit
First, that by firing him for comments made by his
domestic partner he was treated differently than
heterosexual staff members who have not been fired
for public comments made by a husband or wife.
Second, he cites specific examples of where LGBT
employees at the DNC are paid less money than
heterosexual employees for equal jobs with equal
responsibilities.  Third, Hitchcock claims that
in an attempt to justisfy is firing to fellow DNC
staffers, DNC leadership made false and malicious
statements about his character and job performance.

PAUL YANDURA WEIGHS IN
http://outfordemocracy.org/arch/000627.html
- - - - - - - - - -
"I know that this may sound strange, but as a loyal
Democrat for over 20 years I believe that the Party
belongs to all of us and it is our obligation to
make it better and more inclusive for all."

_____________________________________________________________
Get email for your site ---> http://www.everyone.net

Transgender Community Involvement in HIV/AIDS Research

Jessica Xavier

Co-Investigator, Virginia Transgender Health Initiative Study

Earline Budd

Community Advocate

Karin Klingman

Medical Officer, NIH NIAID Division of AIDS

Ben Singer

Managing Director, Gender Works

June 14th, 2007

1:00 PM

DC CARE Consortium

1156 15th Street NW, Suite 500

To register for this event, call 202 223-9550 ext 15 or e-mail dmariner@...

What are the unique issues transgender trial participants face?  How do researchers collect information about sex and gender in clinical studies?  Join us for a panel presentation and discussion on transgender community involvement in HIV/AIDS research. 
 

• Community events Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5
• Call for Milwaukee activists

MAKE HISTORY AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE

It’s still not too late to come to Milwaukee,
Wisconsin this week, make history, and probably
change your life at the FORGE Forward 2007
Conference and Intensives!  Join us at the Four
Points Sheraton by General Mitchell Airport on
Thursday, March 29, Friday, March 30, Saturday,
March 31, Sunday, April 1, or even on all four days!

* * * There’s Still Time * * *

It’s not even too late to get in the fast-service
line at registration!  Just register online at
http://www.regonline.com/FORGEConference by
Tuesday, and we’ll have everything ready for you
when you walk into the Conference later on.  If
you register online, we’ll even guarantee you the
availability of meals of your choice: we are
having dinner together to listen to two
scintillating speakers on Thursday and Friday,
and reserving Sunday’s boxed lunch will ensure
you don’t miss a moment of Dean Spade’s inspiring
call for a trans movement that doesn’t oppress or erase anyone.

* * * Cutting Expenses * * *

Need to cut down on expenses?  Connections for
shared rides and shared housing are still being
made at the Yahoo! listserve we set up for this
purpose.  To subscribe, send a blank email to
FORGEConference_share-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Free snacks will be available throughout the
Conference in the Hospitality Suite, and Saturday
night’s community-hosted reception is featuring
both hot and cold hors d’oeuvres.  If you hook up
with some roommates and stay in the Conference
hotel, each room has a refrigerator to keep
brought-in food fresh, and there are dozens of
relatively inexpensive fast food venues close
by.  There is even still time to cut down on the
registration fees!  Email
volunteer@... pre-Conference to set
up your shifts, and we’ll give you registration
discounts of $15 for each two-hour shift, up to a
maximum discount of $45.  One-day Conference
passes are also available, as are single-plenary
tickets if you just one to come visit us one evening.

* * * Finding a Buddy * * *

Feeling a little daunted by the prospect of
walking into a building filled with hundreds of
trans and SOFFA individuals?  We have help for
that, too!  Walk straight into
Registration/Information Central (there will be
signs directing you), and straight up to the
Buddy-Buddy table.  That’s where you can get
matched with someone more experienced to help you
get oriented and figure out how to make the most
of the incredible opportunities this Conference
offers.  (This is also the place to go for the
many community members who enjoy passing on
hard-earned knowledge to those new to the
community.) During most of the Conference we’ll
also have our own private “lobby” space for
hanging out, meeting people, and sharing
thoughts, in the New Orleans Center room.

* * * About the Conference * * *

If by some miracle you haven’t heard about the
FORGE Forward Conference and Intensives before
now, it’s the first time a national transgender
conference aimed at those on transmasculine
spectrum* and SOFFAs is being held anywhere other
than the East and West Coasts. It’s also going to
be Wisconsin’s largest-ever gathering of
trans/SOFFA people.  Four packed days of all-day
Intensives, more than 90 workshops,
thought-provoking keynote speakers, exciting
performance artists and musicians, a film
festival, authors’ readings, 17 vendors … there
is something for everyone.  For more information,
see our website at www.forge-forward.org/conference


*If you are MTF or the SOFFA of an MTF, please
check out the plenary speakers and workshop
descriptions at our website!  We offer a LOT of
programming that is relevant to trans/SOFFA people of any gender.



FORGE Forward 2007 Conference
PO Box 1272
Milwaukee, WI 53201
www.forge-forward.org/conference
conference@...
414-559-2123

Hi all - this comes from the DC Area HIV/AIDS Community Advisory Boards for
HIV/AIDS Research.

Read the whole letter on the website: http://www.aidsvaccine.org

and PLEASE consider signing on to the letter by filling out the online form -
THANKS!

David Mariner

--------------------------------------------------------------------

It has come to our attention that there are significant inconsistencies across
the DAIDS funded HIV/AIDS Research networks, and across other NIH funded
HIV/AIDS research, in how data is collected with regards to sex and gender.

Three Washington DC area community advisory boards (CABs) have been discussing
this issue and have written a joint letter on this issue which we plan to submit
to the DAIDS Cross CAB working group for their consideration. The three CABs
are: The Capital Area Vaccine Effort which serves as the community CAB for the
NIH Vaccine Research Center, The Georgetown University Medical Center CAB which
is part of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group, and the Washington VA Medical Center
CAB, which is part of the International Network for Strategic Initiatives in
Global HIV Trials.

We realize that this is an issue that extends beyond the District of Columbia.
To that end, we are placing the letter online and encouraging other individuals
and community advisory boards to sign on to the letter before it is presented to
the Cross CAB working Group. This letter will remain on the website until May
11th. It will then be submitted on May 14th.

We encourage you to print out the letter and related information from this
website and discuss it with your local CAB. We encourage supportive individuals
or community advisory boards to sign on to this letter on or before May 11th.  
You can sign on to the letter by filling out the form at the bottom of this
page.

Joseph Hall, on behalf of the Washington VA Medical Center CAB
Wayne Dicks, on behalf of Georgetown University Medical Center CAB
Colin Gillespie, on behalf of the Capital Area Vaccine Effort
Zenovia Wright, on behalf of the Capital Area Vaccine Effort
Kofi Akomeah, on behalf of the Capital Area Vaccine Effort.

Find out more at http://www.aidsvaccine.org


_____________________________________________________________
Get email for your site ---> http://www.everyone.net

Do you know that the FORGE Forward 2007 Conference is less than a
month away?  It's not too late to take advantage of our extended
regular registration rates before they go up on March 11, 2007.  If
you register ONLINE for the FORGE Forward 2007 Conference and
Intensives at http://www.regonline.com/FORGEConference by Sunday,
March 11, you can still get the $140 conference registration rate or
$130 Intensive rate!  If you were planning on coming to the
Conference anyway, now's the time to sit down at the nearest computer
and reserve your place!   (After March 11, rates go up to
$155/Conference and $165/Intensives.)

And if you weren't planning on coming, maybe the additions to our
line-up will entice you to change your mind!  On Friday, March 30,
just before the opening plenary, celebrated femme, fat, and sex
activist Hanne Blank will give a rousing speech, "Just Who Do You
Think You Are?  Outlaws, Rogues, Visionaries, and the Queer Next
Door."  Publishers Weekly lauds this much-published author as
"informative, funny and provocative," with a "pleasing, highly
readable style that allows her to convey large amounts of information
with wit and agility."  Extend your pleasure by joining other eager
conference-goers for a plated dinner.  Dinners must be pre-reserved ($40).

Not every trans/SOFFA person has access to trans-inclusive film
festivals where we can see ourselves on the screen.  With that in
mind, the FORGE Forward 2007 Conference has added a "Best of the Film
Festival" screening to its final, Sunday night plenary (April 1,
2007).  Which ones will be picked to show again?  The Film Festival
line-up (running concurrently with Conference workshops)
includes:  Junk Box Warrior, Transparent, Female to Femme, Cubby
Holes, Phallocracy, Enough Man, Screaming Queens, and much more!

Is one of your loves music?  If so, you will be thrilled to know
we've added more music to our plenaries.  "Michael and Sheila" are
debuting their musical partnership at the FORGE Forward 2007
Conference, but they're anything but newbies.  Michael Woodward is
the lead singer of Tucson's notorious trans+allies band, Too Much
Information, and Sheila is a Phoenix-based keyboard wiz who, over the
past 20 years, has recorded, toured and performed with more
well-known entertainers than we can name (but we'll drop Sister
Sledge, Donna Summer, Teddy Pendergrass, The Shirelles, Bob Newhart,
Paul Lennon, and Bobby Vinton, just to name a few).

We are also pleased to announce that the Four Points Sheraton at
Milwaukee's airport (where all FORGE Conference activities take
place) has extended its FORGE Forward room block for us.  Make the
most of your Conference experience by staying onsite around the
clock!  Online registration is available at
http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/forge or by calling 414 - 481-8000.

If the room rates are beyond your budget, consider finding a roommate
or two (or even three!).  We have set up a Yahoo! listserve to help
link people who want to share housing and/or rides to the
Conference.  To subscribe, send a blank email to
FORGEConference_share-subscribe@yahoogroups.com .

And if you are REALLY excited about the Conference, channel some of
that excess energy!  We can still use volunteers, both at the
Conference and in a few key pre-Conference organizing posts.  To
start the conversation about what you can do, write volunteer@...


michael munson & Loree Cook-Daniels
conference co-chairs

FORGE Forward 2007 Conference
PO Box 1272
Milwaukee, WI 53201
www.forge-forward.org/conference
conference@...
414-559-2123