Transgender Issues Links

Check out some of my favorite online resources.

General Information - A good starting point:

Trans Teens Resources:

  • Transgender, Transsexual, Crossdresser Teens Forum - Hundreds of trans teens connect to share support and resources. No personal identification allowed to be given on site.
  • Trans Youth Family Advocates -TransYouth Family Advocates (TYFA) are parents, family, friends and caring adults dedicated to educating and raising public awareness about the medical and cultural challenges faced by children with gender variant and gender questioning identities and the families who love them.

Family Issues:

  • TransFamily - Best on the web. TransFamily is a support group for transgendered and transsexual people, their parents, partners, children, other family members, friends, and supportive others. We provide referrals, literature, and over-the-phone information on all transgender issues.
  • Email Support Lists - Outstanding site listing significant number of supportive email lists connecting other spouses, family members, and friends of a trans-person.
  • Trans Couples Support Network - There are couples that stay together during and post transition. Could you be one of these couples? See how others manage. Support offered.
  • Our Trans Children. Supportive resource for parents of transgender children. Provided by PFLAG.
  • FAQ: The Transexual Person in your life. Good resource for parents, friends, and supportive others.
  • The PFLAG Transgender Network - The transgender network for transgender individuals and their supportive others.
  • TGS-PFLAG ONLINE List Serve (Email Support Network) for parents and supportive others of transgendered individuals: To sign-up, send message: "subscribe tgs-pflag yourmailaddress" to listproc@youth-guard.org

Legal in Rhode Island and Beyond:

Health Information:

  • Trans-Health.com - Issues relevant to transgender and transsexual health and fitness; both physical as well as mental health.
  • Hormone Information - Dimensions Clinic (Castro District, San Francisco) puts out wonderful fact sheets about transitioning and hormone therapy.
  • Vaniqa - The first and only prescription cream approved by the FDA to remove unwanted facial hair. Has been used by some MTF with success by self report.

Work Place Issues:

New England Social & Support Groups:

  • COMPASS - Compass is a New England area female-to-male (FTM) trans support, information, and social group for people assigned female at birth who feel that is not an accurate or complete description of their gender.
  • Lifelines Rhode Island - A variety of programs to assist with trans-awareness, resource sharing, education, advocacy and more.
  • Rhode Island Gender Community (RIGC) - Transgender social and support group in RI.
  • Tiffany Club of New England. PO Box 71, Waltham, MA (781) 891-9325. Social group for transvestites. Trans-Issues, a political/social/support group in Boston. Meets first Monday of the month. For time and location call Julie at 617-522-5388 or email her.
  • New England Trans Announcement list. This low volume list compiles regional announcements of interest to the genderqueer/trans population in the New England area. It is a moderated list, which means that you will receive only announcements and not any discussion. To subscribe send email to newenglandtrans-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Local New England Supportive Others:

  • 5 part story about local transgendered individual who courageously shares her journey from awareness to SRS planning. From Kent County Times article. May 2002
  • Surgical and Pre-surgical Planning:
  • Surgeons for Sexual Reassignment Surgery - National resource of a number of surgeons performing SRS. NOTE: The listing here does not constitute an endorsement, referral or recommendation by myself. This information is posted soley as a resource. Seek consultation, second opinions, ask for feedback from former patients, as well as viewing photos of the surgeons work.
  • Getting Real about FTM surgery Nice summarizing article from gender.org.
  • Michael L. Brownstein MD - Well respected plastic, reconstructive, and gender related surgeon in San Francisco.

Male to Female Personal Sites:

  • http://www.genderpeace.com - She is a younger m2f survivor. Very nice website and a whole discussion group too specifically for m2f TS women.
  • http://authentikate.com - Kate is a younger m2f survivor. She goes into great detail of her own transition, with photographs, and includes an online journal that's witty and interesting.
  • http://annierichards.net - This is the "Birth of Venus" website by Annie Richards, a m2f survivor. It has a lot of good info on it, and is especially helpful not only for TS women but also their friends and families.
  • http://www.antijen.org/index2.html - The Antijen Pages...one of the oldest m2f TS websites, has a lot of personal accounts, info.
  • http://jadaze.keenspace.com - "Lean On Me" One of only 2 comics that deals specifically with m2f transsexualism. Two of the main characters are m2f TSs. It's like a bittersweet soap opera.
  • http://venusenvy.keenspace.com - "Venus Envy" The other online comic that deals specifically with m2f transsexualism. The main character is a younger m2f TS, and there as also recently introduced a younger f2m TS. This is more like a sitcom, but it rings very true to life. I like both of these a lot.
  • http://hairfacts.com -This is not specifically for m2f TS women, but it is run by Andrea James, the same TS woman who runs tsroadmap.com. It's an unbiased, consumer info site for methods of hair removal. Lots of advice and clinical info on here.
  • TS Womens's Successes: Links and Photos. Very inspiring!

Female to Male Personal Sites:

  • Transster.com - Transster is a repository for images of FTM gender reassignment surgery results.
  • TransMen: Links and Photos. Very Inspiring!

Transgender - Books:

  • She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders Newest in the trans literature came out July 2003. College professor talks about her process from childhood to SRS. Wonderful for all trans folks and their families.
  • True Selves: Understanding Transsexualism for Families, Friends, Coworkers, and Helping Professionals. A great starting point for individuals and their families first read on this all important issue.
  • Transgender Care. The book contains a wealth of practical information and accounts of people's experiences about coming out to one's employer or to one's friends or spouse. Several essays spell out the legal rights of transgender people with regard to insurance, work, marriage, and the use of rest rooms.
  • Dress Codes: Of three girlhoods, My mother's, My father's, and mine. As recommended by ABC's Good Morning America's Book Club. Her dad started out as the quintesential "good old boy" but gradually realized that he had to be open with his need to be a female lesbian. The disclosure alternatley reassured and startled the author who realized that American society does not generally supply children of GLBTs with a "what to expect" guidebook. Even if you do not have a transgendered family member, it is impossible to read this book without crying, laughing or otherwise being reminded that good families come in all formats.
  • Books by Kate Bornstein - This MTF transexual is a STRONG advocate for all transpeople. These books and workbook help people rethink the notion of gender. A MUST READ for EVERYONE! GLBT AND "STRAIGHT" (if there is such a thing)!!!
  • Mom, I need to be a girl (Full text online) 104 page story by Just Evelyn. Important reading for all dealing with trans issues.
  • Trans Forming Families: Real stories about transgendered loved ones. Very Pro-Family. If you know of any grandparent, parent, sibling, spouse or child who is having difficulty dealing with a transgendered family member or spouse, you would show them a great act of love by getting this book into their hands.
  • Feminizing Hormonal Therapy for the Transgendered. Want one book about the ABC's of feminizing hormones? This is the one.
  • Transformations: Crossdressers and Those Who Love Them This book is the first to show crossdressers in everyday life, in relationships, with a positive attitude about their lives.

Videos:

  • Just call me Kade - Kade Farlow Collins is a sixteen year old FTM (female to male transgendered person) residing in Tucson, Arizona. Kade’s parents maintain a supportive and nurturing relationship to Kade regarding the many challenges facing their teenage child. However, it hasn’t always been easy.
  • No Dumb Questions - What happens when 3 young children's transgendered uncle transitions to become aunt Barbara! A wonderful Cinemax documentary available for purchase

Transgender History and Other Important Notables:

  • Reed Erickson and the Erickson Educational Foundation - Reed Erickson is the wealthy female-to-male transsexual who funded some of the first US research on transsexuality. Important trans history info.
  • Magnus Hirschfeld, MD - The first physician to coin the term "transvestite" and whose Berlin transgender institute was closed down by the Nazis.
  • Kate Bornstein - One of the world's finest rebel gender theorists, deconstructionists and activists, Kate Bornstein is a performance artist, an actor and a teacher who specializes in guiding people through the journey of transgender transitioning.
  • Brandon Teena - His story is now legendary. Brandon Teena was born Teena Brandon in Lincoln, Neb., on Dec. 12, 1972. Brandon grew up knowing that his female body did not fit his male psyche. Immortalized in the critically acclaimed movie Boys Don't Cry, portrayed by Hillary Swank.
  • Leslie Feinberg - A true leader in the trans movement, she lives her life as a trans person and a lesbian, as well as a woman, a person of Jewish descent, and a worker, her life has been a daily struggle against formidable odds. Review of her new book here.
  • Christine Jorgenson - The grandmother of all transexuals. On memorial day, May 30, 1926 a baby boy was born to a Danish immigrant couple.He was christened George William Jorgensen. Unknown to anyone, this "little boy" would grow up to become one of the most significant figures in American history. George eventually became Christine and the first "sex-change" in modern history. Her switch of genders, at the time, was controverisial to say the very least. She was condemned, adored, feared and admired. Through it all, she maintained a quiet, gentle dignity which became her trademark. As a result of her brave, single-minded pursuit for truth, she paved the way for many more to, at last, find peace with themselves.

Intersex Resource:

  • Intersex Society of North America - The Intersex Society of North America (ISNA) is a public awareness, education, and advocacy organization which works to create a world free of shame, secrecy, and unwanted surgery for intersex people (individuals born with anatomy or physiology which differs from cultural ideals of male and female).