Midwest GenderQueer

sqs-tec asked: Hi there! I'm an organizer for SQS, a Chicago based trans* empowerment collective. We're putting together a program for self defense for the trans* community. Do you have any quick advice concerning self defense and community inclusion/protection within the trans* community? I don't mean to trouble you, I would be most appreciative to hear your thoughts. I respect the work you do--in solidarity!

Sounds like a great project! Welp, of course there is the foundational stuff you probably already have covered such as considering all-gender language in the discussion (as opposed to a men/women narrative that usually comes with self-defense conversations), recognizing body difference (such as not all men have certain levels of strength, not all women are a certain size, etc), and thinking about what language is used in violence against the trans* community specifically and use that in your exercises. Another thing to consider – body comfort levels; some people may be more or less comfortable with a lot of physical contact, for whatever reason. Think about multiple ways to do your lesson plan so folks of different persuasions can all participate comfortably. Familiarize your folks with any and all laws and policies that relate to your community, including things like trespassing (relevant to gendered spaces like bathrooms), sex offenses and sex work (for our people who are in SW as well as to combat stereotyping that all our people are in SW), prisons/arrests, and discrimination/hate crime laws. Ask your community if there are particular issues, fears, concerns they would like addressed and work that in to your curriculum. Oh, and then there’s the little things like all gender dressing rooms/bathrooms if people need to change clothes for the event. Is it a physically accessible building? Can it be reached by public transportation?

 We all (hopefully) know about what happened to CeCe and how complicated that situation is, so it is also good to make sure people understand their rights when it comes to self-defense and the law. The ACLU has a great little worksheet called “Know Your Rights” that is useful for everyone and check out these sites for ideas and/or information that may be relevant to you.

http://www.transgenderlaw.org/

http://srlp.org/resources/resources

http://transgenderlawcenter.org/cms/

 Also, providing resources in the case people are survivors. Do a disclaimer about triggering language and or experiences, and you might want to include a ‘vibe watcher’ in your “staff” who will have the specific job of checking in with people who may be upset by the training. You can find some useful links here: http://transqueerwellness.org/discrimination

 Another thing that, I think, is always useful is to promote a dialogue about why this violence occurs and talking about what systems of oppression are at work here. It doesn’t need to be a lecture; you can work it in interactively as you go. Asking questions like, “Why does gender non-conformity make people angry?” and “What makes people afraid of us?” can help people think about their experiences without the prospective hurdle of academic words that might not be well suited for a community workshop like this one. I think that when we are able to mentally understand oppression, it is easier for us to confront it because we are less distracted by the fear based“Why is this happening to me?” and more focused on the power based “I know how to stop it.”

Hope this helps, this is definitely “quick” suggestions, so let me know if you’d like to chat about it more. I’m happy to help in anyway I can. And I’d love to hear about what you come up with and how it goes!

ftmmisandrist asked: Hi JAC, I'm thinking of doing a project in my speech class on gender. I was wondering if you had any sources to share? With most research being very cis-centric, it can be hard to find information related to gender variance. I'd greatly appreciate it.

Sure! Welp, a lot of what I’d send would come from my mass pile of compilings here: http://transqueerwellness.org/ - I’m a one human show for the most part, so I have more stuff that isn’t up there yet, I need a volunteer webmaster like its my job!…. and it is my job…

Anyway, what sort of research are you looking for? For general gender variance articles, a couple good resources are:

http://www.trans-academics.org/ - archived but has a lot of good stuff on it.

http://www.genderpsychology.org/

http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wijt20 International Journal of Transgenderism – used to be able to get all articles for free, but now it is weird and sort a pay site (since WPATH reorganized it) but if you are a student and find an article of interest, you can likely find it in your school library’s article database. This would be more of a tool for finding what topics are out there.

You’ll also likely be able to make use of discussing/analyzing the standards of care, which you can find here: http://www.wpath.org/publications_standards.cfm

For GID specific stuff, there are some good article links here: http://transqueerwellness.org/GID

Also, maybe seek out some “non-academic” resources like blogs and personal narratives. I would think in a speech class it would be useful to have that little personal edge to your project.

Hope that this is helpful! Good luck!

Anonymous asked: Hi, I live in WI and i feel so alone at least in my state. thers no where for me to get help i dont think i can hamdle waiting till i'm 30 plus yrs of age to get help i need some help now. what am i to do?

I am so sorry you feel so alone. I feel you, it is tough out here and it is so, so hard to be all by yourself in this. I can assure you that you are not alone, in your state, or in the world. TheMidwestis full of people just like you, and we are all feeling similar feelings of isolation and frustration. Keep fighting, I know you can empower yourself without waiting until you’re 30 (which isn’t THAT old, PS lol!). Depending on what you can do, you might have to wait a little while longer, but maybe if instead of “waiting” you think of it as “working” – working to get to where you want to be, how you want to be, who you want to be… Every day, every action, is another step towards your goals for living. And please let me know if there is anything I can do to make that journey easier, even if it is just having someone to talk to. I am here. You are not alone.

Depending on where you live in Wisconsin, there are a couple little hubs of resources that hopefully you can access, even if only online for now. I put the info below, maybe other tumblr folks will have feedback too. Even if this stuff isn’t right near you, I try to never underestimate the power of a phone call or email. It sucks to not be in the same physical space as someone, but just being able to connect with someone else can make a huge difference. 

a lot of these are listed on my org’s website, http://transqueerwellness.org/, if you want to see where I got them.

FORGE – (http://forge-forward.org/) Michael Munson is the director and he is an excellent human being. If you reach out to him I know he will be able to help you out! Say I sent you, if you need a point of introduction. He is very well connected and will hopefully know of some resources near you. FORGE also publishes a very up to date physicians list for trans folks if that is something you could use- http://forge-forward.org/2011/02/wisconsin-physician-list/

Milwaukee Queer Cooperative  (https://www.facebook.com/MQCooperative) - this is a new group of activists that has recently fired up, they are very active and possibly will have some broad state connections.

The Milwaukee LGBT Center (http://www.mkelgbt.org/) also may be able to connect you with some resources. They don’t have TONS of trans focused programs, but they do have a really cool staff of people and a lot of resources.

Madison LGBT Center (http://www.lgbtoutreach.org/) I don’t have a lot of experience with these folks, but what I do know about them is pretty positive. They have a lot of programs and resources including a Gender Wellness program (http://genderwellness.lgbtoutreach.org/)

You can also check out UW Madison’s LGBT services (http://lgbt.wisc.edu/) sometimes they are plugged in, especially because they may have students or staff from other areas of the state. UPDATE: I’ve been told that most UW campuses have resources, so if you are near any of them (there are lots) you can check that out.

Integrity/Dignity Madison based LGBTQ Faith org (http://www.idmadison.org/)

Good Luck! Hang in there, friend. I am sending love and good vibes your way.

<3 JAC

I’ve been doubling up with my older GQ Coalition project for way too long! So The Midwest Trans* Queer Wellness Initiative has finally gotten its own facebook page. Please ‘Like’ and spread the word, friends!!

(Source: transqueerwellness.org)

http://forum.transgenderzone.com/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=1651&start=10

http://www.susans.org/forums/index.php?topic=76052.0 (doesn’t seem to be currently updated but it is there)

http://transhealth.vch.ca/resources/library/tcpdocs/consumer/surgery-MTF.pdf

…

(via transpride)

(Source: pflagmom)