A friend of mine and I were gabbing on the phone about some things we’d like to do to better the transgender community where we live. We were brainstorming discussion groups we’d like to lead, organizations with very focused missions, and the general state of how to better the transgender community in the Boston area.

Well, wouldn’t you know that this same topic would come up while I was reading Helen Boyd’s blog, (EN) Gender.  I stumbled upon her post entitled “Three More Ways” which talked about how the National Center for Transgender Equality is in the process of listing a total of 52 Things You Can Do for Transgender Equality. I’ve posted a few here to wet your reading appetite:

#1: Take a Trans Person to Lunch

Or dinner, coffee or afternoon tea. Where and when you go doesn’t matter, but connecting with another person does. Networking strengthens our activism and reminds us why we are doing this work, plus you might make a new friend. So, maybe think of that person in your support group, the cross dresser who doesn’t always talk but is such a great listener”why not get to know her better? What about the transman who volunteered at that event you went to”what about saying thanks to him? How about that college student from the genderqueer organization—seems like an interesting person? Or a person from a group thats very different than your own”how about finding out what makes them tick? You get the idea. Think of folks you dont yet know well and drop them an e-mail or give them a call. Lets start our year of activism with that all important human contact. In future weeks, we’ll include resources on how to put the ideas into action, but we’re sure you’ve got this one covered. So, make plans this week to take a trans person to lunch.

Here’s another one that is a real issue for trans-folk but to which you can really help:

#25: Make a Restroom More Accessible to Trans People

Recently I walked into the offices of a very transgender-friendly group, and yet there was still a restroom problem. There were two single use restrooms, one labeled for men, the other for women. When I pointed it out, they said that they thought transgender people could just use whichever one they felt comfortable with. They were very flexible about restroom usage but hadn’t thought through what their signs conveyed.

The Transgender Law Center has a great resource on bathroom issues called, Peeing in Peace: A Resource Guide for Transgender Activists and Allies. It has a wealth of information on everything from how to handle difficult situations in restrooms to how to take action to make policy changes. You can go to their website and click on the box marked “Peeing in Peace” or follow the link above to view or download download the whole document or a summary.

This issue is important because we need safe places to use the restrooms and because it challenges the assumption that everyone fits neatly into a category. When agencies, schools, and groups make clear that their restrooms are safe places for transpeople, they send a message that they are genuinely welcoming to trans people, they’ve considered our needs and planned ahead for our participation.

The group I mentioned at the beginning has already started talking to the other agencies they share space with about their intentions to change the signs. This week, let’s take steps to make restrooms more accessible to trans people.

Other neat ideas include:

• #2: Ask your library to carry books that deal positively with trans people
• #11: Hold a workshop on how to effectively advocate for yourself when seeking medical care or therapy
• #14: Preach or speak at a local community of faith, such as a synagogue, church or mosque
• #18: Educate a local homeless shelter about how to be trans inclusive
• #21: Start a local support or education group

You can find this work in process article at the National Center for Transgender Equality web site by clicking to this link HERE.

By the by, this is not about special rights. This is only about equal rights. Indeed for many of us these are simply the same rights we had prior to coming out. We just want them restored that’s all.

(52 Things graphic used courtesy of National Center for Transgender Equality website)

In my day job I have to constantly learn about new technology. The good news is that it’s nice to be learning something new everyday or at least every week. The bad news is that it can sometimes feel like your constantly drinking from a fire hose. But now there’s help for me and for you. And, as we like to say at the Frugal Tech, it’s free and it’s good which is the best combination.

The source of this is ZDNet’s free, easy and quick learnin’ at ZDNet’s WhiteBoard. You can reach this fabulous service by clicking to The ZDNet’s White Board site at this link HERE. Whiteboard is basically a series of podcasts on various technologies. Everything from what is Wireless Networking, to understanding what Open Source technology is, to dealing with Demand Forecasting in Business is covered. The podcasts last from two to three minutes, are entertaining and informational. One of the best features is being able to get a transcript of the podcast for free.

Go check it out You’ll learn something new and be entertained too and for free. A nice frugal tech deal indeed!

(photo courtesy of katielips photos, used under Creative Commons License)

Reading a blog post by Kellie posted on July 16, 2006 on the topic of smearing got me thinking. I’ll repost a snippet here but you should go back to her site to read the full story (at this link HERE) and her excellent thoughts:

Read this news story [Ed.-from Boston.com regarding a new intolerance that is sweeping Provincetown]. Now, consider for a moment what the response would be from certain quarters were/when equally bigoted, insulting, derogatory comments are made toward the lgbt community by a handful of equally bigoted, insulting, derogatory folks. Inevitably the usual (read: Left-leaning) suspects would decry and tar the entire- take your pick- conservative/Republican/Christian/traditionalist communities for the ignorant bigotry espoused by some within their midst. Should we now equally decry and tar the entire lgbt community as ignorant bigots based upon the despicable acts of some as accounted in the above story?

I think Kellie is on to something very important in her post on this case of potential reverse discrimination in Provincetown, MA. I was at a Gender Coalition meeting for tolerance and rights for transgender folk about two months ago. In the midst of that meeting someone said that the “right” really hates transgender folk and will try to put a stop to any actions we might take to gain equal rights (not special ones, just the same old rights we all had before some of us came out as transgender – which if we do that we do generally to make other people feel comfortable with us; talk about catch-22). I had to stop and (politely) challenge this person saying that not everyone on the right is bigoted or small minded and unable to see that being born with the incorrect birth anatomy or being somewhat off center from the standard issue gender is a horrific event. Indeed, there are many who have no issue with us at all and would happily defend us, why? By and large, most of us aren’t doing anything to harm anyone else, we’re just seeking a little balance and normalcy in our lives and many on the right see that as well.

Bottom line? Neither the right nor the left should be whitewashed for the extreme activities of some of their members. I would argue those extreme elements need to exist in their groups to actually ignite change and to cause open debate, but to whitewash ALL the left or ALL the right unfairly with the extreme (and many times wrong view) is just that, it’s unfair.

(image courtesy of Emdot, used under Creative Commons License)

Could it be true that you could get a return on your invested dollars and do something good to help out others? Well you may be surprised to learn that there is such a vehicle. It’s managed by the Calvert Foundation, In their owns words:

The Calvert Social Investment Foundation (Calvert Foundation) was established with a simple goal: to help end poverty through investment. It serves as a facility for individuals and institutions, seeking to place capital on softer terms to finance affordable homes, fund small and micro businesses and to make available essential community services. Calvert Foundation works to provide investment capital to local partner non-profits that use common sense and compassion to help people in disadvantaged communities to work themselves out of poverty.

Vehicles such as the Calvert Foundation are the providers or funnel of capital from people like you and me to programs of Social Entrepreneurship that do one thing; drive solutions to the many problems plagueing our society rather than letting them languish any longer. You can read about the Calvert Foundation by clicking to their web site at this link HERE.

“You run like a girl” often implies that the person running (be they girl or boy) runs a little less then optimally shall we say. Such a term would never be implied to such amazing athletes as Joan Benoit, Grete Waitz, Paula Radcliffe, Svetlana Masterkova, or Rita Jeptoo. Of course if you ran like any of the women I just listed you’d want to run like a girl!

But what if you had a chance to run as a boy and then as a girl? Does gender matter in athletics for performance? Without going into the science behind it one woman knows both, as Runner’s World wrote in this excellent article on Janet’s Furman’s life, her transition, and her being an athlete:

Ever wonder how much faster (or slower) you’d run if you were the opposite sex? Janet Furman Bowman may be the only runner in America who knows.

You can read Janet’s incredible story at this Runner’s World article by clicking to it HERE.

(picture courtesy of M_M_Mnemonic and used under Creative Commons License)