IFGE, the International Foundation for Gender Education, is one of the leading organizations for education of the general public on transgender issues.  They have a number of great programs, one of which is the Trinity Award, in the words of Yvonne Cook-Riley, Awards Committee Chair,

The Trinity Awards honor our heroes: living transgender persons who have performed extraordinary acts of courage and love in service to the transgender community.  Participation across the entire transgender community, its allies and friends, is essential to the awards-nominating process.

The 2010 Trinity Award will be presented at the IFGE Annual Conference – The Capital Conference, to be held at the Hilton Mark Plaza Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia April 22-25, 2010

Nominations for this prestigious award must be submitted no later than November 20, 2009.  See the IFGE Site announcement for more details.

Well, we are at the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but we shouldn’t stop being unaware of this disease now that the month is over.  Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women.  Some women do not either self-exam or get examined by a medical specialist.  Sometimes women are too busy keeping their families together; sometimes they just don’t know enough to do their own breast exam properly; sometimes they just can’t afford it.  For women who are lesbian or are transexual, add in a fear (either real or perceived) of being discriminated against and the barriers seem almost insurmountable.  But there’s a resource our Boston area readers may not be aware of at Fenway Health.

Fenway Health is the one of the leading community health centers in the United States that includes LGBTIQ people as well.  In their words:

The mission of Fenway Health is to enhance the physical and mental health of its community, which includes those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, the people who live and work in our neighborhood, and beyond.

Fenway has a comprehensive set of services for breast cancer screening and, if you can’t afford to pay for such services, please let them know!  If you are a trans-woman, don’t let your lack of job or insurance be a barrier, contact the Fenway Transhealth Navigator program to help you.

The stories of being a parent who is transgender are sometimes heartbreaking and other times inspiring.  That’s what Terry’s story is: inspiring.  Gina Kaysen Fernandes interviewed Terry for her story on Mom Logic.

For as long as Terry* could remember, she never felt comfortable with her body. The 35-year-old New Jersey native was born with XY chromosomes and had the right corresponding anatomy, but “my body parts felt wrong,” says Terry. As a child, Terry preferred to play with girl toys, have female friends, and tried to hide her urge to cross-dress. “My dad would flip a lid if I played with girl stuff.” During her teen years, Terry struggled with low self-esteem and emotional issues as she tried to suppress her hidden gender identity. Terry had no doubt she was a female trapped in a male’s body, but it would take years of anguish and psychological counseling before she could completely transform into being the woman and mother she is today.

On this first Transparent Day, you can read more of Terry’s story at Mom Logic, by visiting, “Trans-Parenting: How Daddy Became Mommy“.

Today, November 1, marks the first annual Transparent Day! Kicked off at Southern Comfort Conference in September, Transparent Day is:

a day of celebration for all parents and kids that can focus on the family and it’s importance. It will help reinforce the fact that we as Trangendered parents continue to have that bond and that love that all parents share with their children.

This is pretty important topic. Many of us work very hard to be parents and manage our Gender Dysphoria as well. It can be very trying wanting to do what’s best in all cases. TransParentDay.org is the web site that celebrates this day and has some wonderful resources to help parents who are transgender to navigate and thrive in being who they are and in being parents.

So go get that first, fresh, steaming mug of morning coffee and go have a read at transparent.org ….. the go give your kids a big hug and tell ‘em that you love them and that they are your special gifts to you.