Category: Announcements

Resolution

Whereas people are naturally endowed with a wide diversity of gender expression, identities, and sexual orientations;

Whereas, the distress felt by gender non-conforming people is fundamentally due to social prejudice and heterosexism, and is not a characteristic of their identities;

Whereas diagnosis of psychological disorders has been used as a form of social control;

Whereas, the inclusion of normal variations of behavior as diagnostic criteria has been widely used to justify discrimination against gender non-conforming people by individuals, governments, and corporations; and has resulted in material harm to people;

Whereas, the principle responsibility of medicine is to "Do No Harm;"

Therefore, be it resolved that we find the American Psychiatric Association to have a responsibility to ameliorate this harm, and hereby call for the following remedies:

(1) We hereby call on the Board of Trustees of the American Psychiatric Association to issue a declaration stating that: Gender variance, and gender non-conforming behavior do not constitute a psychological disorder;

(2) We hereby call on the American Psychiatric Association to remove the diagnosis of so- called "Transvestic Fetishism," which explicitly pathologizes gender non-conforming behavior, from their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual;

(3) We hereby call for the reform of any diagnosis that can be made solely based on gender non-conforming behavior, specifically including “Gender Identity Disorder in Children.”

Resolved this day May 15, 2009 by the Board of Directors of
The International Foundation for Gender Education

Waltham, MA & Washington, D.C., January 5, 2009 - The Awards Committee of the International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE) is proud to announce the 2009 Trinity Award recipients:

Ms. Lisa Mottet, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Mr. Spencer Bergstedt, North Sound Law, P.S.
Mr. Gunner Scott, Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition

Saturday, November 15, 2008
9:30 am - 3:30 pm
Wheelock College Brookline Campus
43 Hawes Street, Brookline MA

This gathering features Dr. Nancy Orel, who authored one of the first studies on LGBT grandparents, plus opportunities to share resources and experiences, connect, learn and celebrate . . . and lunch too!

Fee: $20 (free for those 75 and over)
Please RSVP by November 10:
RSVP@StonewallCommunities.com
617-369-9090
Lifelong Learning Institute at Wheelock College Central Boston Elder Services

The IFGE Awards Committee is seeking your help in searching for candidates for the 2009 the Trinity Award. These awards will be presented during the 23rd Annual IFGE Convention to be held in Alexandria VA (South of Washington DC), February 4 to February 8, 2009 at the Alexandria Hilton, Mark Center (by Old Town), Alexandria VA USA.

The Fantasia Fair Planning Committee will be awarding several scholarships to the 34th annual Fantasia Fair in historic Provincetown, Massachusetts from October 19 through October 26, 2008.

Recipients awarded full scholarships will receive free tuition to the Fair, including all seminars, workshops, and events, daily lunches, and shared room accommodations for seven nights. Partial scholarships are also available as well as the "Dottie Laing Scholarship" for couples with a transgender partner.