WWW.IFGE.ORG The International Foundation for Gender Education  

2001 Trinity Awards

Nomination Rules   Nomination Forms
 

Academy Announces Awards

The results of the voting for the Virginia Prince Award and the Trinity Awards are in. These awards are sponsored by IFGE, but are not IFGE awards. Nominations are open to the entire Transgender Community. A body of respected and experienced members and friends of the community who have agreed to serve on the Selections Academy make the final selection. The members of the Selections Academy are not necessarily members of IFGE, and must not be a current Director of IFGE. Since the Transgender Community makes the nominations at large, and the final selections are made by the Academy, these awards are truly the Transgender Community's awards.

The Virginia Prince Lifetime Contribution Award is the Transgender Community's highest award. It is given to the person who has made a significant lifetime contribution to the community.

The winner of the 2001 Virginia Prince Lifetime Achievement Award is Jane Fee.

Jane Fee

Jane is an exceptional individual in the Trans Community. As a very early advocate and member of community groups such as the Cherrystone’s of Boston, MA, and Tiffany Club, she helped build and establish the founding organizations that later became strong social and activist community organizations. Jane fee is an exceptional individual in the Trans Community. As a very early advocate and member of community groups such as the Cherrystone’s of Boston, MA, and Tiffany Club, she helped build and establish the founding organizations that laterbecame strong social and activist community organizations.

Her work in the Trans Community has spanned the Pacific Ocean. She has worked for the community in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand and received special recognition from the Royal Family of Thailand. She has visited Europe and made connections with many of the leaders of the Trans Community. She has appeared on Italian TV.

Jane is active in the Imperial Court in Minneapolis/St. Paul. She is Empress XIII and XV of the Imperial Court of All Hawaii. She is also active on the National level with the Court.

As an early advocate for IFGE, she added her expertise in business to the discussions that lead to the formation of IFGE. Jane served two terms on the IFGE board in the 1990’s. She assisted to plan and market the IFGE conventions in Boston, Denver, and Houston.

For Jane being Transgendered is a wonderful gift, not a disabling or debilitating situation. She proudly teaches that as a Trans person she can do anything, anywhere, anytime. Jane is an exceptional spokesperson and advocate for the community.

Jane has received numerous awards from various organizations including a Trinity Award in 1995 and the Transgender Law Conference “Pioneer Award” in 1994. The Pioneer Award was for her participation in getting the state of Minnesota to pass a law giving equal rights to GLB and Transgendered persons. Jane has worked for strong relations between the GLB ant T Communities that proved instrumental in the passage of this law. After this success, she founded Its Time America, which now has chapters in 26 states working to change their laws to be similar to MN. She now holds the position of Director Emeritus.

Since 1990 Jane has worked with the Program of Human Sexuality at the U of MN to develop and present programs in the community that promote self-esteem, good health and the prevention of HIV/AIDS specifically for Trans people. She also serves on the advisory board of the MN Historical Center and Archives relative to GLBT documents and artifacts. She speaks frequently at universities, civic organizations, and police departments and is active politically to educate others and gain acceptance of all in the GLBT communities.

Jane is one of the quiet leaders in the community who acts behind the scenes by assisting in hundreds of unheralded ways. Most recently she was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.Her work in the Trans Community has spanned the Pacific Ocean. She has worked for the community in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand and received special recognition from the Royal Family of Thailand. She has visited Europe and made connections with many of the leaders of the Trans Community. She has appeared on Italian TV.

Jane is active in the Imperial Court in Minneapolis/St. Paul. She is Empress XIII and XV of the Imperial Court of All Hawaii. She is also active on the National level with the Court.

As an early advocate for IFGE, she added her expertise in business to the discussions that lead to the formation of IFGE. Jane served two terms on the IFGE board in the 1990’s. She assisted to plan and market the IFGE conventions in Boston, Denver, and Houston.

For Jane being Transgendered is a wonderful gift, not a disabling or debilitating situation. She proudly teaches that as a Trans person she can do anything, anywhere, anytime. Jane is an exceptional spokesperson and advocate for the community.

Jane has received numerous awards from various organizations including a Trinity Award in 1995 and the Transgender Law Conference “Pioneer Award” in 1994. The Pioneer Award was for her participation in getting the state of Minnesota to pass a law giving equal rights to GLB and Transgendered persons. Jane has worked for strong relations between the GLB ant T Communities that proved instrumental in the passage of this law. After this success, she founded Its Time America, which now has chapters in 26 states working to change their laws to be similar to MN. She now holds the position of Director Emeritus.

Since 1990 Jane has worked with the Program of Human Sexuality at the U of MN to develop and present programs in the community that promote self-esteem, good health and the prevention of HIV/AIDS specifically for Trans people. She also serves on the advisory board of the MN Historical Center and Archives relative to GLBT documents and artifacts. She speaks frequently at universities, civic organizations, and police departments and is active politically to educate others and gain acceptance of all in the GLBT communities.

Jane is one of the quiet leaders in the community who acts behind the scenes by assisting in hundreds of unheralded ways. Most recently she was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Click here for more coverage of the 2001 Virgina Prince Awards Ceremony.


The Trinity Awards honor our heroes and heroines, people who have performed extraordinary acts of courage and love.

The winners of the 2001 Trinity Award are:

1.) Holly V. Ryan

Holly is a long-time member of the Boston TG community and a regular volunteer at IFGE. She has also worked tirelessly for the Tiffany Club, as Facility Manager, head of security for the past several First Event conventions, and is currently a member of the Tiffany Club Board of Directors. She has been a member of the Tiffany Club for 12 years. She has also been the marshal for the Transgender segment of the Boston Pride parade for the last several years.

Holly was instrumental in creating the transgender sensitivity and access training for Intake Coordinators, LICSW counselors, and Substance Abuse counselors, Case Managers, Registered Nurses, and Doctors who work in Massachusetts Department of Health and Department of Transitional Assistance funded programs which include Detoxes, Alcohol & Drug Treatment Centers, and many Boston area Homeless Shelters. Through her efforts she has convinced the two aforementioned state agencies to change their requirements for the program intake forms to include “Transgender, Transsexual and Other” in addition to the usual “Female & Male” categories. This action is recommended by the state if the agencies wish to retain their state funding.

In June of 2000, Holly was appointed to the MA Dept. of Public Health GLBT Addictions Task Force Coordinating Committee (task force executive committee). She is the first transgender person to be appointed to this ‘inner circle.’ This committee is responsible for recommending legislation for treatment access denial for under-served parts of the population, in this case, GLBT people; and funding mandated GLBT treatment and accommodations. Holly’s goal is to ensure that no transpeople will be denied access to any Massachusetts state funded and licensed healthcare facilities.

Holly’s past personal experiences, being denied access and treatment due to her trans-status is the burning force that propels her into tackling these not-so-pretty aspects of social injustice.

Holly identifies herself as a transsexual woman. She transitioned on her job with the full support of her peers, Board of Directors, and CEO (he was responsible for actually outing her!) This action has precipitated her company to hire five more transpeople and she is the Director of Food Service & Purchasing for the Middlesex Human Service Agency, which is a non-profit multi –service agency with seventeen programs providing services for youth & adolescents, homeless families, substance abuse and outpatient counseling.

Through her job she has worked with the federal parole system recommending services and treatment to lower the recidivism rate of transpeople. She has also worked with the MA Dept. of Social Services Child Protection advising them that being a transperson is not a sufficient reason to withhold visitation or custody of tanspeople’s children. As a result, in Massachusetts it is no longer considered a reason to deny visitation or custody.

Together with a member of the FtM community, she started the first Boston area Trans-AA meeting four years ago. IFGE is proud to support Holly’s efforts and provides the space for the weekly meetings.

Holly is an activist and is quite passionate about fighting injustices in the world, especially fighting for the rights of transgender, transsexual and gender variant individuals.

2.) Penni Ashe Matz

This award was presented posthumously. Penni was aware she was receiving the award but was too ill to attend the convention. Unbeknowest to anyone at the convention, Penni passed away on March 12, 2001. Kim Carver of GAIN accepted the award in Penni's behalf. Penni will be sorely missed.

Penni was known to many for her untiring work with GAIN, the Gender Advocacy Internet News, the AP of the TG world. Any magazine editor, activist, newsletter writer or person committed to following events that happen in and impact the TG Community subscribe to GAIN. While this is the most widely known aspect of Penni’s work, it is only one part of it.

Penni Ashe Matz self-identified as visibly gender variant. She was the instigating co-founder and current State Director of It’s Time Massachusetts! (ITMA), a chapter of It’s Time America! (ITA). She was also a board member of ITA and GEA (Gender Education and Advocacy). She was the editor of GAIN a free news service of ITA and GEA. She is a board member of GLOBE, a company-sanctioned employee resource group at Verizon Communications.

Penni focused on building bridges and relationships and fostering collaboration and coalitions. She was an active member of Boston Voices for an Inclusive 21st Century (BNV), a very broad and diverse coalition of individuals and organizations opposing hate crimes. Through her involvement in BNV, Penni was able to nurture contacts with the MA Governor’s Task Force on Hate Crimes as well as a relationship with the Chair of the MA Commission Against Discrimination. Penni helped convince The Hate Crimes Task Force to approve a change in regulations, making explicit the implicit coverage of transgender under “gender” in the state’s hate crimes law. At this time, the change is pending signature by the Governor. She was also active in the fledging MA Leadership Summit, a coalition of GLBT advocacy groups in MA, sponsored in part by the NGLTF (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force).

Through her leadership, ITMA developed the ITMA Equality Principles on Gender Variance, and has garnered many signatories to the Principles. The Greater Boston Business Council (GBBC) recently voted to incorporate the ITMA Principles into their pre-existing ACE Principles. ITMA is also forging a close working relationship with the LBGT Political Alliance of MA in preparation for doing some legislative work at the state level.

In order to outreach to the MA Transgender Community of Color, Penni began nurturing a relationship with Men of Color Against AIDS (MOCAA). She was also a volunteer in the preparations for the 2001 12th Annual Bayard Rustin Community Breakfast, sponsored in part by Boston AIDS Action Committee.

Because of her work in building a relationship with Rep. Barney Frank and his staff, Penni was recently consulted regarding specific language to use in an amendment Rep. Frank introduced to the Violence Against Women act of 1999. The amendment was to specifically include transgenders a member of the list of “under-served populations” While this amendment and other language regarding specific naming of “under-served populations” was defeated, for the first time in House history, transgenders were treated on a par with gays, lesbians and bisexuals.

3.) Joan Goodnight

Joan is a pioneer in the Transgender Community who has paved the way for many people. Joan has made it possible for us to come out and feel less fearful and to be welcomed in an environment that was non threatening and comfortable.

Joan has been a major leader of the TG Community on the West Coast. She founded PPOC (Powder Puff of Orange County) in 1987, later renamed Powder Puffs of California. In 1990 she formed the California Dreaming Convention Group and the first convention was held in Los Angeles in 1991. She has been manager of event annually since then.

Joan headed the CA support group team that co-sponsored the 1997 IFGE Unity Convention at the Queen Mary Convention Center in Long Beach. She helped build a format to welcome other organizations to participate in this event.

Joan served as an advisor to the early IFGE Board. She was an early member of Tri-Ess “Alpha Chapter” and has been a Tri-S Board member. She also has been an advisor to and has assisted many other National and Local Support Groups.