What's New? Commumnity Cares: Reflections after Dana/Chanel Larkin's death Sunday May 23, 2010 Location: Milwaukee LGBT Community Center 315 W. Court Street, Milwaukee, WI Please join FORGE (on Sunday, May 23, 2010 from 1:00 - 3:00pm) in supporting yourself and our community in the aftermath of the Dana/Chanel Larkin's murder. Many members of our community/ies (trans+, LGBT, African-American, entertainment, +, +, +) have been deeply impacted by her death. In this gently facilitated environment of open sharing, we will create time for people to discuss their reactions/thoughts/feelings, as well as to discuss potential action steps (for taking care of yourself, each other, and/or our community). Please RSVP to tgwarrior@forge-forward.org or 414-559-2123 or on Facebook so we can best know how much food to bring. Snacks will be provided. Everyone is welcome to attend. Thank you in advance for coming together as a community. Murder of Dana (Chanel) Larkin May 7, 2010 FORGE is deeply saddened to report the death of Dana A. Larkin (also known as Dade and Chanel), 26, of Milwaukee.  Larkin was killed on Friday, May 7, 2010, in part because of anti-transgender hate bias.   While we are grateful that the suspected killer has been caught, we urge the District Attorney to consider adding a hate crime charge to the current charge of first-degree reckless homicide.   We also note that some media outlets have been inaccurately characterizing Larkin’s gender and pronouns; we encourage the respectful, consistent use of feminine pronouns to refer to her.  FORGE sends its condolences to Dana’s family and friends.  We also note that when anyone is killed or harmed in a hate-motivated crime, those who share the victim’s identity are harmed as well, and may react with the same fear, anger, and despair as other crime victims.  We ask our community members to be caring, compassionate, and supportive of each other as we all try to cope with this terrible crime.  Aging from a Transgender Perspective Date: Thursday, May 13, 2010 Time: 8:45am - 1:30pm Location: Houston Room, 1750 33rd St. Boulder, Co Aging from a Transgender Perspective,” featuring nationally renowned transgender advocate and researcher Loree Cook-Daniels, will offer service providers and interested community members the needed tools to appropriately and sensitively serve and advocate for transgender elders and their allies. This event is free and includes coffee, snacks, box lunch. Registration: required, by 5pm Tuesday, May 11, to René Hickman, Event Intern, at 303-441-1585 sponsored by; * Boulder County Aging Services * The Theodore and Chandos Rice Charitable Foundation * The David Ensign Charitable Trust Fund * The Open Door Fund of The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County   FORGE's website is in the process of being revised. Please check back frequently for a new look -- and new content!

 

About FORGE

FORGE (For Ourselves: Reworking Gender Expression) is a national education, advocacy and support umbrella organization supporting FTM+s⁽¹⁾ (female-to-male transsexuals and transgenderists, and others who were assigned female at birth but who have some level of masculine identification) and SOFFAs (Significant Others, Family, Friends and Allies).FORGE’s components and services include:

• A social support group, meeting monthly in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for trans-masculine individuals and SOFFAs
• Transgender Sexual Violence Project, serving transgender and SOFFA survivors of sexual violence and the providers who serve them
• FORGE Forward 2007 Conference, the largest gathering of trans-masculine, SOFFA and providers in the Midwest
• TAN, an international network of people who serve, do research, training, or advocacy about, and/or are otherwise interested in transgender aging issues.
• Multiple listserves, including ElderTG, SV-support, FORGE announcements, Conference announcements, and more.
• Connectivity newsletter - devoted to exploring one topic in depth each issue and reporting on developments of interest to the trans+/SOFFA community
• Fact sheets and other publications
• Training and consultation on issues of concern to the trans+/SOFFA communities

 

(1) FTM+ or a "+" next to any word, is the way FORGE chooses to show respect and inclusion for people who step outside of the box, or who identify in ways that are not overtly listed or addressed in this publication. People are much more complex than a set of words and labels. "+" indicates an expansiveness that words cannot capture, recognizing and welcoming the beautiful diversity within our community.