Dana921
12-03-2012, 04:10 PM
Hi All,
One of the threads was asking ”what kinda things would you wanna do for the Trans community”.
http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?185684-What-Kinda-Things-Would-You-Wanna-Do-For-The-Trans-Community
Transgender (TG) for me means the umbrella term to include all of us expressing / presenting a different view or feeling of gender identity, one that typically does not align with our birth sex. I wanted to give an answer that would not interfere with the thread as it is. It is a great question! But, to fully answer for myself, I felt a new thread would be better. So know that Dana921 = Dana Stevens.
I wanted to share with you what I do and /or roles I have taken on because I want to contribute.
Currently I am the President of the Board of Directors, Co. Springs Pride center – In this role I help facilitate the governing of the Pride center and the direction we will take from a strategic planning and fundraising perspective. I do not do this alone as I am fortunate to have a great team doing this. My role is to be a cheerleader and understand what resources the other board members need to be successful and through networking get them what they need! My success depends solely on how well I meet the needs of the team. I provide links so that you can validate the information I share with you.
http://www.cospride.org/index.php/en/home/board-of-directors
Friend us on Facebook also!
http://www.facebook.com/COSPride.org
I am also a facilitator for Peak Area Gender Expressions (PAGE) and co-founder of the Building Real Identities anD Gender Expression (BRIDGE) groups that meet at the Pride center. In this role I help bring in guest speakers on topic specific requests made from the folks attending the meetings. Facilitate meetings and often times provide counseling as needed. This includes the TG person as well as also be for the young person telling their parents to helping married couples communicate with each other. Another group is the Transgender Family Support Group which I help, mostly providing logistical support, but sometimes being asked for discussion points for the family to precede in a discussion. Please know that this group meets without any TG folks, including myself, attending as a rule so they feel comfortable to express their concerns. I am asked to attend only on an as needed basis.
http://www.cospride.org/index.php/en/support/groups
Co-Organizer, for the Mile-Hi Transgender meet-up group. This is an online social support group designed to help others meet and get together as their schedule allows. Mostly getting out and about to enjoy entertainment of some sort or see which groups are meeting, when and where.
http://www.meetup.com/Mile-High-Transgendered/
As a part of all this I meet other business leaders (for profit and non-profit) in many industries (yes as Dana) such as health, mental and medical, Police Chief and his staff as part of a community leaders meeting, Suicide Prevention Consortium as part of the El Paso county health department, Training or outreach programs in Businesses and schools, and also participate in a Southern Colorado Women’s business network. We have, as part of the Pride center, our own business Partnerships (an LGBT business chamber) that helps us support them and our community by networking resources with the needs of people.
I share this with you to help you know these endeavors exist! But we need the support of all as well! Financially as well as moral support. Whether you do a like or share on Facebook, just be yourself when out and about, give us a prayer or thank you from your closet, donate funds, we need it. We all do what we can do! I know for me, I have a tiger by the tail and am searching for more weight, and not through chocolate either, heehee! Get on board and see how you can donate. Hopefully over time you can and will see ways to offer more support or involvement in your own way! We are winning, really, we are, but there is so much more to do.
We as a Pride center offer things by providing a place where one can come in and perhaps share the biggest secret of their lives like I am a crossdresser, transsexual, gay or a hundred other identifiers! This is what we do! The reward is huge, to watch the burden removed from the individual by simply offering a place that allows them to do that! To announce aloud for the first time to another living being in person brings an immeasurable relief! The changing of discharge status for someone discharged because she was outed as a lesbian by a vengeful person and would not lie about it. These are the things that we together can work towards. Participation in research for the number of Transgender people still in military service. This will help change the current policy of not allowing TG people in military service, just like the repeal of DADT policy was a step towards gay and lesbians being more open about whom they are. What we call our Dignity model, where we introduce the person seeking help in any one of 28 different areas of needs such as housing, food, medical, entertainment, jobs, or training to the people, we partner with, to provide the individual the needed help. We do this not just by giving the person a phone number or address. We actually make the appointment for them and do a more seamless handoff so that person no longer has to share their story multiple times to different people. They are being sent to a friend, not just some place.
I do this as a heterosexual crossdresser who typically brings in money as a guy! I live a dual life of sorts as a quiet guy just trying to earn money as he can and then also as an advocate for equality as Dana (she seems to come alive with passion and conveys that to those she talks with). Yes, picking up the phone can be quite difficult remembering how to answer! One day, I hope to change that.
So, just how can you help? Maybe you should be asking yourself, how can you not?
One of the threads was asking ”what kinda things would you wanna do for the Trans community”.
http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?185684-What-Kinda-Things-Would-You-Wanna-Do-For-The-Trans-Community
Transgender (TG) for me means the umbrella term to include all of us expressing / presenting a different view or feeling of gender identity, one that typically does not align with our birth sex. I wanted to give an answer that would not interfere with the thread as it is. It is a great question! But, to fully answer for myself, I felt a new thread would be better. So know that Dana921 = Dana Stevens.
I wanted to share with you what I do and /or roles I have taken on because I want to contribute.
Currently I am the President of the Board of Directors, Co. Springs Pride center – In this role I help facilitate the governing of the Pride center and the direction we will take from a strategic planning and fundraising perspective. I do not do this alone as I am fortunate to have a great team doing this. My role is to be a cheerleader and understand what resources the other board members need to be successful and through networking get them what they need! My success depends solely on how well I meet the needs of the team. I provide links so that you can validate the information I share with you.
http://www.cospride.org/index.php/en/home/board-of-directors
Friend us on Facebook also!
http://www.facebook.com/COSPride.org
I am also a facilitator for Peak Area Gender Expressions (PAGE) and co-founder of the Building Real Identities anD Gender Expression (BRIDGE) groups that meet at the Pride center. In this role I help bring in guest speakers on topic specific requests made from the folks attending the meetings. Facilitate meetings and often times provide counseling as needed. This includes the TG person as well as also be for the young person telling their parents to helping married couples communicate with each other. Another group is the Transgender Family Support Group which I help, mostly providing logistical support, but sometimes being asked for discussion points for the family to precede in a discussion. Please know that this group meets without any TG folks, including myself, attending as a rule so they feel comfortable to express their concerns. I am asked to attend only on an as needed basis.
http://www.cospride.org/index.php/en/support/groups
Co-Organizer, for the Mile-Hi Transgender meet-up group. This is an online social support group designed to help others meet and get together as their schedule allows. Mostly getting out and about to enjoy entertainment of some sort or see which groups are meeting, when and where.
http://www.meetup.com/Mile-High-Transgendered/
As a part of all this I meet other business leaders (for profit and non-profit) in many industries (yes as Dana) such as health, mental and medical, Police Chief and his staff as part of a community leaders meeting, Suicide Prevention Consortium as part of the El Paso county health department, Training or outreach programs in Businesses and schools, and also participate in a Southern Colorado Women’s business network. We have, as part of the Pride center, our own business Partnerships (an LGBT business chamber) that helps us support them and our community by networking resources with the needs of people.
I share this with you to help you know these endeavors exist! But we need the support of all as well! Financially as well as moral support. Whether you do a like or share on Facebook, just be yourself when out and about, give us a prayer or thank you from your closet, donate funds, we need it. We all do what we can do! I know for me, I have a tiger by the tail and am searching for more weight, and not through chocolate either, heehee! Get on board and see how you can donate. Hopefully over time you can and will see ways to offer more support or involvement in your own way! We are winning, really, we are, but there is so much more to do.
We as a Pride center offer things by providing a place where one can come in and perhaps share the biggest secret of their lives like I am a crossdresser, transsexual, gay or a hundred other identifiers! This is what we do! The reward is huge, to watch the burden removed from the individual by simply offering a place that allows them to do that! To announce aloud for the first time to another living being in person brings an immeasurable relief! The changing of discharge status for someone discharged because she was outed as a lesbian by a vengeful person and would not lie about it. These are the things that we together can work towards. Participation in research for the number of Transgender people still in military service. This will help change the current policy of not allowing TG people in military service, just like the repeal of DADT policy was a step towards gay and lesbians being more open about whom they are. What we call our Dignity model, where we introduce the person seeking help in any one of 28 different areas of needs such as housing, food, medical, entertainment, jobs, or training to the people, we partner with, to provide the individual the needed help. We do this not just by giving the person a phone number or address. We actually make the appointment for them and do a more seamless handoff so that person no longer has to share their story multiple times to different people. They are being sent to a friend, not just some place.
I do this as a heterosexual crossdresser who typically brings in money as a guy! I live a dual life of sorts as a quiet guy just trying to earn money as he can and then also as an advocate for equality as Dana (she seems to come alive with passion and conveys that to those she talks with). Yes, picking up the phone can be quite difficult remembering how to answer! One day, I hope to change that.
So, just how can you help? Maybe you should be asking yourself, how can you not?