Working for basic rights for transgender and transsexual people to be open, honest, and safe at home, at work, and in the community.
SAGA is a program of Wingspan, Southern Arizona's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center
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Transgender Victory in Maricopa County
On Sept. 27, three years after a similar proposal was rejected, Equality Maricopa, led by former Tucsonan Lori Gershik, joyfully watched as the governing board of the nation's largest community-college system, the Maricopa County Community College District, voted to add "gender identity" to its anti-discrimination policy.
This victory, and the lessons learned from the battle to achieve it, will have a lasting and far-reaching impact as other transgender-advocacy groups and their allies petition for similar policy changes in other jurisdictions.
Three SAGA members, including SAGA Program Coordinator Erin Russ, attended this historic meeting as a show of solidarity and to speak about Tucson's experience with transgender-inclusive policies in support of the policy change.
Transgender Awareness Week is upon us and runs from Nov 14 - Nov 19. It's purpose is to help the local community understand who transgender people are, the problems they face, and how to support the transgender community. Close family members, friends, or co-workers of a transgender person will especially find Transgender Awareness Week a valuable source of information. It's also a time for those who have their own gender issues to seek the guidance they need that will lead them on the path to finding themselves. The week culminates with the Transgender Day of Remembrance. This is a vigil to remember transgender people who lost their lives due to hate crimes, and to hope there will come a day when all transgender people can live their lives as themselves without fear.
Every year in November, SAGA celebrates Transgender Awareness Week, a full schedule of programs and events to celebrate trans life, to raise the visibility of transgender issues in the community, and to provide a safe venue for gender-questioning and gender-diverse people to discover and rejoice in their unique place in the gender universe.
You can become a part of Transgender Awareness Week, and you can even help with the program.
Volunteers are critical to the success of this event. To volunteer your time and enthusiasm, contact coordinator
520.624.1779x120.
And if you wish to contribute to defraying the costs of this year’s Transgender Awareness Week events, please click the link below to donate through Wingspan's secure payment center.
Your gift is tax deductible, and the link is unique to Transgender Awareness week.
Thank you so much for your support.
Erin Russ New SAGA Coordinator
Erin Russ has been appointed SAGA Coordinator at Wingspan, replacing Alison Davison, who has retired. Erin has been a SAGA member since 2000, has served on the SAGA Advisory Committee during that time, and has worked closely over the years with Alison and with Michael Woodward, the SAGA Coordinators before her. Erin has also served on the Board of Directors for the Tucson GLBT Chamber of Commerce, and was a founder of the Southern Arizona chapter of Transgender America Veterans Association (TAVA). We are delighted to have Erin as our new Coordinator, and look forward to a brilliant future under her leadership.
Trans Discrimination Survey Released
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - February 4, 2011 - The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) today released a comprehensive new report, "Injustice at Every Turn," revealing the depth of discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming people in a wide range of areas, including education, health care, employment, and housing.
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