The International Foundation for Gender Education

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #103, Fall 2003.



? Why do transgender people often find themselves competing for the same seat at a table?

? What must you know about someone before you can even consider extending friendship?



Expectations of Gender

? Judy Osborne





At the moment of birth, a glance at a baby?s genitals confers lifelong legal and social expectations. These expectations vary greatly among societies.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #103, Fall 2003.



Part 1 of 2: Melbourne Photographs by Mariette Pathy Allen Text by Katharine Coleman



Mariette was invited
to speak at the
Fifth International Congress on Sex and Gender, which was held at the University of Western Australia in Perth, October 24-27, 2002?but one doesn?t spend twentysome hours flying just to visit the most remote city in Australia. Such an investment of time justified stopovers in Melbourne and Sydney?all of which Mariette would have done solo had her command of Australian been up to par. But it wasn?t, and since I spoke the language and had a bad case of wanderlust, she let me go along.



Once word got out that Mariette was coming to Australia, she was asked to also speak in Melbourne and Sydney. These occasions, along with the conference in Perth, provided wonderful opportunities to witness different aspects of the transgender communities in Australia. Our experience in each of these cities was different, so we decided to generate two articles?this one on Melbourne, and another on the conference in Perth and the Gay Games in Sydney.

Transgender Tapestry 103 Fall 2003 Table of Contents

BUY
THIS ISSUE - click here

Wrapped in Blue - A Journey of Discovery is the recently released autobiography by Donna Rose. Now available in paperback from the Synchronicity Bookstore

By Joann Prinzivalli

CDI members at the IFGE Convention netted over a thousand dollars for charity by running a carnival after the Friday evening convention dinner at the Philadelphia Airport Hilton on March 21, 2003.

A year of planning and sometimes panic came together on Wednesday, March 19 at the Philadelphia Airport Hilton Hotel as Transgender 2003, the 17th annual IFGE Convention registration opened at 10:00 A.M. As co-chairwomen Kristine James and Alison Laing herded the attendees, vendors, and hotel the premier event of the Transgender Community got underway.

Diana Hignutt, author of "Moonsword" was featured in the current issue of the Philadelphia Weekly. Check out the article at www.philadelphiaweekly.com/archives.asp?ArtID=6040

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #102, Summer 2003.



Copyright 2003 by K.C. Ball



It continued, as it began, with a telephone call at bedtime. Maggie Stone had fallen gently into sleep shortly after ten pm. A summer breeze spilled through the open window near her old brass bed, carrying the half-heard lullaby of tires on the nearby interstate. After ten years in her small apartment in the city?s Olde Towne district, it was a sound she would have noticed only in its absence. In all other ways the night was quiet, one more advantage of living in the heart of a city where most folks fled back to the suburbs during afternoon rush hour. The trill of the telephone tugged Maggie back from the edges of an easy dream. She touched the wide, rounded button on the speakerphone that sat on the brass stand next to the bed.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #102, Summer 2003.



by Monica F. Helms



I was going through my morning routine, getting ready for another day at Tapestry Towers. Only a few months ago, we all thought we would lose our jobs because of the lavish spending of the editor, Dallas Denny. However, Dallas used her beguiling ways to convince a Saudi sheik to float a multi-million-dollar loan, which in reality should be considered a ?gift,? as she has no intention of paying it back.



As I adjusted my skirt and slipped into my flats, I heard what sounded like a knock at the door. Rounding the corner into my living room, I saw the strangest thing?the air in front of the door appeared distorted, like ripples in a pond. The ripples increased in intensity and air started rushing into the center. The turbulence was so intense that papers flew off the table and into the opening.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #102, Summer 2003.



The 17th annual IFGE convention was held at the Philadelphia Airport Hilton Hotel, March 19-23, with more than 170s attendees from around the world.The event kicked off with Ben Franklin (you?ve seen him on television) presenting a letter of greeting from Philadelphia?s Mayor John Street. The first plenary
session was led by Bernard and Terry Reed from the Gender Identity Research & Education Society (GIRES) located in London, England. Dr. Milton (?Please call me Mickey?) Diamond was the featured speaker. Dr. Diamond was brought to us by Ms. Rikki Swin and the Rikki Swin Institute. Dr. Diamond spoke several times to packed conference rooms. When not delivering presentations, Mickey could be found in
discussions with individuals and groups. More than 40 other presenters offered education and personal help
programs to the attendees. Special awards were presented for outstanding community service. On Thursday, Julie Johnson (now past chair of IFGE) presented the Diversity Award to Glaxo-Smith-Kline for their open employment policies, which provide for transition on the job.