Welcome to the Transgender Commission website! The Transgender Commission is a coalition of people from across the University and greater community working to create change and equity for people of all gender identities and expressions. Everyone is welcome! We need your voice! Join a workgroup and get involved!

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Events, Meetings & Announcements

For more information or to get involved, please contact Ross Neely or Remy Corso, Transgender Commission Co-Coordinators, at TransCom@umn.edu or 612-626-3064.

Updated 04/12/12

*Gender Justice Week Events: April 15-20, 2012

Join us for this week of celebrating and liberating our many genders! This will be our 3rd annual event since declaring Wednesday, April 14, 2010 Gender Freedom Day at the University of Minnesota. To get involved, please contact TransCom@umn.edu.

*Sister Spit Spoken Word
Sun, April 15, 7:30 PM
Bell Museum Auditorium

Sister Spit began in 1994 through the efforts of co-directors Sini Anderson and (2004 Lambda Literary Award Finalist) Michelle Tea. Sini and Michelle gathered together a group of some of the most notorious, talented, and frickin’ interesting women and dykes, and went on tour all over the U.S. This year Sister Spit will be joined by BOTH the artist and star of John Cameron Mitchell’s film, Short Bus, Mx. Justin Vivian Bond, and acclaimed author and activist Dorothy Allison (author of Bastard out of Carolina and Trash). Check out the Sister Spit website for more information on all performers! This event is FREE and open to the public (donations will be collected at the door to support CeCe McDonald). Co-sponsored with the Steven J. Schochet Endowment for GLBT Studies & Campus Life, Women’s Student Activist Collective (WSAC), and Queer Student Cultural Center. For more information, please contact schochet@umn.edu.

*Gender Justice Week Tabling & Crafts
Mon, April 16, 11:30 AM-1:30 PM
Coffman Union Ground Floor

Stop by any time this afternoon to kick off our week of celebrating gender justice at the University of Minnesota, and take part in arts and crafts with the theme of liberating our bodies and genders!

*Transgender Commission April Meeting + Gender Dialogue
Mon, April 16, 3:00-5:00 PM
Ford Hall 151

Join us for a thought-provoking gender dialogue and discussion about our work to create institutional change, equity and access at the University of Minnesota for people of all genders! Everyone is welcome! Free food!

*Andrea Gibson Spoken Word
Mon, April 16, 7:00 PM
Coffman Union Whole Music Club

The winner of the Women’s World Poetry Slam shares readings on war, class, gender, bullying, white privilege, sexuality, love, and spirituality. The University of Minnesota's nationally-ranking slam poetry team will open for her at 7:00 PM. Admission is FREE! Co-sponsored with the Women's Center and Women’s Student Activist Collective (WSAC). Part of WSAC's RATH (Revolutionary Art THing) week! For more information, please contact wsac@umn.edu.

*Panel Discussion: Experiences of Hmong/API LGBTQA (new)
Tues, April 17, 1:30-3:00 PM
Weisman Museum, Shepherd Room

Guests will discuss the experiences of Hmong/Asian Pacific Islander LGBTQA as well as other issues that are impacting the Hmong community. Speakers include Oskar Ly, Pheng Thao, and Mey Chau from Shades of Yellow, a Twin Cities organization for Hmong LGBTQA communities. Moderated by Professor Naomi Scheman. This event is free and open to the public. Light reception to follow. Sponsored by the Institute for Diversity, Equity, and Advocacy (IDEA). For more information, please contact jcaron@umn.edu.

*My Naked Self Writing Workshop
Tues, April 17, 4:00-6:00 PM
Blegen Hall 215

20% Theatre Company's My Naked Self is an introductory workshop for anyone interested in exploring their gender identity, sexuality, body/self-image and/or awareness through guided writing and movement exercises and encouraged sharing/performance. This workshop is a challenging, inspirational and empowering examination of who others think we are, who we think we are, and the not-so-simple truth: who we are. No theatre or writing experience necessary! My Naked Self will be limited to 20 participants and cannot take late arrivals - for more information or to RSVP, please contact TransCom@umn.edu. Space is still available!

*GenderF*Kation Film Screening + Panel
Wed, April 18, 4:00 PM
Bell Museum Auditorium

Genderf*kation: A Gender Emancipation is the story of six people and their journey through the social, religious and political landscapes of a society that struggles to understand or allow for gender transgression. This documentary film breaks through gender stereotypes and historical gender ideologies to liberate our bodies, minds and spirits from our own social gender dysphoria. Although it is based in Minnesota, the subject matter has no borders. Forget everything you think you know about gender and experience a GENDERF*KATION! After the film, a panel discussion will take place with teh filmmakers and people in the movie (including our very own Alex and Remy) -- plus free food! For more information, please contact TransCom@umn.edu.

* Amy Andre: Bi & Trans* Health Disparities (updated)
Thurs, April 19, 4:00 PM
Smith Hall 331

We use tons of different words to describe the rainbow of our sexual identities. Straight or heterosexual are the most common, followed by bisexual, then gay, then lesbian, then other terms, like pansexual, queer, omnisexual, fluid, asexual, and many more. In this talk, bi author and health activis Amy Andre will be presenting research on how race, gender, and health intersect and interact with sexual identity language, especially for those of us who identify as bi and/or have sexual relationships with partners of multiple genders. Did you know that bi-identified people make up the largest group in the LGB population, and have poorer health than heterosexuals, gays, and lesbians? Together, we’ll answer questions such as: Why do these health disparities exist? What can we do about them – and about other sexual health disparities? And, how can we create a world of optimal health and wellness for people of all sexualities?

Nationally renowned writer, speaker and activist Amy Andre is regarded as an expert on the topics of bisexual identity and health disparities faced by LGBTQ people, Amy has been featured on PBS, and in Cosmopolitan, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Washington Blade, and the Advocate, among many other news sources. Free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome! For more information, please contact TransCom@umn.edu.

*Feminist Perspectives on the Psychology of Same Sex Marriage
Thurs, April 19, 7:00-9:00 PM
Mayo Memorial Building 3-100

Lisa Diamond, Beverly Green, and Glenda Russell will discuss their research and clinical perspectives on marriage equality and the marriage amendment. All three are nationally renowned researchers, authors, psychologists, and teachers. Their specialties are in GLBT concerns and they will speak about women's issues, sexual orientation, ethnic and cultural diversity, and feminism and marriage. Co-sponsored with the Women's Center, Minnesota Psychological Association (Women's and Multicultural Divisions), Program in Human Sexuality, and MN Women in Psychology. For more information, please contact 952-564-3048 or visit www.mnpsych.org.

*Gender Violence in Communities of Color
Fri, April 20, 2:00-3:30 PM
Murphy Hall 130

This discussion will explore some of the challenges of addressing gender violence in communities of color and offer some ways that everyone can take action and bring about change. Co-sponsored with the Women's Center, Gender Women & Sexuality Studies and The Aurora Center. For more information, please contact women@umn.edu.

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April Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) Events
Various locations across campus

This April, it’s time to start a dialogue and the topic of the conversation is healthy sexuality. The 2012 Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) campaign encourages communities and people to join the conversation on how we connect and respect one another in order to prevent sexual violence. SAAM events outline the ways in which the Aurora Center for Advocacy and Education (TAC) at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, along with many other groups, is calling attention to this important dialog. Please visit www.umn.edu/aurora for complete details on all events.

Tongues Untied: LGBTQ People of Color Discussions
Meets 2nd and 4th Mondays, 5:30-7:00 PM
April 9, April 23
Appleby Hall 3

Tongues Untied hosts biweekly discussions, educational presentations, and social events for LGBTQ people of color to have a space to talk about our experiences, issues and needs at the intersections of race, class, gender and sexuality on predominantly white and hetero-normative campuses. If interested, please contact TUntied@umn.edu, and check us out on our Facebook page!

Trans* & Gender Nonconforming Support Group
Meets Mondays at 4:30 PM

This group is a safer space for students who are transgender, genderqueer, questioning their gender, transgressing gender expectations, or who identify in some way as gender non-conforming to explore their feelings, thoughts, and experiences around gender identity and expression and receive collective support from other students. If interested, contact us at glbtapo@umn.edu.

TYSN/MTHC Unicorn Support Group
Meets Mondays from 5:00-7:00 PM
The Exchange, South
3405 Chicago Ave S, Mpls

The Trans Youth Support Network (TYSN) and Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition (MTHC) are teaming up to create the Unicorn Support Group (USG) for trans and gender nonconforming youth*! USG will be every Monday from 5:00-7:00 PM, immediately after the new TYSN Open Hours which are from 3:00-5:00 PM. What do YOU want to talk about? *Youth is not defined by age. If you identify as a youth, join us! Check out more information about USG on their Facebook page.

The Naked I: Wide Open (New dates!)
Remount Opens June 13 at 7:30 PM
June 13, 14, 15, & 16
Intermedia Arts, Uptown
2822 Lyndale Ave S, Mpls

In February 2009, 20% Theatre Company took the Twin Cities by storm with The Naked I: Monologues From Beyond the Binary by award-winning transgender playwright Tobias K. Davis. Often compared to the Vagina Monologues, The Naked I was made up of monologues and short scenes in which transgender, transsexual, intersex, and many variously gendered people explored their bodies and dissected society's assumptions. Ever since that production, 20% has received numerous requests from local folks who are itching to tell you their stories. Throughout the summer of 2011 20% collected over 100 pages of incredible writing submitted by local transgender and gender non-conforming people and allies, and created The Naked I: Wide Open - a new play full of fresh, sexy, humorous, gut-punching, and unbelievably honest stories.

Join the Trans Advocacy Team!

The Transgender Commission is launching a new Trans Advocacy Team, to be comprised of students, staff, faculty, alumni, and/or community members who volunteer to be available to respond to gender-related issues/instances as advocates to trans folks on the University of Minnesota campus. The Team will educate itself around advocacy principles and strategies in order to provide support, training, referrals, intervention, and/or resources -- we want to proactively create safer, affirming spaces on this campus for people of all genders. Everyone is welcome to join the Team; no previous advocacy training necessary. For more info, please contact TransCom@umn.edu.

Resource: U of MN Gender-Neutral/Unisex Restroom Map

Click here to view our evolving Google Map of gender-neutral restrooms in University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus buildings. Thank you to the Restroom Access Workgroup!

 

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Past Events & Announcements

6th Annual Trans Commission Remembrance Celebration!
Mon, Nov 21, 2012, 5:30-8:00 PM

Thank you to everyone who attended our 6th annual Trans Commission Celebration and made it such a fantastic night of honoring Trans Day of Remembrance (TDoR) while strengthening community connections at and beyond the University of Minnesota!

5th Annual Trans Commission Celebration!
Wed, Feb 23, 2011, 6:00-8:30 PM

Thank you to the 115+ people who attended our 5th annual Trans Commission Celebration and made it such a wonderful educational, entertaining, artful and community-building event!

Gender Freedom Week 2011
Mon, April 25 - Fri, April 29

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Gender Freedom Week and helped make our events a tremendous success!

Gender Freedom Campaign Tabling
Mon, April 25, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Coffman Union Ground Floor (across from Einstein Bros)

Stop by our table during lunch to get information, make art, and celebrate with us as we kick off Gender Freedom Week!

Transgender Commission April Meeting + Gender Dialogue
Mon, April 25, 3:00-5:00 PM
Appleby Hall 41

Join us for the Trans Commission monthly meeting, where will discuss the progress of our four focus areas for 2010-12 (health care, education, policies & forms, restroom access), update each other on the gender liberation projects we started earlier this semester, engage in a thought-provoking gender dialogue, and share food and community!

Gender Freedom Flash Mob
Wed, April 27, 12:00 Noon
Coffman Union Ground Floor
(Marketplace seating area)

Join the Gender Freedom Collective for a "spontaneous" song and dance about gender liberation!

Put This on the {Map} Film Screening + Discussion
Wed, April 27, 4:00-6:00 PM
Scott Hall 4
Free pizza!

Put This on the {Map} features teenagers talking about changing ideas around GLBTQ identities, queer youth action, and resilience. The film pushes the conversation beyond bullying to consider systemic issues and deeper beliefs about gender, sexuality, race and class. Facilitated by Cheyenne Johnson and Tara Slaton.

Kiss with a Fist: Constructing Consent, Desire
and Gender Violence
Thurs, April 28, 12:30-2:30 PM
Coffman Union 202 (Women's Student Activist Collective space)
Free pizza!

Join us in the Women's Student Activist Collective space for a highly-interactive presentation facilitated by Rebecca Waggoner, Anti-Violence Program Director for OutFront Minnesota, where the group will use film clips and other popular culture imagery to explore the subtle and overt messages that create a climate of gender violence, as well as identify the ways that heterosexism, racism, transphobia, classism, ableism, and other interrelated oppressions serve to support a system of dehumanization and sexual assault through silence, secrecy, and the policing of bodies.

Participants will develop a greater awareness of the dynamics of power and control and the barriers often faced by people trying to access community services/support networks -- and will work together to share strategies for reclaiming desire, ending gender violence, and constructing a culture of consent.For more information, contact Rebecca Wagonner at rwaggoner@outfront.org or Ross Neely at neely010@umn.edu.

Take Back the Night 2011
Fri, April 29, 6:00-9:00 PM
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
1501 Hennepin Ave S, Mpls

Take Back the Night is an annual march and rally to combat sexual violence. Attending means you will not only take a stand against abuse, rape, and sexual assault, but will also show your pride and commitment in/to the Twin Cities community, the atmosphere, and safety. We're taking back the streets. We're taking back the night. We're shattering silence to stop the violence. The event will include a rally complete with free dinner, entertainment, powerful speakers, candlelight vigil, and socializing. We will be marching in protest of sexual violence and standing up for our rights, as humans, to feel safe in our communities. Speakers include Remy Corso and Ross Neely from the GLBTA Programs Office and Trans Commission, along with Coya Artichoker, Susan Raffo, and Jude Foster! Heidi Barton Stink, Linda Her, and Ashley Gold will be performing! Sponsored by the GLBTA Programs Office. Check out the TBTN Facebook page, or contact twincitiestbtn@gmail.com for more information.

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Thank You to everyone who supported Gender Freedom Day!

Thank you to everyone who attended or supported our first-ever Gender Freedom Day! The Transgender Commission declared Wednesday, April 14, 2010 to be University of Minnesota Gender Freedom Day, in the hopes it would be a day where everyone could openly consider & celebrate the ways in which we all benefit from expanding the possibilities of how we can express our femininity, our masculinity, and our ways of being and being gendered that transcend those concepts. (We should do this all year, but we chose April 14 as a day of intentional visibility.)

We organized/sponsored three events on April 14 (see below), and encouraged people/ offices/ organizations/ depts across the University to look at their work through a gender justice lens. Download a simple Gender Freedom Idea Kit here. One important question to ask yourself and your class/dept/organization on Gender Freedom Day might be:

"What would it be like if you felt completely free to express yourself, your body and your gender without any consequences, restraints or limits? How would the world change along with this freedom?"

Film + Discussion: Against A Trans Narrative
11:30 AM - 1:30 PM, Appleby Hall 103
FREE PIZZA!

Trans filmmaker Jules Rosskam's against a trans narrative is a provocative and personal experimental documentary investigating dominant constructions of trans-masculine identity, gender, and the nature of community. The film employs a gender-busting combination of intimate diary footage, stylized dramatic scenes, spoken word performance, faux audition tapes, and roundtable interview footage to explore & initiate a dialogue between feminists, queers, and transfolk about the way we construct personal and historical narratives. Careful attention is paid to the ways generation, race, class, and culture impact our understandings of gender. Trans Commission member Tara facilitated a learning circle-style discussion following the film.

Sing & Dance: Flash Mob
3:00 PM, East Bank Mall Area, In front of Walter Library

We joined the Gender Freedom Collective for a spontaneous song & dance in the middle of the Mall Area. It only took a few minutes, but the sense of fabulousness & freedom lasted all day!

Go here for all the glittery details:
www.gfctc.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=107023932666496

Genderheads: Envisioning Gender Freedom
4:00-6:00 PM
Coffman Union 324
FREE FOOD!

Trans Commission member Alex facilitatde a Genderheads discussion about "envisioning gender freedom." How do you feel about gender freedom and what does it mean to you? Is it something you desire or that you feel ambivalent about? How do your experiences and identities affect your vision of gender freedom? Does the idea of gender freedom have an impact on our communities? Does this differ across communities?

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News: Story about Transgender Commission in MN Daily

An article about the Transgender Commission and our restroom access work was printed in the Oct 15, 2009 edition of the Minnesota Daily, along with a map of gender-neutral restrooms on the Minneapolis campus. Read it here. The TC Daily Planet also published the story here.

News: U of MN Equal Opportunity Statement Amended to Include Gender Identity and Gender Expression!

After three years of discussions & organizing by the Transgender Commission (and countless years of activism and demand before that), the Vice President and Vice Provost for Equity & Diversity (who the Trans Commission reports to) took our proposal to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents to add "gender identity and "gender expression" explicitly to the U of MN Equal Opportunity Statement. This July 2009, the proposal passed, along with other changes, and you can view the new, updated, gender-equitable language on the Equal Opportunity & Affirmative Action website.

News: Story about Trans Commission on The Colu.mn Website

Shortly after we broke the Equal Opportunity policy change news, three members of the Transgender Commission did an interview with The Colu.mn, a new Minnesota LGBT news & culture website, and the article spent weeks as a feature story on their homepage. Read it here.

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News: Transgender Commission Wins 2008 Breaking the Silence Award!

The Transgender Commission has been chosen as the recipient of the 2008 Breaking the Silence Award, "for its outstanding service to the U of M and greater GLBTA community, particularly around
helping the U become a safer, better place for people of all genders." The Transgender Commission was honored at the Lavender Celebration and Awards Ceremony on May 1, 2008. Congratulations and thank you to all the incredible people -- students, staff, faculty, alumni and community members -- who have contributed to our work over the past two years!

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Resource: Trans Resources Page

We have updated our Resources page listing of local and national transgender and gender freedom websites. (Updated 09/17/11)

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Report and Recommendations for Institutional Change

Download a copy of the 2007 Transgender Commission Report,
submitted to the University of Minnesota Vice President and Vice Provost
for Equity and Diversity. The Report provides an overview of the first year
of Commission work, history and partnerships, and presents our initial recommendations for institutional change.

Download the 2008 Transgender Commission Report (new)

Download the 2009 Transgender Commission Report (new)