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 equality for people of all gender identities and expressions.

Everyone is welcome! We need your voice! Join a workgroup and get involved!

Events, Meetings & Announcements

For more information -- or to get involved in the planning of our events -- please contact Remy Corso and Ross Neely, Transgender Commission Coordinators, at TransCom@umn.edu or 612-626-3064.

Transgender Commission December Meeting & Gender Dialogue
Wed, Dec 9, 2009, 3:00-5:00 PM
St. Paul Student Center, 1st Floor Minnesota Commons Room

Join us to help set our agenda for the spring semester, discuss how the commission does its work and whose voices get heard, and engage in a dialogue about gender & culture! Snacks and beverages will be served. Everyone is welcome!

Genderheads Planning Meeting
Thurs, Dec 10, 4:00-5:30 PM
Appleby Hall 41
Genderheads Logo
Genderheads is a series of informal discussions about our gendered lives: talking about how we experience gender identity, expression, performance, and their intersections with race, class, ability, sexuality, faith, age, culture, and all our identities. Each dialogue is led by different facilitator -- could be you! -- and may utilize questions, texts, films, art, activities, and more to prompt discussion. Join us on Dec 10 to plan how the series will run throughout spring semester! Everyone is welcome!

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.

Transgender Therapeutic Support Group
Every Tuesday from 6:30-8:00 PM
Sexual Health Institute
1409 Willow St, Suite 400, Mpls

Therapist Xavier Schmitz is a licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW) with a second master's degree in gender/women's studies. As a man with experience with transitioning, he feels passionately about providing a safe and affirming therapeutic space for individuals at all points of the transgender spectrum to feel empowered to identify and express their true selves. The support group is for adults identifying as or questioning identities on the transgender spectrum. The fee is $30 per group. There is a free screening interview and a 5 session commitment required. For more information, contact Xavier Schmitz at 612-872-1500 or Xavier@sexualhealthinstitute.org.

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.

Transgender Day of Remembrance Actions: Nov 20, 2008

Thank you to everyone who participated in our gender freedom art collaboration and genderheads film screening & discussion of Boy I Am on the Transgender Day of Remembrance this year!

David Seitz and Remy Corso, on behalf of the Transgender Commission, published an editorial about the Trans Day of Remembrance and intersectional social justice movements/spaces in the MN Daily. Read it here.

We encourage everyone to continue to submit letters/articles/art to media about gender violence and joy. Please let us know if you do!

Our Trans Day of Remembrance events were sponsored by the GLBTA Programs Office, Queer Student Cultural Center, and the Women's Student Activist Collective. Thank you!

Kate Bornstein Did the Twin Cities: October 19-23, 2008
Thank you to everyone who attended Kate's Week of gender freedom events!

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!

Update: Trans Resources Page

We have updated our Resources page listing of local and national transgender and gender freedom websites.

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 Ben Falter and the Facilities Workgroup!

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.

The Transgender Commission presented our 2nd annual Report during August 2008; this new Transgender Commission Report will be available online soon.