Manager's Report

by Elizabeth Riley

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

Department for Women

After lengthy negotiations with a number of government ministers, and/or their representatives, The Gen­der Centre has successfully initiated the establishment of a working party to address the many human rights is­sues facing the transgender community as a priority, ways to address the many inequities that we are subject to as a marginalised community group and investigation into the delivery of hormone therapy and surgical inter­ventions.

Representatives from the following organisations have agreed to partici­pate in the working party to address issues facing the transgender commu­nity.

• N.S.W. Department of Education and Training (N.S.W.D.E.T.)
• N.S.W. Anti-Discrimination Board (A.D.B.)
• Office of the Director of Equal Opportunity in Public Em­ployment (O.D.E.O.P.E.)
• Health Care Complaints Commission (H.C.C.C.)
• Deptartment For Women
• The Gender Centre Inc.

The first meeting designed to set the terms of reference was held on August 11 1997. We also discussed any other organi­sations that might be appropriately represented. These are likely to include N.S.W. Health and the Police.

Some of the issues arising at our first meeting included the need for wide­spread education to the wider community on transgender issues, a look at some of the anomalies in prescribing hormones and questions around transgender access to women only services. Many other issues will be addressed as the working party progresses. I think we can confidently look forward to some positive out­comes. More on this in future issues of "Polare".

N.S.W. Department of Employment & Training

I have now participated in several train­ing sessions, to a range of participants with N.S.W.D.E.T. The most recent was at the S.R.C. State Conference on 5th August 1997. The informal feedback has been very positive and I am extremely hopeful that information will increas­ingly be made available to students to improve awareness and acceptance of the basic right to respect the dignity of transgender people. If we can access and inform enough young people we can have a major impact on future attitudes.

Corrective Services

Following a long period of development the Transgender Prison's Policy is on the verge of implementation. Most "bugs" have been ironed out and the only remaining question to be dealt with is the provision of training to the relevant groups within corrective serv­ices. It seems probable that training will be conducted jointly between The Gender Centre and Corrective Health Services.

The primary contents of the policy are:

• If an inmate self-identifies as transgender, then they will be case managed as such
• Transgender inmates will be fast tracked through the remand cen­tre to ensure optimum safety.
• Transgender inmates will not be transported in the company of other inmates.
• Transgender people will be housed in the jail of their gender identity except in cases where safety may be an issue. (An F.T.M. will be able to choose a female jail).

Transgender people have met with intolerable treatment in the jail system in the past. This policy should go a long way to eliminating that treatment.

Women's Community Health Centre

A number of training sessions have been conducted to centres providing services to women only to assist them in extending their access for transgender clients. Responses have been generally positive and many organisations are rewriting policies to acknowledge and meet the health needs of the transgender community.

The Body Shop

I recently met again with representatives from The Body Shop. As an organisation, The Body Shop are renowned for their commitment to human rights and they are very keen to demonstrate that commitment in addressing the needs of transgender people. We discussed a number of options and are looking to explore the possibility of temporary and permanent employment. If you think you have good customer service skills, are friendly and easy going and can show commitment to your work, why not register your interest with Elizabeth? The Body Shop will provide training to prospective employees.

Goals Group

Having cancelled the Goals Group workshop due to a lack of participants a number of people have expressed interest. The women conducting the workshop have agreed to reschedule so I thought we might re-advertise. Enclosed is a brief outline of the previously printed article. If you would like to take part in this exciting workshop leave your name and con­tact details with the centre and I will let you know the details.

Marilyn Stephens and Donna Ward have been meeting every Monday morning for almost two years with their goal groups – self-name The Breakfast Club – and making breakthroughs in their goals.

On a date to be announced Donna and Marilyn will present their goals system and help set up new Gender Centre Goals Groups. You will be given the tools to set up achievable goals and with the support of other members of your group, get those goals.

"My goals group supports me but doesn't let me off the hook. I can't avoid an issue - which helps me ensure a balance to my week. The question I most often get is "Where are your living goals?" i.e. Am I spending time with a friend, going to movies, having a mas­sage and generally keeping a balanced lifestyle?" claims Marilyn.

You will learn:

• how to set goals for all the areas of your life that are important to you;
• how being accountable to a group can encourage you to work on your goals;
• why the Breakfast Club system­ is a winning formula;
• how to stay inspired;
• long term goals versus short terms goals;
• why goals are not "to do lists"
• mapping your goals; and
• staying on target.

Marilyn and Donna will use stories from their personal expe­riences to teach how you can enjoy being part of a Gender Centre Goals Group.

Australian Businesswomen's Network & The Council of Equal Opportunity in Employment

I recently presented articles to The Australian Businesswomen's Network (A.B.N.) and to The Coun­cil of Equal Opportunity in Em­ployment (C.E.O.E.), for publication in their magazines. Both organisations were more than happy to publish them and I thought we might re-publish them here for your interest.

The Gender Centre is a Government funded organisation which provides a range of support services to transgender, (transsexual) people. One of our key programs is to improve the employment opportunities available to members of the transgender community and facilitate their integration into the mainstream society. A.B.N. kindly offered to publish this article in the hope of expanding the currently small number of private sector organisations undertaking a proactive role in offering employment to transgenders.

Unfortunately perceptions of transgender people are often negative and dismissive and this has resulted in their marginalisation into a socially disadvantaged group who, despite holding twice the number of university degrees per capita, endure an unemployment rate of 60%.

We are appealing to business owners to consider assisting the transgender community overcome the current inequalities. Apart from direct employment, other possibilities may include traineeships, training programs, volunteer and work experience opportunities or mentoring programs. We would be most receptive to other suggestions.

If you may be able to assist us in our goals, or if you would like additional information, please contact Elizabeth Riley on (02) 9569 2366.

As featured in the A.B.N.s "The Networker" magazine

C.E.O.E. is referring inquiries from this article onto the Gender Centre. To date we have had three requests for more information from the last article (Who's Doing What?) and these have come from Melbourne City Council, Coles Myer Limited and the Deptartment of Social Security.

In Summary...

I believe we can all take heart at the inroads that are being made to gain greater acknowledgement and respect from the wider community for transgender identity. There is undeniably a long way to go, but things are definitely improving.

Polare is published in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Community Services under the S.A.A.P. Program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Advertisers are advised that all advertising is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, though no guarantee is made by the Editor that they will be published, nor any discussion entered into. The editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc.I, the Department of Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health.