Resources

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Research and data resources

Resources for individuals and their advocates

Organizations that Provide Legal Services to Individuals
Employment Discrimination
Changing Identity Documents
Marriage and Family Law
Immigration
Criminal Justice System
Heath, Education, and Social Services(Health, Shelters, Elders, and Youth)
Sports

Resources for passing non-discrimination laws that include gender identity legislation

Resources for Drafting Legislation
Statements of Support
Lobbying Legislators and Policymakers
After the law has passed: compliance guidelines
Education Materials and Articles on Transgender Rights

International Resources

 

Research and data resources

Creating GLBTQIA: Nathan Miller and Lori Weingarten have written a guide to serve as a a resource for those creating forms, surveys or other information gathering tools.

MA Voters Favor Protecting Transgender People from Discrimination: via Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), a November 9, 2009 Lake Research Partners poll shows that 76% of Massachusetts voters, including 81% of women, support passing a law prohibiting discrimination against transgender people in employment, housing, and public accommodations.

Transgender and Intersex Research in the Social Science: An email list of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS) for people doing research on transgender or intersex subjects in the social sciences.  The purpose is to create a venue for scholars (academic and independent, including grad students) who are doing substantial research projects on transgender, intersex, genderqueer identities, practices, social movements, etc., in the social sciences to help provide mentorship, ideas, information on resources, and collegial support in the following areas, though this list is not exclusive: how to interact ethically with transgender and intersex communities; advice on getting through human subjects review; research design; help with questions of names, nomenclature, identity, practices, communities; find out what type of research is most needed by advocates and activists.  To subscribe, email  .

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Resources for individuals and their advocates

Organizations that provide legal services to individuals

Equality Advocates (Pennsylvania):
Founded in 1996, Equality Advocates is the only organization in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania offering direct legal services for the LGBT community. Equality Advocates is home to the country's only law student clinic dedicated to LGBT issues. The clinic, founded in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania Law School's Public Service Program, is also an official clinical program of the Temple University Beasley School of Law and includes students from law schools throughout the country.

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders' Transgender Rights Project (New England states):
Transgender people face the most basic and blatant discrimination every day - from being denied access to employment, housing, or healthcare, to being physically attacked because of the way they look or dress. In New England, only Rhode Island, Maine, and Vermont provide explicit laws that prohibit discrimination against transgender people, and only Vermont and Connecticut have hate crimes laws that protect them.  At the federal level, there are no laws explicitly protecting transgender people in any context. Through the Transgender Rights Project (TRP), GLAD puts our litigation, legislative, and educational assets to work in a focused way to establish clear legal protections for the transgender community. In addition to legal and legislative work, GLAD runs a legal information line for the New England states. More information and contact numbers can be found here.

Lambda Legal Defense and Education Network (National):
A national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, the transgendered, and people with HIV or AIDS through impact litigation, education, and public policy work. Lambda Legal is available to help with advice, referrals, and representation of individuals suffering discrimination other other legal problems because they are transgender. Lambda Legal can be reached through their website or by calling the Help Desk at any of our five regional offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, or Los Angeles.

National Center for Lesbian Rights (National):
NCLR is proud to have been the first LGBT legal organization to launch a Transgender Law Project, which later became an organization in its own right, the Transgender Law Center. Today, we are a national leader in shaping transgender law, and our Legal Director, Shannon Minter, is recognized as a leading architect and visionary of the transgender rights movement. For more information please call 415-392-6257.

The Sylvia Rivera Law Project (New York):
The Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine their gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination, or violence. SRLP is a collective organization founded on the understanding that gender self-determination is inextricably intertwined with racial, social and economic justice. Therefore, we seek to increase the political voice and visibility of low-income people of color who are transgender, intersex, or gender non-conforming. SRLP works to improve access to respectful and affirming social, health, and legal services for our communities. We believe that in order to create meaningful political participation and leadership, we must have access to basic means of survival and safety from violence.To find out more about SRLRP's services or to get assistance or materials, please call 212-337-8550.

Transgender Law Center (California):
The Transgender Law Center (TLC) is a civil rights organization advocating for transgender communities. Every day we connect transgender people and their families to technically sound and culturally competent legal services, increase acceptance and enforcement of laws and policies that support California's transgender communities, and work to change laws and systems that fail to incorporate the needs and experiences of transgender people. For more information e-mail TLC at or call .

Transgender Health Care Access Project (California):
Most people in this country have difficulty finding a health care plan that fits into their monthly budget and provides them with comprehensive coverage. For transgender and gender non-conforming people, transphobia and other forms of discrimination sometimes make getting basic health care difficult or impossible. Therefore, HCAP works throughout California to increase full access to health care for transgender people and their families. HCAP receives specific support from individual donors, the California Endowment, California Wellness, and the Liberty Hill Foundation.They can be reached at or through e-mail at

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Employment Discrimination

American Bar Association Human Rights Magazine: Article by Jennifer Levi, Director of GLAD's Transgender Law Project, Protections for Transgender Employees.

Engendered Penalties: Transgender and Transsexual People’s Experiences of Inequality and Discrimination: Authored by Stephen Whittle, Lewis Turner and Maryam Al-Alami, this 95 page report was commissioned by the UK Government's Equalities Review. As a consequence of the report's findings, the UK Government has announced that transgender will be a protected category (along with sex & gender; race & ethnicity; physical or mental disability; religion & faith; age; and sexual orientation) for the new Equalities and Human Rights Commission.

Representing Transsexual Clients: Selected Legal Issues: Compiled by Shannon Minter, an overview of all the significant transgender related case law in the U.S., including marriage, discrimination, immigration and asylum, health care, prison issues, hate crimes.

Employment Discrimination Protections for Transgender People in California: By Sheryl Harris, The Legal Aid Society - Employment Law Center.

Illinois Gender Advocates: Contains resources for filing a discrimination claim in Illinois, as well as Human Rights laws in the state.

Pride at Work: The purpose of Pride At Work is to mobilize mutual support between the organized Labor Movement and the LGBT Community around organizing for social and economic justice. We aim to educate the LBGT Community about the benefits of union membership for LGBT working people, and to build support and solidarity for the union movement in the LGBT community.

Sample Letter to Employer re:Transgender Discrimination & Harassment: Written by Sheryl I. Harris, The Legal Aid Society Employment Law Center.

Toilet Training Toolkit from the Sylvia Rivera Law Project: The SRLP put together a documentary and toolkit with useful facts and talking points about trans equality and bathroom access. The toolkit is available free of charge on the website.

Transgender Legal Issues in New England: From Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders in Boston; information for all six New England states.

Transgender Inclusion in the Workplace: From the Human Rights Campaign, provides human resource and other employment professionals with best practices for transgender workplace inclusion from discrimination and benefits policies to internal practices that reflect how gender is expressed and integrated in the workplace; as well as the state of legal issues encompassing gender identity in employment situations.

Transgender at Work: TAW provides resources for innovative employers who want to set their company employment policies to help their transgendered employees to be at their most productive, without spending energy hiding an important part of themselves and pretending to be something they are not.

See also a separate TLPI page with information about collective bargaining agreements.

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Changing Identity Documents

Changing information on birth certificates: From Dr. Becky Allison's website, a comprehensive list of state laws on changing your birth certificate.

Florida Name Change Kit: Compiled by National Center for Lesbian Rights and Equality Florida.

It's Time, Oregon! Identity Document Project: Information for Oregon residents on name and gender changes on driver's licenses; information for those born in Oregon on changes to birth certificates.

Transgender Legal Issues in New England: From GLAD, includes information for all six New England states.

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Marriage and family law

American Bar Association Human Rights Magazine: Article by Taylor Flynn, Protecting Transgender Families: Strategies for Advocates.

Transgender Legal Issues in New England: From GLAD, includes information for all six New England states.

Transgender People and the Federal Marriage Amendment: Frequently Asked Questions:From the Transgender Law Center, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and the Transgender Law and Policy Institute.

Transgendered Persons and Marriage: The Importance of Legal Planning: Written by Shannon Minter, Legal Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

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Immigration

Fact Sheet on Applying for Asylum Based on Gender Identity Persecution: Written by the Transgender Law Center in California.

Representing Transsexual Clients: Selected Legal Issues: Written by Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, an overview of all the significant transgender related case law in the U.S., including marriage, discrimination, immigration and asylum, health care, prison issues, hate crimes.

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Criminal Justice System

Greater Manchester Police Department Policy on Policing LGBT individuals (UK): Written in 2000, a guide for police and the public.

Portland, OR: Partnership Agreement with the Police.

Representing Transsexual Clients: Selected Legal Issues: Written by Shannon Minter, an overview of all the significant transgender related case law in the U.S., including marriage, discrimination, immigration and asylum, health care, prison issues, hate crimes

San Francisco, CA: The Police Commission has approved new guidelines on how police will deal with transgender suspects, including banning officers from using strip searches alone to determine a person's gender.

San Francisco County Jail: Model protocols for the treatment of transgender people. Developed by the National Lawyers Guild and the City of San Francisco.

Some Courtroom Concerns of the Transgender Community: Members of the transgender community have many of the same courtroom concerns that everyone has. We want to be respected; be heard; and be able to understand the legal proceedings and outcomes. We are also concerned about adequate accommodations for non-English speakers, respect of cultural differences, and elimination of racial and economic bias. A joint publication of the Transgender Law Center and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. 

Stonewalled: Police Abuse and Misconduct Against LGBT people in the US: A report released by Amnesty International in 2005 on police brutality against the LGBT community.

Transsexual Prisoners: From the National Center for Lesbian Rights

Washington: King County Jails' Policy on Transgender Inmates.

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Health, Education, and Provision of Social Services

Health:

Removing Barriers to Care for Transgender Patients: On June 16, 2008, the American Medical Association (AMA) passed a resolution at their annual meeting of the House of Delegates, supporting public and private health insurance coverage for treatment of gender identity disorder as recommended by the patient's physician. Click here to view GLAD's fact sheet about the AMA ruling on health coverage for Sex Reassignment Surgery.

Assessing the Needs of Female-to-Male Transgendered People of Color and their Partners: Written by Willy Wilkinson, MPH & Prado Gomez from the University of Hawai'i.

FTM and MTF Trans Health Fact Sheets: From the National Coalition for LGBT Health.

National Coalition for LGBT Health: A coalition of health based organizations aimed at research; policy; programs and services; professional and cultural competency and the diversity of the national LGBT community.

Recommendations for Transgender Health Care: From the Transgender Law Center.

Survivor Project:A non-profit organization dedicated to addressing the needs of intersex and trans survivors of domestic and sexual violence through caring action, education and expanding access to resources and to opportunities for action.

The Cost of Transgender Health Benefits: From Transgender at Work, in depth research conducted from 2004-2008.

Trans Inclusion Policy Manual for Women's Organizations: From the Trans Alliance Society, a 119 page document to assist women's services programs to develop trans-inclusive policies.

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Shelters:

Central Arizona Shelter Services: CASS, Inc. is Arizona's largest housing provider for the homeless in the state. In 2008, in conjunction with the Arizona ACLU, CASS developed and adopted a transgender inclusive policy.

Guidelines for Evacuation Shelters: Released by the National Center for Transgender Equality aiming to make shelters safe for transgender evacuees and to assist shelters in serving transgender evacuees. 

Making Women's Shelters Accessible to Transgendered Women: Written by Allison Cope & Julie Darke funded by the Violence Intervention and Education Workgroup (VIEW), through a grant provided by the Ministry of Education and Training, as part of the Ontario government's Inter-ministerial Violence Against Women Prevention Initiative.

New York Department of Homeless Services Policy: The New York City Department of Homeless Services ended discriminatory practices toward transgender clients at its homeless shelters with the release of a new policy in 2006 which guides intake, assessment, and shelter staff to ensure that gender identity is taken into consideration when making intake assignments.

Protocol for Serving Transgender Guests: Released by the Boston Public Health Commission Homeless Services.

Trans Community Shelters Access Project: The Trans Access Project is a team of trans women and trans men funded to develop and provide workshops and policy assistance to homeless shelters / hostels / and detox centers, with the aim of making services more accessible to transsexual/ transgendered people. This project is run through the Trans Programming at The 519 Church Street Community Centre and funded by the Canadian government.

Transitioning Our Shelters: A Guide to Making Homeless Shelters Safe for Transgender People: Written by Lisa Mottet and John M. Ohle of the the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute.

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Elders:

Legal and Public Policy Issues for Transgender Elders: Written by Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights in 2003.

Lesbian, Gay Male, Bisexual and Transgendered Elders: Elder Abuse and Neglect Issues: From the Survivor Project, written by Loree Cook-Daniels.

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Youth and schools:

California Safe Schools Coalition: Information about the California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act passed in 2000. Includes text of law and implementation suggestions, as well as additional resources for teachers and students.

Safe Schools Coalition: The Safe Schools Coalition is an international public-private partnership in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth, that is working to help schools - at home and all over the world - become safe places where every family can belong, where every educator can teach, and where every child can learn, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

School Safety: Publications on making schools safer for LGBT youth from the National Center for Lesbian Rights including policy tools, models for drafting policies in schools, and fact sheets on harassment. Some California specific information as well as National.

Students & Schools: Publications for teachers and students from GLAD. Includes rights of youth and teachers in school as well as a quick fact sheet for students called "Hey LGBT Students!".

Youth in the criminal justice and foster care systems: A collection of publications from the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Includes model policies for the juvenile justice system, fact sheets on LGBT youth in foster care, and legal rights of youth in the foster care and criminal justice systems. Some California specific information as well as National.

Guidelines for Creating Policies for Transgender Children in Recreational Sports: This publication provides basic information about how athletic associations and teams can create policies that welcome all children, including transgender children. This document specifically addresses policies appropriate for transgender children prior to adolescence.

See also TLPI's page on colleges, universities, and K-12 schools.

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Sports

Media Articles:

Pat Griffin and Helen Carroll article, "The Transgender Athlete"

ESPN article, "Transsexual in Pro Event: Bagger Cards 84"

USA Today article, "Bagger Makes European Tour Golf Debut in Australia

Heather Sykes' article, "Transsexual and Transgender Policies in Sport

Athletic Business article, "Change Candidates"

MSNBC article, "Hopeful Future for Trans Athletes: Canadian Cyclist Shares Her Struggles to Be Recognized As A Woman"

SF Chronicle story, "Olympics' Transgender Quandary: Debate Rages on the Fairness of New Inclusion Rule"

Jennifer Finney Boylan's New York Times article, "The XY Games"

Policy:

Transgender Law Policy Institute's Guidelines for Creating Policies for Transgender Children in Recreational Sports

Eastern Kentucky University's Transgender Paticipation Policy

Federation of Gay Games 2010 Policy

Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association (GLISA)

National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA)

Scotland Guidance Note

Washington Interscholastic Activities Association policy(WIAA)

Research/Papers:

Pat Griffin, Director of It Takes A Team! Education Campaign for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Sport, "Inclusion of Transgender Athletes on Sports Teams

Including Transitioning and Transitioned Athletes in Sport: Issues, Facts and Perspectives

Developmental Stages and the Transgender Child