MTPC celebrates 10 years of serving the transgender community
On Thursday, October 6th, 2011, the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition will celebrate its ten years of service to the transgender community with eXtatic: Growing on 10 Years, at Club Oberon in Cambridge, MA from 7 to 11 pm. Club Oberon is located at 2 Arrow Street in Harvard Square. There will be light refreshments, a short program of speaking and performance, and dancing til 11pm.
The event will feature performances by Second City trained performer and Miss Trans New England 2009 Lorelei Erisis; artistic director of the Femme Show, Maggie Cee; Johnny Blazes, named “one of Boston’s rising stars” by Stuff Magazine; and hosted by one of Boston’s Legendary Performers’ Ms. Lakia Mondale. Dancing to follow with DJ Tre’Andre.
Advance tickets are $15 to $50 and are on sale by calling 617-778-0519, at www.masstpc.org. Tickets will be available at the door the night of the event.
Attorneys Cole Thaler and Jennifer Levi founded MTPC in September of 2001. Its first meeting consisted of a small group of Boston area transgender community members committed to adding gender identity and expression to the Boston’s non-discrimination ordinances. MTPC launched its campaign to add statewide non-discrimination protections for transgender people in 2007. In 2008, founding member Gunner Scott was named executive director of the organization.
MTPC has grown steadily over the last decade, thanks in part to the partnership between chair Nancy Nangeroni and executive director Gunner Scott as well as MTPC’s effective and dedicated steering committee. The steering committee is made up of twelve committed activists, both transgender and allies, elected annually from among the MTPC membership.
“I consider myself lucky to be able to support the work of such a dedicated group of activists, who are all committed to promoting the welfare of transgender persons and community by their own hard work,” says Nancy Nangeroni.
MTPC will present the first annual Community Advocate Award and Community Innovator Award, to recognize the work of individuals or organizations that are striving to improve the lives of transgender youth, adults and families in Massachusetts.
This year MTPC is proud to present the 2011 Community Advocate Award to Lisa Mottet. Lisa currently serves as the director of the Transgender Civil Rights project at the National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce at Washington D.C. She has worked tirelessly for the last decade to end trans-based discrimination on the state and federal level, has published several groundbreaking books on the subject, and was named one of the ‘Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40” by the National LGBT Bar Association. Lisa Mottet first assisted MTPC in 2002 with the non-discrimination ordinance in Boston and has continued to lend her assistance on numerous occasions including with the Transgender Rights Bill.
The 2011 Community Innovator Award will be given to Jesse Pack, who lives and works in Central Massachusetts. Jesse has worked in HIV/AIDS services for more than seven years and has been involved in community activism for more than ten years. In addition to his work with AIDS Project Worcester, he is also the Co-Chair for Worcester Pride.
In 2008, Jesse created the Transgender Emergency Fund (TEF), the first organization of its kind, to provide financial support for transgender people in need. The Transgender Emergency Fund was created by and for the Massachusetts transgender community and derives the majority of its support from GLBT community members. Since its inception, TEF has distributed more than $26,000 of financial assistance to low-income trans people throughout the state of Massachusetts. To learn more about the Transgender Emergency Fund and to donate, please visit http://www.tgemergencyfund.org.
“MTPC has worked hard and grown tremendously over the past 10 years. From helping to pass the Boston City Ordinance in 2002 to filing state-wide legislation in 2007 to launching an innovative public education campaign, MTPC has been at the forefront of the trans rights movement — not just locally, but nationally,” says Theadora Fisher, steering committee member. “This event is a celebration of MTPC’s stellar achievements and a call to action for the next 10 years because we know the work isn’t done yet.”
Eastern Bank, the largest independent and mutually owned bank in New England, is the lead sponsor of eXtatic. Eastern Bank offers banking, investments and insurance all under one roof, and prides itself on working harder to understand its customers’ needs so it can deliver these services in a committed and personal way. Other sponsors include Marcia Garber, A.M. Clark, Dignity Boston, Joan M. Fund, Esq., Kathleen Henry, Ellen Rottersman, Tom Lang, Michelle Tannen, Googleplex Technologies, Deborah and Ron Peeples, Rep. Carl Sciortino, State Street Corporation, The Network La Red, Mad Femme Pride, American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, the History Project, the Boston LGBT Film Festival, Queer Asian Pacific-Islander Alliance, MassEquality, and TransCEND of AIDS Action Committee.
A special exhibit of MTPC history and memorabilia, sponsored by the History Project, will be on display throughout the night.
For more information about MTPC, to buy tickets or become a sponsor of this event, visit www.masstpc.org, email info@masstpc.org, or call 617-778-0519.
