OUR MISSION K-STEP will foster a society free of discrimination against transgender, gender queer, gender non-conforming, and gender questioning individuals; and their families. 1) Accomplishing our Mission a) Provide transgender education to universities, community colleges, drug/alcohol treatment centers, YWCAs, Kansas Equality Coalition chapters, PFLAG chapters, human relations commissions, SRS offices, faith organizations, governmental entities, employers, independent living centers, and other interested organizations throughout Kansas. b) Train interested persons as transgender educators, advocates, and leaders. c) Work to form alliances with organizations and individuals to help achieve support services for transgender, gender queer, gender nonconforming, and gender questioning people; and their families. 2) Transgender: All persons who are transgender, bi-gender, transsexual, gender queer, gender nonconforming, gender questioning, and/or anyone who identifies as having or expressing a non-binary gender identity. Answers to Common Questions What is Transgender? An umbrella term that encompasses anyone whose identity falls outside of the binary, stereotypical gender dichotomy. Is K-STEP Membership Limited to Transgender People? K-STEP has members and friends/family members of the transgender community. We also have human resources professionals, licensed social workers, members of the faith community, and more. How Do I Join K-STEP? Anyone can be join who agrees to support the mission and goals of K-STEP. Please send inquiries about membership to [email protected] or call (785) 215-7436 How Do I Set Up a K-STEP Training or Educational Forum? Contact K-STEP by sending an email to [email protected], through the K-STEP website at www.k-step.org or by calling (785) 215-7436 Kansas Statewide Transgender Education Project is a group of transgender people and their family members, human resource professionals, mental health professionals, members of the faith community, and other supporters who are dedicated to providing education across Kansas with respect to transgender issues, truths, and journeys. Transgender discrimination is based in societal beliefs that anything outside the boy/girl box is abnormal. These beliefs are strengthened by the media, certain so-called Christian philosophies, advertisers, and by the continued inclusion of Gender Identity Disorder in the DSM-IVTR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental disorders). These beliefs are further strengthened by local, state and federal government entities in that they continue to endorse discrimination against transgender people by their unwillingness to grant legal protections. K-STEP’s purpose is to provide education across Kansas for local health agencies, police departments, employers, government entities, and more. RESOURCES Letter From The Executive Director Thank you for your interest in Kansas Statewide Transgender Education Project, Inc. Statewide Books Kansas City Anti-Violence Project (KCAVP) Support and education for domestic and sexual violence. www.kcavp.org True Selves: Understanding Transsexualism For Families, Friends, Coworkers, and Helping Professionals, Mildred Brown & Chloe Ann Rounsley ReachOut USA Support and education for LGBT disabled http://www.reachoutusa.org/ Trans Forming Families: Real Stories About Transgendered Loved Ones, Mary Boenke Kansas City We believe that all persons are worthy of dignity and respect. Diversity is the amazing opportunity to learn more about each other, our selves, life, and God. The sad thing about people who fail to embrace diversity is that they lose that opportunity to learn. The really sad thing is that these people shortchange everyone they will ever care about, everyone they will ever love for the rest of their lives, because they will have less to offer. Knowledge and information are the keys to acceptance and understanding. Fear and ignorance are the locks. Whenever someone shares, a key is placed in a lock. Whenever someone listens, the key turns and the lock opens. Another human being has a bright new shiny key. One person at a time, we change the world. Stephanie Mott Executive Director RESOURCE Materials Kansas City Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians And Gays (KCPFLAG) (816) 765-9818 The Transsexual’s Survival Guide, JoAnn Altman Stringer The Transsexual’s Survival Guide II: To Transition and Beyond JoAnn Altman Stringer Lawrence Gender Blending, edited by Bonnie Bullough, PhD, RN, James Elias, PhD and Vern Bullough, PhD, RN Lawrence Area Gay-Straight Alliance, Age Range (12-19) [email protected] She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders, Jennifer Finney Boylan Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) [email protected] She's Not the Man I Married: My Life with a Transgender Husband, Helen Boyd Manhattan How Sex Changed: A History of Transsexuality in the United States, Joanne J. Meyerowitz Flint Hills Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians And Gays (PFLAG) http://www.fhpflag.org My Long Walk Home: A Transexual Journey, Stephanie Mott Topeka Topeka Transgender Alliance [email protected] Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) [email protected] Wichita TransWichita (Transgender Support Group) [email protected] Movies/ Documentaries Transamerica Beautiful Boxer (based on a true story) The Brandon Teena Story Ma Vie En Rose (My Life in Pink) Changing Sexes: Male to Female (Discovery Channel) Changing Sexes: Female to Male (Discovery Channel) Still Black