Monarch Fall 2015

Dear Reader:
Thank you for your interest and support in Transgender Equality.
The Transgender Community reports: 54%attempt suicide, double
the unemployment rate, 41% family rejection, violence,and we are
twenty times more likely to face homelessness than cisgender
people. ONE OUT OF EIGHT TRANSGENDER PEOPLE WILL
FACE MURDERED IN THEIR LIFE TIME. I will share with you
that I live with a knife wound on my hand. Fortunately I survived the attempted
murder: most of us don’t.
When we came together to form this organization no one was prepared for the
demand within our local community. As we grew many came forth to help us in
our humanitarian efforts for equality. One year later we have almost 300 volunteers
and supporters dedicated to improving the lives of our people. However, our work
to create equality for all in the Inland Empire is far from done. Our hope is that by
the end of 2016 we will have 600 people and companies assisting us in our
endeavors. So much work for so few is so little for so many. Please join us.
Over the past year I have received hundreds of phone calls regarding Transgender
issues. One of the main complaints I hear is family rejection. With no family
support the individual has to deal with systemic and willful discrimination from the
general public. The only place we find support is with each other and some
enlightened cisgender friends. I also discovered that Transgender people were
declined emergency assistance from organizations such as Catholic Charities and
the Salvation Army.
As a result of this discrimination we created MONARCH. With the funds we
receive from our advertisers and donors we will be able to complete our current
projects and hopefully create a fund that will allow Transgender people in our
community to request emergency assistance to prevent hunger, evictions,
unemployment and other basic human needs.
WHEN YOU SEE THESE ADVERTISERS PLEASE SUPPORT THEM. They
are the people who have come forward for those least supported in our community.
OUR MOTTO IS:
“WE CANNOT HELP EVERYONE BUT EVERYONE CAN HELP SOMEONE”
Thomi Clinton
President and Founder of Transgender Community Coalition and TDOR Palm
Springs
www.TransCC.org
Photo by Lena Ingram