International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE) is an American non-profit transgender advocacy organization. IFGE was founded in 1987 by Merissa Sherrill Lynn. The foundation is devoted to "overcoming the intolerance of transvestitism and transsexualism brought about by widespread ignorance."
Contents
Founder Merissa Sherrill Lynn states, "The crossdressing and transsexual phenomena have been an integral part of human experience as long as there has been a human experience. These phenomena have manifested themselves in every society and in every walk of life throughout history, and continue to affect the lives of vast numbers of people. Yet, as common as they are, ignorance of them, and the resulting intolerance and fear, continues to cost good people their happiness, their jobs, their families, and their lives. It costs society its neighbors, its friends, and its productive citizens."
History
As of 1996, IFGE was one of three national transgender organizations in the United States to have an actual office, and the only transgender organization in the country to have paid staff.
In 1998, the organization almost closed its doors due to financial difficulties.
Transgender Tapestry
Transgender Tapestry "is a magazine by, for, and about all things trans, including crossdressing, transsexualism, intersexuality, FTM, MTF, butch, femme, drag kings and drag queens, androgyny, female and male impersonation, and more."
Web site
IFGE has offered a Web site containing information for transgender people since 1998. The site was very heavily used by transgender people seeking information on the Internet in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with respondents to a 2002 survey identifying the site as the "best source on the internet," (p. 102) preferring the site to Google and Yahoo for trans-related information seeking.