GIRES
Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES) was founded in 1997. Its membership does not include only trans people. There is an equal number of non trans people, who are family members or, for other reasons, wish to support GIRES' work. All those who serve on GIRES' Executive Committee are trans people or family members.
Although GIRES has a narrowly defined focus, it recognises how much common ground there is between the various groups that serve LGBTI people, and seeks to collaborate with all the others working in this broad field.
GIRES fulfils a special role, which differs from that of other groups in its field. It is not a support group, although it does provide help to individual trans people and the members of their families. It is not a political campaigning organisation, although it does provide educational literature to politicians. It does not arrange frequent social events, although its annual meeting is an enjoyable affair, attended by the representatives of other groups. GIRES' primary mission is to improve the circumstances in which trans people live, by changing the way that society treats them. Accordingly, its aim is to generate supportive attitudes among all those who can make those improvements happen, including politicians, other policy makers, clinicians, the providers of commercial and government services including the police, teachers, employers, and journalists, as well as other family members.
