On Sept. 27, three years after a similar proposal was rejected, Equality Maricopa, led by former Tucsonan Lori Gershik, joyfully watched as the governing board of the nation's largest community-college system, the Maricopa County Community College District, voted to add "gender identity" to its anti-discrimination policy.

This victory, and the lessons learned from the battle to achieve it, will have a lasting and far-reaching impact as other transgender-advocacy groups and their allies petition for similar policy changes in other jurisdictions. 

Three SAGA members, including SAGA Program Coordinator Erin Russ, attended this historic meeting as a show of solidarity and to speak about Tucson's experience with transgender-inclusive policies in support of the policy change.

  The organization efforts before the meeting resulted in a tremendous show of support. Equality Maricopa had organizers on site handing out buttons in the transgender-flag colors with YES printed on them to every supporter in attendance. Those supporters filled the room and overflowed into the hallway. Audience mThree SAGA members, including SAGA Program Coordinator Erin Russ, attended this historic meeting as a show of solidarity and to speak about Tucson's experience with transgender-inclusive policies in support of the policy change.embers were overwhelmingly in favor of the proposal, demonstrating support by the button each wore, the audible applause for each supporting speaker, and the stone silence when the lone dissenter spoke.

Erica Kepler, a leader in the Phoenix transgender community, said afterward: "I can't begin to describe the satisfaction I feel for having finally beaten [the opposition], after [they] took this away from us three years ago."

We did it. Real progress. It's been years since we've seen real progress, but we did it. We could not have done this on our own, and it was achieved with tremendous support from the gay and lesbian community. With good partners we can achieve great things."

SAGA Program Coordinator Erin Russ said: "I strongly agree with Erica's sentiment. It is a feeling I get on a regular basis when I experience the support we, in Tucson's transgender community, receive on a daily basis from our Wingspan family and the Greater Southern Arizona LGBT community."

I would like to echo Erica's words: With good partners, we will continue to achieve great things!"