The Southern Arizona Gender Alliance (SAGA) envisions a society where transgender and transsexual people are ensured of their basic rights and can be open, honest, and safe at home, at work, and in the community.

To achieve this goal, SAGA offers support, social, and discussion groups that reflect the various aspects of gender and society. We also provide educational forums and trainings for businesses, service providers, and community members to learn more about the issues facing transgender, transsexual, intersex, and gender-variant people and their significant others, friends, families, and allies, and we provide information on how our allies can be supportive and inclusive.

Thanks for visiting! If you don't find what you need here, please let us know how we can be of better service to you.

SAGA will host a big party on Saturday, March 27th, to celebrate our friendship with Sr. Luisa Derouen and wish her godspeed in her retirement.

Luisa served the transgender community in New Orleans for many years, only to be driven out of town by hurricane Katrina.  When she was forced to relocate in 2005, Sr. Luisa moved to Tucson, where she opened up a retreat house for transgender and other people in the shade of "A" Mountain.  Luisa became a fast friend of SAGA, a spiritual advisor to many, both Catholic and not, and the hostess to several memorable SAGA parties.

Now it’s time for Sr. Luisa to move on, this time to her Order's retirement house in Kentucky, where she will share her experiences with younger nuns and educate them on the richness of the transgender experience.

SAGA’s party will be dedicated to honoring our good friend and thanking her for her service to us over the last four years. But it’s still a party, and we all love parties, so please come.

The party will take place on Saturday, March 27th at Wingspan, 430 East 7th Street in Tucson, from 4:00 - 7:00 pm. A pot luck dinner will be served, with chicken and rice as the main course. Feel free to bring a dish or drinks (no alcohol, please) you'd like to share. Whatever you bring, even if it’s just yourself, be prepared to have fun!

Please let us know you'll be coming, so we can be sure to have supplies for everyone.  Email

SAGA member Amanda Simpson has been appointed by the Obama Administration to be a Senior Technical Advisor to the Department of Commerce. She'll be working in the Bureau of Industry and Security.

 "I'm truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that is before me. And at the same time, as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others."

The U.S. Department of Justice has joined a landmark federal lawsuit on behalf of a gender non-conforming middle school student who faced a two-year ordeal of harassment and abuse because of his gender expression. The Department's action last week marks the first time in a decade the US government has gone to court to combat discrimination based on gender expression.

One person's transition is a transition for everyone. As the partner, spouse, parent, ally or close friend of a transgender or transsexual person, you may feel betrayed, angry, confused -or delighted - by the all consuming nature of transition and the complexities of life, love and intimacy that accompany the journey. Desert Partnerz was formed to help gain a better understanding of the ways gender diversity can impact relationships. Share your feelings, concerns, and experiences.  

Meetings of Dezert Partnerz will take place on the third Thursday of each month from, 6:00 - 8:00pm at Wingspan/Eon.  All are welcome.  For more information, click here...

Recently SAGA member Stephanie Baldwin returned from a trip to India, where she visited with the hijras, participated in Pride of Bangalore, and generally experienced life on the other side of the world.  We've posted some pictures from Stephanie's trip in our Photo Album.

Click here for the pictures of Stephanie's trip.

On October 30, 2009, our community suffered the enormous and irreplaceable loss of Ms. Michele Renee deLaFreniere.  Michele was a prominent figure spanning the LGBT communities, as well as Scottsdale city government and local media.  

The National Center for Transgender Equality has recently developed an interactive map, showing the policies for gender change on Drivers' Licenses in the various 50 states.  

According to this map, in Arizona "A customer must request that the gender noted on the record be changed.  To accomplish this change, the customer must apply for a new license (duplicate).  It is not necessary for the customer to have completed the surgical gender-change procedure.  A signed statement from a licensed physician is required.  The signed statement must: include a statement to the effect that the customer is irrevocably committed to the gender-change process; include the physician's license number; and, be presented within three months from the date the statement was signed by the physician.

Click here to view the map of US States in its entirety. 

There are several issues and some flaws in our communities' ways of working through our own very difficult and often confusing journeys. I've heard several respected therapists who work with transgender people suggest treating us for PTSD or severe grief reactions. I'm not sure that is called for with all of us but I do think we (trans folk) often minimize the challenges and losses we face.

A new series of web sites has opened, providing mentoring support to newly actualized transgender people.
From the site's portal:

There are so many questions when you are just starting out with transitioning, and finding answers isn't always easy when scattered all over the internet world. We all needed answers and support when we began our transitions.

TransMentors International gives individuals a means of communicating with and meeting with local transgender men, women and teens who are willing to support and encourage you in your respective journeys.

For more information...