In Memoriam

The transgender community of Tucson, Arizona is very sad to report the passing of Alexander John "Bear" Goodrum. He would have turned 42 years old on October 3. Alexander was the creator, founder, and director of TGNet Arizona, a grassroots transgender advocacy and resource organization based in Arizona.

TGNet Arizona's most recent success was the groundbreaking Arizona Transgender Workplace Project (ATWORK), an informational and educational program to help employers better understand the issues, needs, and rights of gender-variant employees and applicants. The groundbreaking first employers' workshop was held in Tucson in August 2002.

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Alexander had been involved as an activist in GLBT organizing and social justice issues since 1980 in Chicago, San Francisco and since 1996, in Tucson. He was African-American, Transgender (Female-to-Male), queer-identified (bisexual), and disabled, and worked extensively in each of those communities. In addition to the TGNet Arizona web site, he published numerous articles and papers, and is perhaps best known for his widely published paper, Gender Identity 101: A Transgender Primer.

Alexander had more than 20 years experience in organizational development, grant writing and research, and community building. He was a member of the City of Tucson GLBT Commission and an Activist/Panelist for the Funding Exchange's OutFund for Gay and Lesbian Liberation. A dynamic and eloquent orator, Alexander was a frequent panelist and guest speaker both locally and nationally, addressing a wide variety of audiences on gender-related matters. He was the opening night keynote speaker at the 2002 True Spirit Conference in Washington, DC. He was active in the Southern Arizona Gender Alliance and was a former member of the Board of Directors of Wingspan, Tucson's GLBT Community Center, and Desert Voices, Arizona's GLBT mixed chorus.

Alexander was preceded in death by his father, Walter P. Goodrum, Sr., and beloved step-father Willie E. Brown. He is survived by his mother Patsy Brown of Las Vegas, Nevada; sisters Meda Robinson of Chicago, Illinois, and Alicia Golden of Bellwood, Illinois; one brother, Walter P. Goodrum, Jr. of Las Vegas, numerous aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews; and a huge circle of friends worldwide who are devastated by the loss of this brilliant soul.

Alexander took his own life the morning of Saturday, September 28 while under observation at La Frontera Psychiatric Hospital in Tucson. A memorial service was held on Saturday, October 5, 2002.