Declaration of Gender Liberty
Houston, Texas
July 4, 1996

Preamble

Upholding the universal equality of humankind before us in the sacred fashion of our forebears, we too recognize self-evident truths and pursue unalienable rights.

Among our endowed rights, we cherish most the freedom to choose for ourselves our own identities and to put aside the restraints of ignorant oppressors and indifferent bureaucracies.

United in common purpose and mutual resolve, we gather in this place to declare liberty from the prescriptions and constraints of those gender roles constructed and thrust upon us from birth without our consent.

Affirming that all human beings carry within themselves an ever-unfolding idea of who they are and what they are capable of achieving, we rise as one to proclaim the fundamental right of all humankind to define and redefine their own identities.

Representing all races, nationalities, ethnicities, creeds, classes and sexes, we profess that we are one and all a people whose diverse gifts and energies find common ground in the transcending of conventional gender boundaries.

Recognizing that all are rooted in the human condition, we nevertheless assert the right to name ourselves and to choose such language as best characterizes both our differences and our commonalities.

Therefore, we throw off the shackles of gender tyranny to uplift the dignity of those known to themselves and to the entire world as transgendered people.

We are cognizant and proud of the many contributions to the human journey made by our transgendered brothers and sisters, which contributions stretch over the centuries to the very beginnings of recorded history.

We pause to solemnly honor and to celebrate those who have passed this way before us.

(Individual voices from the audience call out the names of transgendered heroes and heroines from a prepared list arranged chronologically, earliest to latest, e.g. "Jean D'Arc")

We know that our progenitors yearned for the same freedom of identity that we seek. We know that they struggled and suffered for the sake of re-imaging themselves.

We know that many died in the pursuit of truth and justice. We take comfort and courage in the meaning of their lives. Their examples give us hope and light the path to freedom.

And so, in the stead of our transgendered ancestors, mindful of the dangers and pitfalls they faced, but uniformly resolute in our purpose and confident of the outcome, we cheerfully take up the cause of justice and liberty to free ourselves and our posterity from the tyranny of gender.

The Declaration

By these precepts we propose to transcend the bonds of gender oppression and prejudice:

We proclaim that our identities are not determined by virtue of our chromosomal sex, our genitalia, our assigned sex as males or females, or our initial gender roles.

We cherish and uplift above all else, the universal right to define and redefine new identities in accord with our own images and self-conceptions and without regard for the limitations and conformations dictated by the tyrant called gender.

We declare our right and duty to express self-defined identities freely and with due care for the human rights and sensibilities of all others to whom we are accountable. And for those who are accountable to us, we covenant to acknowledge and respect their identities in accord with their wishes and in such fashion, as we would wish to be acknowledged and respected.

We will steadfastly resist attempts to subject us, one or all, to economic deprivation by denying us opportunities to train for and pursue gainful employment while manifesting our chosen identities.

We demand equal compensation for our labor. We insist upon dignity for ourselves and for all other workers. We ask admittance to all spaces and activities to which we are entitled by virtue of our self-defined identities.

We proclaim that our bodies belong to us alone. We take responsibility for the care and nurture of our bodies and assert our rights to change and alter our bodies in such ways and by such means as are pleasing to us, the owners.

We demand competent medical care and expect equal access to the same professional services provided to others.

We refuse to permit anyone to characterize us as diseased, dysphoric or disordered solely by virtue of our self-defined gender identities.

We affirm our right to the free expression of our sexual natures in private, adult, consensual relationships.

We profess the right to form committed, loving relationships with one another and to enter into marital contracts by virtue of those relationships without regard to our own or our partner's perceived status as male or female.

We assert also our rights to conceive, bear, or adopt children, to nurture and have custody of children and to exercise parental capacities.

We deplore the actions of those who seek to stigmatize us and rob us of our dignity. We vow to work diligently to banish ignorance with enlightenment and to strive with equal fervor for the liberation of our oppressors and detractors.

We abhor violence and come in peace and humility, seeking dignity, justice and freedom, not only for ourselves but also for all humankind.

We vow upon our sacred honor to break the bonds of fear, degradation, oppression and bigotry. We come to build bridges of trust, dignity, compassion and love.

Hand in hand, pursuing life, liberty and happiness, we go out with love in our hearts, care in our eyes and comfort for one another on our lips.

Let it be known that we passed through this world for no other purpose than to share our individual gifts for the good of all humankind.

End of Document

Sharon Ann Stuart writes:

Dear Friends:

Some time ago I was asked to prepare a Declaration of Gender Liberty for ICTLEP.

We will be presenting the enclosed document on the evening of July 4, 1996, at the forthcoming Transgender Law Conference in Houston.

The Declaration of Gender Liberty is designed to accomplish several objectives:

1.      To articulate basic concepts of the freedom of gender expression.

2.      To link our struggle to the original Declaration of Independence and the universal struggle for freedom.

3.      To link with the International Bill of Gender Rights and its major tenets which articulate our Human and civil rights.

4.      To remember and honor those transgendered heroes/ heroines who have preceded us in the struggle by reciting their names.

5.      To help draw our diverse peoples together, to lift our spirits, to enlighten our discourse and to focus our energies toward the mutual goal of freedom.

As we presently envision the ceremony it will take place outside. The participants will be formed in a circle. Each participant will have a candle. The first candle will be lit and used to light the second and so forth until all of the candles are burning.

The reading of the Preamble will begin. When it is time to honor our transgendered predecessors, the voices of the participants will call out the names assigned to them beforehand. The narrator will then continue the reading to the end. Several narrators may be used.

This ceremony will conclude our schedule on July 4.

We are compiling the list of transgendered heroes and heroines. Please share with me the names of any deceased TG martyrs, historical figures, authors, musicians, artists, pioneers, or other persons who have contributed to our cause over the centuries, or in more recent times.

Comments and suggestions regarding the wording of the Declaration are also welcome. We are still in the drafting mode and welcome your thoughts.

Bear in mind that this is being written with a view to reading it out loud. It is essentially an oratorical document and is drafted with "performance" in mind.

It is also subject to revision and refinement. Nothing in the gender world is "cast in stone" as they say.

This document is an original writing and is not based on a prior document known as The Declaration of Gender Independence, which was promulgated and circulated circa 1991 by the Gender Alternatives League (GAL). The latter document is not in my possession, nor has it been consulted or imitated.

I am very conversant with the original Declaration of Independence, which I have consulted and referred to in appropriate ways throughout.

In drafting the Declaration I have drawn inspiration from the ideas and writings of my own heroes and heroines in our wonderful community. There are so many who have contributed it is impossible to name them. Many minds are reflected here and if I have done my task well enough all of them will recognize their contributions.

Sharon Stuart

Yvonne's Place