Riki Anne Wilchins (born 1952) is an American activist whose work has focused on the impact of gender norms.
Background
Wilchins founded the first national transgender advocacy group (GenderPAC). Their analysis and work broadened over time to include discrimination and violence regardless of individuals' identity. While this perspective has been widely accepted, its breadth has provoked criticism by some in the transgender community. Wilchins's work and writing have often focused on youth, whom they not only see as uniquely vulnerable to the gender system's pressures and harm, but whom they see as capable of "looking with fresh eyes". Wilchins's work has been instrumental in bringing transgender rights into the mainstream LGBT movement, and has helped bring awareness of the impact of gender norms to a wider audience, and they are credited with coining the term "genderqueer."
In 1996, they starred in Rosa von Praunheim 's film Transexual Menace. Wilchins's early activism with the "Hermaphrodites With Attitude!" protest group and intersex leader Cheryl Chase led to the founding of Intersex Awareness Day. In 2001, Wilchins's work resulted in them being selected one of just six community activists named by Time magazine among its "100 Civic Innovators for the 21st Century". In 2009, Wilchins debuted The MANGina Monologues (A One Trans Show) at DC's Busboys & Poets, one of the first transgender standup shows. A founding member of Camp Trans, since the mid-1990s Wilchins has been highly active in founding a number of organizations and events focused on gender issues, including:
The Menace, the first large direct action group for transgender rights, which was modeled along the lines of Queer Nation and which at one point boasted representatives in 40+ cities (co-founder Denise Norris). a 1996 demonstration held with members of Intersex Society of North America, now marked as Intersex Awareness Day. NYC Gay Community Center Gender Identity Project (co-founder Dr. Barbara Warren, Dir. of Social Services). NYC Gay Community Center Transgender Health Empowerment Conference, an annual event (co-founder Dr. Barbara Warren, Dir. of Social Services). Camp Trans, an annual educational event outside the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival that contested the exclusion of anyone who was not deemed a "womyn-born womyn" (co-founders Janice Walworth, Nancy Jean Burkholder). National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (co-founder Susan Wright, its first Exec. Dir.) National Gender Lobby Day, an annual event on Capitol Hill (co-founder Phyllis Frye).
GenderPAC
In 1995, Wilchins founded the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition, GenderPAC, a tax-exempt organization focused on gender rights issues. GenderPAC originally focused on the transgender community, but gradually broadened its focus to include anyone who suffered discrimination or violence because of their gender identity or gender expression. GenderPAC described its mission as the creation of "classrooms, communities, and workplaces [that] are safe for everyone to learn, grow, and succeed — whether or not they meet expectations for masculinity and femininity." In late 1999, the organization was incorporated and received tax-exempt status. In 2009, it rebranded and relaunched as a new organization, TrueChild, effectively ceasing operations as GenderPAC.
While GenderPAC's Executive Director, Wilchins helped dozens of corporations as diverse as IBM, JP Morgan Chase, and Citigroup, as well as major funders like the Arcus and Gill Foundations to expand employment non-discrimination policies to include gender identity and gender expression. GenderPAC's Congressional Non-Discrimination Pledge eventually had almost 200 sponsors, including both Republicans and US Senators. They helped compile and publish the GENIUS (Gender Equality National Index for Universities & Schools) Index, which rated and ranked schools' adoption of gender identity protections. During their watch, GenderPAC also launched the GenderYOUTH Network, which eventually supported student groups at 100+ schools in creating safer and friendlier environments for those who were gender non-conforming on their own campuses.
1st National Survey of TransViolence
In 1995, with help from researcher Emilia Lombardi, GenderPAC compiled and published the "1st National Survey of TransViolence", based on surveys provided by more than 500 respondents.