Guide to the FTM International Records
Marjorie Bryer
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society
© 2006
657 Mission Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, California 94105
Phone: (415) 777-5455
Fax: (415) 777-5576
Email: terence@glbthistory.org
URL: http://www.glbthistory.org/
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society. All rights reserved.
Guide to the FTM International Records
Collection number: 2006-25
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical SocietySan Francisco, California
- Processed by:
- Marjorie Bryer
- Date Completed:
- August, 2006
- Encoded by:
- Marjorie Bryer
© 2006 The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society. All rights reserved.
Title: FTM International records
Dates: 1986-2005
Collection number: 2006-25
Creator:
FTM International
Creator:
Green, Jamison, 1948-
Creator:
Sullivan, Louis, 1951-
Collection Size:
2 boxes and 1 oversized folder (approximately 2 linear feet)
Repository:
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society
San Francisco, California 94105
Abstract: The records of FTM International document the organizational history and cultural, social and political and work of the largest,
continuously-running organization serving the Female-to-Male community. There are a wide range of record types in the collection,
dating back to the organization�s founding, in 1986, by transgender activist Louis Sullivan. The records include materials
related to the board of directors, conferences, publication of the newsletter and social events, art, artifacts, by-laws,
correspondence, financial records, photographs and posters.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Japanese
Collection is open for research. Materials in the Correspondence Series are restricted, at the request of the donor. Additional
information is provided in the Series description.
Copyright to unpublished manuscript materials created by the donor has been transferred to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender
Historical Society.
FTM International records, 2006-25, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.
Donated to the Library by Heidi Bruins Green for FTM International, April 1, 2006.
FTM International (FTM) is the largest and oldest continuously running organization serving the Female-to-Male community and
their allies. It is a peer-support group whose mission is to improve the quality of life and promote visibility and equality
for female-to-male transpeople and their families. FTM International also campaigns to end shame and fear surrounding trans
issues and to end economic marginalization of transpeople. To this end, the organization offers information, networking opportunities
and advocacy to, and on behalf of, the trans-community. FTM International also provides educational services on transgender
issues to the general public.
Author and activist Louis G. Sullivan founded FTM in San Francisco in 1986 as a support group for female-to-male transvestites
and transsexuals. He started publishing the FTM Newsletter on a quarterly basis in September 1987. Until his death in 1991,
Sullivan worked tirelessly to provide services for FTMs and increase understanding of their lives. Before he died, Sullivan
asked transgender activist and educator Jamison (James) Green to take over publication of the newsletter. That same year,
1991, FTM began holding regular monthly meetings. In 1994, the organization�s name was changed to FTM International to reflect
its growth worldwide. In November 1996, FTM International was granted status as a non-profit 501c3 educational organization
and elected its first board of directors in June 1997. In addition to Sullivan and Green, past FTM International presidents
have included Drago Renteria, Dion Manley and Zion Free Johnson. The current president is Levi Atler.
In 2006 the FTM Newsletter serves over 1,000 subscribers and is the largest FTM publication in the world. FTM International
offers support groups for FTMs and their families in cities in more than 18 nations. Members represent a variety of cultural
and economic backgrounds, a wide range of ages and every imaginable sexual orientation. In addition to holding support meetings
and publishing the newsletter, FTM International organizes events, publishes a resource guide, maintains a website (http://www.ftmi.org)
and answers correspondence from FTMs around the world. The San Francisco Chapter, which is named after Louis Sullivan, has
over 300 members and conducted nearly 150 support meetings in 2005.
Scope and Content of Collection
The records of FTM International document the organizational history and social, cultural and political work of the largest,
continuously running organization serving the Female-to-Male community. There are a wide range of record types in the collection,
dating back to the organization�s founding in 1986. The records include materials related to the board of directors, conferences,
publication of the newsletter and social events, art, artifacts, by-laws, correspondence, financial records, photographs and
posters.
The collection is arranged in three series:
- Series 1. Organizational Records
- Series 2. Newsletters
- Series 3. Correspondence and Other Communication
The original order was maintained.
The following collections at the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society of Northern California contain related
materials. Contact the Historical Society for further information.
- GLBTHS Periodicals Collection: FTM and FTMI Newsletter.
- 1991-07. Sullivan, Lou Papers.
- 2003-19. FTM Conference Tapes.
- 2006-26. Tranny Fest Collection.
- 2006-27. GLBTHS Ephemera Collection: Organizations/Groups.
Newspaper clippings and publications about female-to-male transsexuals or on transgender issues have been moved to the GLBTHS
Vertical Files. Periodicals from other organizations have been moved to the GLBTHS Periodicals Collection.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Female-to-male transsexuals
FTM International
Sullivan, Louis, 1951-
Green, Jamison, 1948-
Newsletters
Correspondence
California�San Francisco (county)�San Francisco
Collection Contents
Series 1. Organizational Records 1986-2005
Physical Description: 15 folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
Materials in this series document FTM International’s organizational structure and its cultural, social and political work.
It includes materials regarding the establishment of the organization’s by-laws and non-profit status; financial records;
materials related to the first Board of Directors’ elections in 1997; scorecards that rate politicians on their support of
transgender rights; materials on its boycott of the Human Rights Campaign; a photo of participants, programs and receipts
related to the first-ever FTM conference, which was held in San Francisco in 1995; a near-complete run of fliers advertising
FTM Get-Togethers between 1986-1991; materials from events sponsored by FTM International; posters and memorabilia from Trannyfest:
Transgender and Transgenre Cinema; a Pride Parade banner made by Loren Cameron and carried in 1994, marking the first time
a group of transpeople openly marched under an FTM banner; two self-portraits by Cameron, from his triptych, “Distortions”;
and the 2005 Men of FTM International Calendar.
Arranged alphabetically, by subject.
Names and addresses of FTM International contacts may not be published for twenty years, until April 1, 2026, at the request
of the donor.
Box/Folder 1/1-15
Organizational records 1986-2005
Series 2 Newsletters Circa 1991-1997
Physical Description: 16 folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
Series includes materials related to the operation and finances of the FTM newsletter, which is the most widely circulated
periodical for Female-to-Male transpeople in the world. The bulk of the series contains materials related to issues of the
newsletter, such as submissions and editorial notes. There is also one Japanese-language newsletter. This series is complemented
by a near-complete run of the FTM Newsletter, which can be found in the Historical Society’s Periodicals Collection.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, and chronologically by newsletter issue.
Names and addresses of FTM International contacts may not be published for twenty years, until April 1, 2026, at the request
of the donor.
Box/Folder 1/16-32
Newsletters Circa 1991-1997
Series 3 Correspondence and Other Communication Circa 1979-1999
Physical Description: 57 folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series includes incoming and outgoing correspondence from Lou Sullivan, James Green and other FTM newsletter editors.
There are also membership lists and phone messages. Some of the correspondence from Sullivan was already arranged alphabetically.
Correspondence may contain publications from other organizations.
Lou Sullivan’s original order was maintained. He arranged some of his files alphabetically. The rest of the correspondence
and communication is arranged chronologically
Access to the entire contents of this series is restricted for twenty years, until April 1, 2026, at the request of the donor.
Please contact the repository for additional information.
Box/Folder 2/1-51
Sullivan, Lou, outgoing and incoming correspondence. Circa 1986-1996
Physical Description: 51 folders
Box/Folder 2/52-53
Green, James, and others, outgoing and incoming correspondence Circa 1991-2001
Physical Description: 2 folders
Box-Folder 2/54-56
Mailing lists and membership information Circa 1993-1999
Physical Description: 2 folders
Box/Folder 2/57
Phone messages Circa 1997-1999
Physical Description: 1 folder