Acknowledgments

FORGE is widely viewed as the national expert on transgender trauma and violence. Founded in 1994, FORGE's work has evolved from general support of transgender individuals and loved ones to incorporating the Transgender Aging Network in 2000 to extensively focusing on anti-violence issues since 2004. FORGE has been federally funded since 2009 to provide training and technical assistance to victim service professionals on how to better serve transgender survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, dating violence, and hate crimes, and to provide direct services to transgender survivors of sexual assault. It is also a partner in the federally funded National Resource Center on LGBT Aging, funded through the Administration on Aging.

FORGE is an active member of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, the New Beginnings Initiative working on federal LGBT improvements, and the LGBT Aging Roundtable. It actively partners with other anti-violence agencies, statewide coalitions, and transgender/LGBT organizations to enhance the collective work of reducing violence and harm against transgender individuals and improving the cultural competency of professionals working with transgender victims. FORGE maintains a rich selection of free online trainings, fact sheets, publications, and other materials on its Web site.

Multidisciplinary Advisory Council

FORGE is grateful to the dedicated professionals across the country who served on the Multidisciplinary Advisory Council, which reviewed early drafts of some portions of this guide:

• Avy A. Skolnik—Ph.D. graduate student with extensive experience in transgender anti-violence issues, New York, NY.
• Debra K. Donovan, R.N.—Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, Sexual Assault Treatment Center, Milwaukee, WI.
• Wendy J. Murphy, J.D.—Attorney, New England School of Law, Boston, MA.
• Curt Rogers—Executive Director, Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project, Boston, MA.
• Cpl. Michael G. Hemond—Law enforcement officer, Burlington Police Department, Burlington, VT.

Consultants

FORGE is also grateful to the hardworking consultants who made sure its data were accurately analyzed, cited, edited, inclusive, and culturally sensitive:

• Eli R. Green, M.A., M.Ed.—Editor.
• lore m. dickey, Ph.D.—Data analyst and principal investigator.
• Mary Woodruff—Librarian and citation expert.

Demonstration project sites

FORGE is indebted to the four demonstration sites also funded under this project, which provided it with deeper insight into the challenging issues of working with transgender victims of sexual violence and which continue to work diligently to improve service provision and healing for survivors within their communities. The four communities are—

• Iowa City, IA.
• Boulder, CO.
• The State of Maine.
• Boston, MA.

Survivors and providers

This guide would not be possible without the thousands of transgender survivors and loved ones who courageously shared their stories and experiences and the hundreds of victim service providers who reached out for technical assistance or shared their challenges and successes in working with transgender victims.

Office for Victims of Crime

FORGE is grateful to OVC staff for their dedication to improving the respectful, competent treatment of transgender survivors of sexual assault and for the funding needed to develop this guide. FORGE particularly wants to thank—

• Joye Frost, Director.
• Kathleen Gless, Victim Justice Program Specialist.