For its second annual fundraiser, the FTM Fund will hold a calendar launch party and model auction at Georgie’s Alibi on Saturday, Nov. 13. The event will raise money for a charity directed at female-to-male transgender people (FTMs)who need help financing gender reassignment surgery.
According to Andy Citino, who performs as 6-Pak, area FTMs have posed for a calendar shoot and single models will be auctioned off the night of the party. It’s a chance to not only raise money, but to educate the LGBT community as well, Citino said.
“Visibility is the goal,” Citino said. “It’s letting the community know we’re here. We are part of the community and we love our community.”
Michael Keeffe, executive director of FORGE—the organization presenting the fundraiser—is also one of the calendar models. He said transitioning can be difficult not only for the person undergoing it, but for those trying to understand it as well.
“This event is primarily directed toward the gay and lesbian community,” Keeffe said. “Even though the ‘T’ is tacked onto the end of our community’s identifier, a lot of our gay brothers and lesbian sisters don’t know what it means to be transgender.”
