Welcome to Sí - The
Irish Transgender Society.
This preliminary page is intended to give basic information about Sí, pending the design of a more permanent site here. The page is best viewed in Microsoft IE4; scrolling text and links back to the table of contents box may not operate in Netscape Navigator.
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Sí is a self help and social group for the spectrum of Irish transvestites, transsexuals, transgenderists and crossdressers. The generic term "Transgender" is used to encompass all. Sí's philosophy is one of openness and inclusiveness and all transgendered individuals are welcome to join. Sí was established in January 1999 by a founding meeting of 20 members.
A committee has been elected which is busy at the moment organising the structure of services of Sí. A number of initiatives are planned and - as the group grows - more will be possible.
First and foremost, Sí provides a social infrastructure in which people are able to dress in safety and enjoy themselves. It provides a safe environment for those who would otherwise have to stay in "the closet". Services currently or shortly available from Sí include:
Where does the name come from ?
Well, first of all, Sí is an Irish word and means – and is pronounced exactly as - the English word "she". The word however also draws from Irish mythology. The Daoine Sí (or Sidhe) were the Irish mythological spirit-race or Feadh-Ree (the fairies or "Good People"). They lived in the land of eternal youth. Sources speak of the Sí as being very beautiful, with long yellow hair sweeping down to the ground and little light forms. They lived in splendour and luxury, with music and song and laughter and all joyous things. Oscar Wilde’s mother spoke of them thus: "The Sí will indeed, wile and draw many a young man into the fairy dance, for the fairy women are beautiful, so beautiful that a man’s eyes grow dazzled who looks on them, with their long hair floating like the ripe golden corn and their robes of silver gossamer; they have perfect forms, and their dancing is beyond all expression graceful."
Another source quotes the following: "At a glance they look human, but what being can only look at a Noble Faerie once? Imagine an exotic butterfly, give it the morals of a rabbit, the loyalty of an old dog and the temper of a two year old and that sums up the personality of the Daoine Sí, nobility of Faerie kind. The Sí are extremely beautiful to look at by any humanoid race. This is part of their magical nature. They are forever youthful-looking despite their great age and only grow more so with time. Their skin is fair and soft, their hair long and flowing." Quite. Well, I’m sure you get the idea.
We can be contacted by telephone at Dublin (International :+ 353 1) 878 3621 on Wednesday evenings between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. A message can be let at all other times.
You can also write to us at Sí, c/o 37 Claremont Court, Dublin 11, Ireland.
Sí can also be contacted by e-mail.
Good question. Most keyboards will give you the accent (fada) over the "I" by typing Ctrl+Alt+i.
You will be asked to fill out a simple and discreet membership form. Sí respects the rights to privacy and confidentiality of its members and we do not therefore require your male (or in the case of FTM - female) name or address, although you may choose to do so if you wish. You can be assured that any information given will remain totally private and will not be divulged to anyone. You may join in your femme name and provide us, if at all possible, with some point of contact. This could include an e-mail address, for example, or a mobile phone.
Sí is set up as a non-profit society. An membership fee is payable which is used to support the provision and development of services. Fees for 1999 are as follows:
Full Member: £50. This entitles you to free entry to all Sí meetings, events and services including at least one social event per month.
Full Member (unwaged): £25. This entitles you to free entry to all Sí meetings, events and services including at least one social event per month
Associate Member: £20. An associate member is entitled to attend all Sí events but is subject to a cover charge of £5 per event.
Non-members are welcome to attend Sí events but must pay a cover charge of £10 per event.
Sí members are entitled to "sign in" one non-dressing guest for a cover charge of £2.50
The following constitution was agreed at the founding meeting as the basis for the new society.
Constitution
Sí does not set out to awash with rules and regulations. Respect for the concerns of members about their privacy is paramount. While people are in different situations (some members are openly "out", for example) Sí operates on the basis of assuring confidentiality and privacy. The following guidelines, however, are expected to be observed by all Sí members:
Sí Membership Standards of Behaviour
As a member of Sí, it is expected that you will faithfully and carefully observe these Standards of Behaviour to assure the security and comfort of all members of Sí, including yourself.
1.A Sí member shall never pry into the personal details of another member by asking specific questions (such as where they live, work or phone numbers). Common sense and good manners dictate that members should only divulge whatever personal information they themselves deem pertinent.
2. If a Sí member obtains or gains access to the personal particulars(real name, address, job, telephone number) of another member either directly or inadvertently, this information is never to be divulged to anyone (including other members) without the explicitly stated permission of the member whose personal particulars are in question.
3. If a Sí member obtains the telephone number of another member, the member is expected to get the appropriate name to ask for and to use that name consistently.
4. A Sí member may not reveal the location and meeting time of any Sí general or committee meeting or special function to a non-member unless explicitly authorised to do so by the committee.
5. Upon encountering other members or meeting attendees in public situations outside meetings, members are expected to be very guarded in their communication with each other. The best policy is never to acknowledge another member outside a meeting unless some prior understanding clearly exists. This policy is to be extended in all cases to former members of the society and especially with transitioned and/or post-operative transsexuals.
6. Sí members are expected to conduct themselves as ladies and gentlemen.
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