Allow me to highlight a few areas of concern I have about Tri-Ess. The organization of Tri-Ess was originally incorporated in the state of California. Over the course of the years, it has accumulated some considerable funds.
These funds were invested in various ways. However, the proper tax reports were not filed with either the state or the federal government. Under the guise of seeking a tax exempt status, Tri-Ess in California was dissolved and a ìnewî Tri-Ess was simultaneously incorporated in the state of Texas. It was assumed that this would disassociate the board of directors from any liability for past financial obligations.
The board of directors of Tri-Ess is an interesting study in and of itself. I observed the June meeting of this body and was appalled at the events.Here are a couple of topics that they discussed:
The members of the Tri-Ess board are an interesting group. Incidentally, there were no provisions for a board of directors under Tri-Ess until just recently. If Jane Ellen Fairfax liked you, she appointed you to the board. There were no specific number of seats on the board or defined duties. Several members of the board have either vested financial interest in the TG community or are inactive in the local chapters. Here are some of the board members who purportedly ìrepresentî the views of the mebership:
Have you noticed all of the advertisements in the Femme Mirror for books written by Peggy Rudd or perhaps the Dignity Cruise she promotes? Peggy is on the board.
Kym Richards, the Treasurer of Tri-Ess, publishes a magazine for crossdressers. In addition, Kym has nothing to do with any local Tri-Ess functions.
Samantha Wells, a very beautiful and kind girl, was the architect of the ìnewî Tri-Ess in Texas. She hasnít been active in the local group in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area for years.
Robin K., the ìNominations Directorî (as if there is a full-time ongoing need for such a position?) from Memphis- I donít know anything about an active Tri-Ess chapter in Memphis, do you? There was one in Little Rock; however, the person behind that was recently fired by Jane Ellen.
Kathy Helms is ìDirector of Corporate Affairs.î What the hell is that? And why doesnít Tri-Ess have a ìDirector of Member/Chapter Services?î
While Jane Ellen and the rest of the board speak in high terms of ìOutreachî projects, the goal is obviously numbers. Someone needs to tell Jane that people know crossdressers exist and that those of us who paid dues expected the national organization to use the funds to support the local chapters rather than buy expensive displays or equipment.
Two of the board members who I not only respect, but also like very much, are Virginia Prince and Carol Beecroft. However, they are treated by the other members of the board with inexcusable disrespect. I was personally embarrassed to witness this.
The current ìLeadership?î of Tri-Ess is out of touch with the needs of the members, plagued with conflict of interest, ìPie in the Skyî thinking, greed and ineffectiveness.
While there exists a board of 16 members who are supposed to oversee the organization and provide for the ongoing needs of the membership, decisions are often made at the whim of Jane Ellen Fairfax. Jane Ellen seeks to impose her own morality upon any and all crossdressers. It is an unfortunate circumstance that she has so little vision and understanding that she cannot fathom of faiths other than her own fundamentalist Christian views.
The original Tri-Ess was a membership based organization. The ìnewî Tri-Ess is simply a business. Unlike Renaissance and AEGIS, which regularly send their members useful materials in support of the local members, Tri-Ess has offered its members very little except an expensive membership directory and a quarterly magazine.
The final straw was when Jane Ellen Fairfax betrayed information given to her in confidence about my own personal life and relationships. If this is the way she treats members, no thanks!
Back to Transgender Forum's home page