TG Friendly Shopping Malls.com Launches Campaign to Raise $1,000,000 for Local LGBT Community Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) July 30, 2006 -- Olympia, WA -- July 30, 2006 -- In a recent poll, 77% of those polled responsed 'Yes' to the question, "Should transgendered teens be allowed to attend public schools." While this number represents a greater acceptance than what many may presume, it should be noted 23 % did not answer in the positive. Access to education is a cornerstone of US democracy and yet one out of four Americans still see the transgendered individual as undeserving of the same rights other Americans take for granted.

TG Friendly Shopping Malls.com is committed to building transgender-friendly communities. While some may chose to work through political and legal venues, TG Friendly Shopping Malls.com is more of a grass roots, business approach. As local businesses open their doors to the transgendered consumer, when other customers, (other members of the community) see a transgendered individual being treated with respect and courtesy, it will move communities in a transgender-friendly direction.

However, it is not a battle simply won by encouraging businesses to open their doors to transgendered consumers. The transgendered individual must be willing to emerge from the safety and security of their homes and sheltered lives. A valuable asset for those in the transgendered community who would like to explore a public life is their local Community Center. Community centers are a haven for transgendered individuals who are not quite ready to step out into broader society. Project Community is an effort initiated by TG Friendly Shopping Malls to encourage local businesses to support their local LGBT Community Center through a donation of money, time, services, supplies or other assistance. Hopefully this campaign will also increase local awareness regarding the services offered through local LGBT Community Centers. If a business or a professional makes a donation of $100.00 or more, TG Friendly Shopping Malls will provide them with a complimentary profile on their website.

Vanessa Glenne, founder and president of TG Friendly Shopping Malls, is transgendered. Most studies suggest that there are approximately 3,000,000 transgendered individuals in the United States. In 2000, 3% of the US population lived in political jurisdictions that provided legal protections for transgendered individual. Six years later, the number has risen to 31%. "Our society is already moving in the direction of being transgender friendly. And in today's competitive marketplace, few businesses would even consider turning away a transgendered customer. But every statistics that shows progress also highlights that a great deal still needs to be done." states Vanessa Glenne.

"We will be offering 10,000 profiles through Project Community," shares Vanessa Glenne. There are approximately 150 LGBT Centers if the goal of $1,000,000 is achieved that translate to an average of over $7,000 for each community center. "As a start-up company, this is an enormous project for us, so we are approaching it as a win-win situation where there can be no losers. The worse-case scenario is that we fall far short of our goal and yet any donations or awareness raised as a result of Project Community is a positive."