TG Friendly Shopping Malls.com launches Gurlz Steppin' OUT Campaign for Transgender Consumers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) July 24, 2007 --

In 2000, 96.2% of all Americans lived in legal jurisdictions that provided no anti-discrimination protections based on gender identity. In 25 out of 26 legal jurisdictions if a potential customer entered a mall, store or restaurant and was asked to leave for reasons related to his or her gender identity, he or she would have had no legal recourse. Seven years later, legal protections based on gender identity are on the books for 40% of all US citizens, an improvement of 1300%. In twenty-two (22) of the nation's largest thirty (30) cities, either state law or local ordinance provide transgendered individuals with almost total access to their local marketplace. Shopping, dining out, even buying a home no longer need to be the fearful experience it once was. And yet, despite this rather significant expansion of rights for transgendered consumers, the transgendered consumer has yet to take advantage of these rights by becoming more active in the marketplace and more visible in their local communities.

Gurlz Steppin' OUT (http://www.gurlzsteppinout.com) seeks to encourage and motivate transgendered consumers to take advantage of the options that now exist, to exercise their 'right to shop' to its fullest extent.

On November 10, 2007, the date of the first Gurlz Steppin' OUT event, transgendered consumers will be encouraged to step out in their local communties. Kathleen Cambridge, president of TG Friendly Shopping Malls.com (http://www.tgfriendlyshoppingmalls.com) and the event organizer, stresses that Gurlz Steppin' OUT is about individual consumers making individual choices. "It is not a day for parades or speeches or rallies. It is a day for making a decision regarding the quality of one's life and redefining one's role within a community. It is a day a transgender individual can move in the direction of the life she or he wants and deserves--possibly their first venture out into the public arena."

Gurlz Steppin' OUT will be a quarterly event, held on the second Saturday of February, May, August and November. Kathleen Cambridge envisions five years of these events. Legally the options are rapidly changing for transgendered consumers. Society has a more accepting attitude towards the transgender community. However, there are still reasons for these consumers to exercise caution and good judgment. Not enough has yet been done in terms of protecting transgendered individuals against hate crimes. As a result, Kathleen Cambridge feels that many in the transgender community will be tentative about steppin' out for this event. But it is not just the timidity and reluctance of the consumer that has to be addresses, the business community must also examine their own policies and procedures in light of the emergent transgender market. Gurls Steppin' OUT is about increasing awareness--fior the transgendered indidivual, the business community and society as a whole.

For more information visit http://www.gurlzsteppinout.com