TRI-ESS POLICIES FOR CHAPTERS

1. Tri-Ess Policies for Chapters

1. A Tri-Ess Chapter is by definition a local organization of Tri-Ess members, united by a central vision known by the acronym FIBER:
• F - Full personality expression, in a blending of both our masculine and feminine characteristics. We do not wish to destroy our birth gender but to develop all our human potentials and be all we can be.
• I - Integration of our masculinity and femininity to create a happier, more complete person as we use our enhanced understanding of ourselves in our daily lives.
• B - Balance between masculinity and femininity in our total personalities.
• E - Education of crossdressers toward self-acceptance, education of our families toward understanding, education of society toward the acceptance of crossdressers as ordinary people with a special gender gift.
• R - Relationship - building in the context of crossdressing.

This means it is an absolute requirement that all members of a Tri-Ess Chapter be members of Tri-Ess.


2. A Tri-Ess Chapter's focus is support and education on behalf of heterosexual crossdressers, their spouses, partners and families.
3. A Tri-Ess Chapter must provide a family-friendly atmosphere at its meetings and set forth and maintain standards for ladylike and gentlemanly dress and behavior.
4. A Tri-Ess Chapter will promptly answer all inquirers.
5. A Tri-Ess Chapter may not deny membership on the basis of race, religious preference, physical appearance, disability, genetic sex, marital status, inability to pay, amount of time spent crossdressed or lack of "passability."
6. Spouses, partners, parents and adult children of heterosexual crossdressers are eligible for full Chapter membership and, as such, are entitled to full membership in Tri-Ess. Within Tri-Ess and its chapters, crossdressers, spouses, partners, parents and adult children have the same privileges and the same responsibilities.
7. A Tri-Ess Chapter may, but is not required to, offer an associate ("Friends") membership to those having legitimate constructive interest in the Chapter and Tri-Ess, but whose focus lies outside the primary focus of Tri-Ess. Such Friends members must also be Friends members of Tri-Ess. Friends members may not vote or hold any Chapter office.
8. A Tri-Ess Chapter shall have a system of screening and orienting prospective members. This process should include but not be limited to supplying the prospective member with information about Tri-Ess and the Chapter, and for interviewing the prospective member to determine suitability for membership.
9. A Tri-Ess Chapter shall appoint a Liaison Officer to facilitate communication with Tri-Ess. In any case, a Tri-Ess Chapter must reply promptly to all communications from Tri-Ess that require a reply.
10. It is strongly recommended, but not required, that a Tri-Ess Chapter adopt the Rudd Plan for annual collection of Chapter and Tri-Ess fees.
11. A Tri-Ess Chapter must maintain By-Laws and Policies consistent with those of Tri-Ess, amending them as necessary to reflect any changes in Tri-Ess policies. Failure to abide by these policies may result in action by Tri-Ess up to, and including, revocation of the Chapter's Charter and loss of its affiliation with Tri-Ess.
12. A Tri-Ess Chapter shall report a financial statement on a semi-annual basis. Such statement shall include income, expenses and bank balances.
13. No officer or contact person of a Tri-Ess chapter shall serve as an officer or contact person of any transgender organization not affiliated with Tri-Ess.
14. Failure to abide by these Policies may result in action by Tri-Ess up to, and including, revocation of the Chapter's Charter and loss of its affiliation with Tri-Ess.

Certification/ Re-certification of Chapters
• Every Tri-Ess Chapter shall be Certified, and then Re-certified annually, according to the following procedures:

Every Tri-Ess Chapter Shall:
1. Maintain a ring binder containing the Bylaws and Policies of Tri-Ess and the Bylaws and Policies of the chapter, and post them on the chapter website.
2. Notify the office of the Chair of the Board of Governance whenever the chapter's bylaws and policies are amended and provide an electronic copy or a URL pointer to the revised documents for review by the Board.
3. Appoint a Tri-Ess Liaison, who will be in charge of communication with Tri-Ess.
4. Semiannually provide a financial report, containing itemized income and expenses, to the Corporate Officer and the Chair of the Board of Governance.
5. Annually supply the Membership Director a complete list of its members and their Tri-Ess membership numbers.
6. Annually supply the Chair of the Board of Governance with a list of all chapter officers for the year.

Tri-Ess Shall:
1. Supply every Tri-Ess chapter with the Tri-Ess Bylaws and Policies, and in the case of amendment, appropriate updates.
2. Upon receipt of the chapter's financial statement, supply semiannually a full financial accounting for Tri-Ess.
3. Annually supply to every chapter a list of Tri-Ess officers and their areas of responsibility.
4. Upon a chapter's completion of requirements for Certification, supply the chapter a copy of the Group Exemption Letter, which will be valid for one year.
5. Supply to every Tri-Ess chapter a copy of the Chapter Operations Manual, and updates as necessary.
2. Membership Policies
1. Full Tri-Ess Membership ("Membership") is open to heterosexual crossdressers, their spouses, partners and children who are 18 years of age or older and parents (primary focus group).
2. Friends of Tri-Ess membership ("Friends") is open to anyone who is not in the primary focus group but who has a constructive interest in Tri-Ess and desires to support its work, and who are 18 years of age or older.
3. Tri-Ess does not discriminate on the basis of race, religious preference, physical appearance or disability, genetic sex, marital status, inability to pay, the amount of time spent crossdressed or lack of "passability."
4. Tri-Ess offers several types of membership:
1. Individual, for those within the primary focus group.
2. Couples, for those in committed relationships.
3. Family, for additional nuclear family members within the same household, within the primary focus group.
4. Friends.
5. Sustaining, for those who wish to contribute a donation to the work of Tri-Ess.
6. Life, individual and couple.
7. Business and professional associate.

Only primary focus group members may vote and hold office.

5. Century Club. Anyone whose age plus years of Tri-Ess membership totals 100 or more is entitled to lifetime fee-exempt membership.
6. Hardship. For those unable to pay their fees in one annual lump sum, the following program is offered:
• Tier A. - Full membership fees, quarterly installments. Term is one (1) year. May be renewed.
• Tier B. - Membership fees discounted by one-third (1/3). May pay in quarterly installments. Term is one (1) year. May be renewed. This Plan is for those on limited fixed incomes.
• Tier C. - Fee exempt membership for one (1) year, May be renewed only under unusual circumstances. This plan is for those who are in financial hardship.
• Tier D. - Fee exempt membership, lifetime. This Plan is for the terminally ill and those permanently and totally disabled.

It is the responsibility of anyone paying on installments to keep up with the due dates of installment payments and to make them in a timely manner.

7. The Department of Membership will be administered by a Manager who will be responsible for operating the Department, and recruiting and training staff as appropriate.
8. The Manager shall report semi-annually to the Board of Governance concerning her Department. She may give her report in person at the Board of Governance meeting, or may submit it via e-mail to the Chair of the Board for presentation at the meeting.


3. Events Planning
1. The Department of Events Planning will:
1. Supervise planning of the Holiday En Femme and create and maintain a procedures manual for the Holiday En Femme.
2. Create and maintain a calendar of events for Tri-Ess and its chapters.
3. Create and maintain a calendar of events for the transgender community at large.
4. Coordinate planning of SPICE in cooperation with the Department of Family Services.
2. The Department of Events Planning will be administered by a Manager who will be responsible for developing and implementing the vision for the Department, and for recruiting and training staff as appropriate.
3. The Manager shall report semi-annually to the Board of Governance concerning her Department. She may give her report in person at the Board of Governance meeting, or may submit it via e-mail to the Chair of the Board for presentation at the meeting.


4. Unchaptered Members Support
1. The Department of Unchaptered Members Support will:
1. Coordinate communications with, among and between members who do not have a parent chapter to which they belong and between these members and the Society.
2. Create an on-line chapter that will offer as many benefits of a chapter as practical.
3. Facilitate the exchange of support and communications between un-chaptered members and members of established chapters.
4. Work cooperatively with the Department of Chapter Development to develop chapters within new areas.
2. The Department of Unchaptered Members Support will be administered by a Manager who will be responsible for developing and implementing the vision for the Department, and for recruiting and training staff as appropriate.
3. The Manager shall report semi-annually to the Board of Governance concerning her Department. She may give her report in person at the Board of Governance meeting, or may submit it via e-mail to the Chair of the Board for presentation at the meeting.


5. Mirror.
1. The Department of the Mirror will publish a quarterly journal for the support, education and benefit of the members of the Society.
2. It shall be the policy of the Mirror to never disparage any transgendered person or organization.
3. The Department of the Mirror will be administered by a Manager who will be responsible for developing and implementing the vision for the Department, and for recruiting and training staff as appropriate.
4. The Manager shall report semi-annually to the Board of Governance concerning her Department. She may give her report in person at the Board of Governance meeting, or may submit it via e-mail to the Chair of the Board for presentation at the meeting.


6. Directory.
1. The Department of the Directory will:
1. Publish a directory of members of the Society.
2. Include pictures and profiles in accordance with Tri-Ess standards of decorum and confidentiality.
2. The Department of the Directory will be administered by a Manager who will be responsible for operating the Department, and for recruiting and training staff as appropriate.
3. The Manager shall report semi-annually to the Board of Governance concerning her Department. She may give her report in person at the Board of Governance meeting, or may submit it via e-mail to the Chair of the Board for presentation at the meeting.


7. Advertising.
1. The Department of Advertising will:
1. Solicit and recruit business ads for the Mirror.
2. Set advertising rates for ads for the Mirror.
3. Maintain records of payments and receivables for ads for the Mirror.
4. Develop guidelines for ads that comply with Tri-Ess standards for decorum and content.
5. Ensure that all ads meet Tri-Ess standards for decorum and content.
6. Disseminate, in cooperation with the Departments of Outreach and Events Planning, Tri-Ess information via ads in other publications.
2. The Department of Advertising will be administered by a Manager who will be responsible for developing and implementing the vision for the Department, and for recruiting and training staff as appropriate.
3. The Manager shall report semi-annually to the Board of Governance concerning her Department. She may give her report in person at the Board of Governance meeting, or may submit it via e-mail to the Chair of the Board for presentation at the meeting.


8. Special Programs.
1. The Department of Special Programs will:
1. Maintain the Big Sister program and, in cooperation with the Department of Family Support, the Caring Friends program.
2. Maintain the cooperative library book donation program.
3. Implement Special Programs as defined by the Board of Governance.
2. The Department of Special Programs will be administered by a Manager who will be responsible for operating the Department, and for recruiting and training staff as appropriate.
3. The Manager shall report semi-annually to the Board of Governance concerning her Department. She may give her report in person at the Board of Governance meeting, or may submit it via e-mail to the Chair of the Board for presentation at the meeting.


9. Family Support
1. Wives and partners of crossdressers, and their nuclear family members, are considered to be full and equal members of Tri-Ess, with the same privileges and responsibilities as those of crossdressers.
2. The Department of Family Support will be administered by a Manager who is the wife or partner of a crossdresser, and who will be responsible for developing the vision of the Department, recruiting and training staff as appropriate, and processing new ideas for programs and services for wives, partners and family members.
3. The Department shall have the following Divisions:
1. Publications.
2. Spouses' and Partners' International Conference for Education (SPICE).
3. Cyberspace Support.
4. Children's Support.
5. Any other Divisions the Manager deems prudent.
4. The Manager shall report semi-annually to the Board of Governance concerning her Department. She may give her report in person at the Board of Governance meeting, or may submit it via e-mail to the Chair of the Board for presentation at the meeting.



If you feel you might have missed anything feel free to return to the Membership Information section