What is the Butterfly Coalition International?

Mission Statement: To promote awareness and communication among members of the transgender community, by providing a unique identifier we can call our own, and to support the individuals willing to advocate for all our rights.

There have been many successful attempts to bring positive attention to the transgender community.  Unfortunately, we have a long way to go, and many individuals who find themselves part of the transgender community remain hidden because of personal and professional reasons.  Many members of the transgender community live with the fear of discovery; and the harm a few uninformed, misguided, and ignorant souls can cause.  Many transgendered individuals are thus reluctant to make themselves known.  The result is, we may work, befriend, and come into contact on a daily basis with another member of our community, yet never know they are transgendered.

This inability to identify fellow members has made it difficult to reach out, or to be reached by other members.  This is the reason The Butterfly Coalition International has been formed.  This organization was created to promote communication between likeminded groups, individuals, and supporters.  The group wants to develop an icon to let others in the transgender community know we are one.

The butterfly was chosen as the international symbol for the transgender population.  It represents the transformation from what was born into, and what the future holds.  From larva to a butterfly.  Each type of butterfly has its own symbolic marking, as does the transformation butterfly.  Each transgender group also has it’s their own unique colors and markings.  When you see someone wearing the pin with distinct color markings, you can identify what unique group they belong to.  To the uninformed eye they are simply colors on the wings of a butterfly. 

The TBCI butterfly is trademarked and will be exclusive to the transgender community.  It is our symbol and our way of communicating between members. The  butterfly pins are also used to raise money for your group as well as supporting the ongoing lobbying required to support equal rights for us.  We are still looked upon as subclass individuals, and are often discriminated against.  Many brave souls are fighting for our rights and we need to support them.  A percentage of every sale goes for this effort.  Not only are you letting others know you are out there, you are also supporting the legal fight for our civil rights.  Why is assaulting a transgendered individual not a hate crime; but assaulting a person of a different color is a hate crime?  It is my opinion, assaulting anyone of different race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender, is done out of hate !

Raise Money For Your Group.

Each group can select from roughly 2,048 different colors.  Each group can pick their own unique colors, and once colors have been assigned to your group, no other group can use those particular colors.  Those colors are YOUR colors, and when worn, you’ll be wearing the colors of YOUR group and YOUR group only.

The TBCI pins can make a good revenue source for your organizations.  Once a group has selected a desired color, that particular color will be listed in the online store.  When a pin is purchased, $2.00 is donated back to the organization whose colors are ordered.  Groups can also purchase the pins with their colors in volume, and sell them directly to members.  For every pin that is sold online, $1.00 is donated to IFGE – International Foundation for Gender Education.  If your group wishes to support another organization, please provide us with all the necessary information, and the money your organization raises, will be sent to the desired organization. 

This can also be a very effective fund raiser for your organization, but it’s also used as a community outreach program.  By wearing your group’s pin in public, you are identifying informed individuals you are part of an elite group of individuals who are highly misunderstood.

The group can sell TBCI pins directly to members; either the Standard Color Wings or the individual groups colors.  The group will also be listed on the TBCI website, and members can order pins directly from the site.  Every TBCI group pin ordered will have a percentage of the sale donated back to the group.  In addition, part of the proceeds will be donated to the IFGE legal fund.  This enables every pin sold, to sponsor to worthy causes.  Be unique and identify your colors today and start showing your wings !  You will be surprised just how many transgendered individuals there are in the world.