Barry Michael Wolfe, a Scottish lawyer and long-time resident of São Paulo, Brazil, has been working to establish a non-profit human rights organization to protect the rights of transgender people and especially the "travestis" (as transvestites are known in Brazil) who work the streets of São Paulo.
Barry is also a photographer, and his organization, SOS Dignity, began as a photography project. He took photographs of the many travestis he knew, and gave them as gifts. These people were so pleased with his work that they shared the photos with their families, something they had not been inclined to do before. Barry became loved and trusted in the travesti community, and soon had a strong desire to be of help with problems ranging from discrimination to legal to health and beyond.
His web site can easily be found by Googling SOS Dignity. He is also starting up a blog, and is looking for transgender people around the world to share, anonymously or not, any stories they have to tell about discrimination, abuse, health issues, etc. There is a contact form on his site for anyone who wants to get in touch with Barry.
Although his work has been in Brazil up to this point, he's interested in spreading the word and in finding support worldwide to keep the project going. SOS Dignity will soon be established as a Charity in the United Kingdom.
