Task Force mourns death of Dr. Biber

[Ian David]

NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE
Press Release

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Roberta Sklar, Communications Director
(Office) 646.358.1465
(Cell) 917.704.6358
[e-mail]

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National Gay and Lesbian Task Force mourns loss of pioneering
surgeon Dr. Stanley Biber

'This is certainly a profound change-moment in our modern
transgender history, a moment separating the great struggles of
the past and the possibilities of a future - a moment Dr. Biber
helped make a reality.' - Marsha Botzer, Task Force board
co-chair

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 - The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
mourns the death of Dr. Stanley Biber, a small-town family
doctor from mining and cattle country who became a pioneer in
the area of gender-reassignment surgery, performing an estimated
5,000 of the life-changing operations over three decades. Dr.
Biber died earlier this week at the age of 82.

Dr. Biber lived on his ranch in Trinidad, a small southern
Colorado city along the Santa Fe Trail. In 1969, a female
acquaintance of Dr. Biber's asked him if he would perform her
gender-reassignment surgery. It was an era when very few
surgeons in North America were performing such operations. Biber
agreed, marking the beginning of a legacy.

Statement by Marsha Botzer, Board Co-Chair
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

"The news of Dr. Biber's death is heartbreaking - I spent many
months visiting and learning from Dr. Biber in the early 1980s,
and have worked with and respected him ever since. He was a man
who brought courage, intelligence and outstanding surgical skill
together in a combination that allowed him to perform the most
delicate surgery in the morning, face any and all questions in
the afternoon, and smile joyfully over a convivial dinner party
in the evening - a Renaissance man in the south of Colorado.

"This is certainly a profound change-moment in our modern
transgender history, a moment separating the great struggles of
the past and the possibilities of a future - a moment Dr. Biber
helped make a reality.

"The Task Force is very proud to be part of both the powerful
history and this exciting future, with our many years of support
for the transgender community and our current Transgender Civil
Rights Project.

"The Task Force honors Dr. Stanley H. Biber. He would certainly
tell us to persevere, to mourn the dead and fight with all our
strength for the living."

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Founded in 1973, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Foundation (the Task Force) was the first national lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights and advocacy
organization and remains the movement's leading voice for
freedom, justice and equality. We work to build the grassroots
political strength of our community by training state and local
activists and leaders, working to strengthen the infrastructure
of state and local allies, and organizing broad-based campaigns
to build public support for complete equality for LGBT people.
Our Policy Institute, the community's premier think tank,
provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle
for complete equality. As part of a broader social justice
movement, we work to create a world that respects and makes
visible the diversity of human expression and identity where all
people may fully participate in society. Headquartered in
Washington, D.C., we also have offices in New York City, Los
Angeles, Cambridge, Mass., and Miami. The Task Force is a
501(c)(3) corporation incorporated in Washington, D.C.
Contributions to the Task Force are tax deductible to the full
extent allowed by law.

Copyright 2005 National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Creating Change(TM) is a trademark of the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force.
All other trademarks mentioned herein belong to their respective
owners.
The Task Force Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3)
organization. Tax ID #52-1624852.
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[xchrom]

1. farewell dr biber

you work helped so many.

[Zenlitened]

2. Condolences to his family and the many "Biber Girls" out there.

Not to mention the surgeons who followed in his pioneering footsteps, and the many TG people they've helped.

A sad loss.

[tonekat]

3. An innovator in the field, making dreams come true

He made several of my friends "complete", and led the way for increasingly sophisticated standards of surgery.

[UncleSepp]

4. Goodbye and good luck, Dr. Biber

You've helped so many. Kind thoughts to Dr. Marci Bowers also, who has lost a friend and mentor.

[Ally McLesbian]

5. He'll be missed...

And there are now so many good (and a few not-so-good) surgeons carrying on his legacy...