FORGE

What FORGE is

FORGE is a national transgender anti-violence organization founded in 1994, with an active local presence in Wisconsin and Illinois. The organization's full name is FORGE Forward, and it operates the FORGE Wisconsin project as a hub for support, education, and resource-sharing for transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals alongside their friends, family, and allies. Rather than a direct clinical provider, FORGE maintains directories of trans-informed mental health providers and physicians, offers monthly peer support groups, and provides resources for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. It also runs specialized support for parents of trans youth, separate programming for trans and non-binary teens, and operates a crime victim support service with federal funding.

How FORGE works

The heart of FORGE Wisconsin's public-facing work is its monthly peer support meetings, held in Milwaukee on the third Saturday of every month from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center at 1110 N. Market Street, 2nd floor. Each meeting centers on a pre-determined topic. Sometimes a guest speaker or panel presents; other times the group watches trans-focused films or does small group exercises, and sometimes members generate their own questions and answers as a group. Meetings begin with brief introductions and an ice-breaker, and everyone gets an opportunity to speak, listen, and be heard. The group ends with a closing question, and members frequently continue the conversation over coffee or a meal afterward.

The meetings are open to everyone interested in trans and gender non-binary issues: trans people new to understanding their identity, people well-versed in trans issues, partners, allies, friends, and professionals are all welcome. The group operates under working agreements emphasizing confidentiality and privacy, mutual respect, voluntary participation, and the principle that people are more than their gender identity alone. Members speak from their own experiences rather than discussing others who are not present.

Beyond the monthly meetings, FORGE maintains an extensive referral directory of trans-informed mental health providers and physicians across the region. These directories are searchable and connect individuals to clinicians and health centers that provide care affirming to transgender and gender non-conforming people. The organization also connects patients with specialists and providers outside its network and responds to requests for information and training from individuals and organizations seeking to better serve transgender people.

FORGE also engages in community partnership and cultural work. It partners with the Milwaukee LGBT Film and Video Festival to co-sponsor trans-focused films, co-sponsors the Health and Wellness Area of Milwaukee's PrideFest, hosts special events including author book readings and film screenings, and leads annual commemorative events like Transgender Day of Remembrance. Support groups also exist for parents of trans youth and for trans and non-binary teens, though detailed information about these programs is not published on the main pages.

What the pages show

FORGE identifies itself as having been "supporting trans communities since 1994" and as a "national transgender anti-violence organization." The organization has received federal funding since 2009 to provide direct services to transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender non-binary survivors of sexual assault. Since 2011, FORGE has served as "the only transgender-focused organization federally funded to provide training and technical assistance to providers around the country who work with transgender survivors of sexual assault, domestic and dating violence, and stalking." This role allows the organization to train service providers nationwide on serving sexual violence survivors of all genders.

The leadership team includes Michael Munson, the co-founder and Executive Director, whose background is in psychology with emphasis in trauma and who has done "groundbreaking work on violence against transgender and gender non-conforming individuals." Loree Cook-Daniels is the Policy and Program Director with over forty years of experience in policy analysis and advocacy for LGBT issues, and degrees in Women's Studies, Conflict Management, and a Certificate in Trauma Counseling. Emil Rudicell, Project Coordinator, brings over twenty years of experience in direct service, crisis intervention, and peer counseling from work in DC and Florida.

The provider directories list physicians and health centers across Wisconsin and Illinois, including Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers in Milwaukee, the Inclusion Health Clinic at Froedtert (which provides comprehensive primary care, OB/GYN, HIV specialty care, and hormone therapy), Wingra Family Medical Center in Madison, Lincoln Avenue Health Center in West Allis, Howard Brown Health Center in Chicago, and the Chicago Women's Health Center Trans Greater Access Project. One named provider, Jaqueline Akert, is listed as an RNC (Registered Nurse Clinician), MSN, and APNP (Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner) who prescribes hormones to trans patients over the age of eighteen.

What FORGE does not publish

FORGE does not publish details about its crime victim support services beyond that they exist and are federally funded. Specific eligibility, intake procedures, counseling modalities, or how to access these services are not described on the public pages.

The organization does not specify the specific credentials, license types, or specializations of its network of mental health providers beyond describing them as "trans-informed" or affirming. Readers cannot determine whether providers hold licenses like LCSW, LPC, PsyD, PhD, or MD from the public directory pages.

FORGE does not offer online or telehealth services itself. The monthly support groups are in-person meetings in Milwaukee; people outside the Milwaukee area would need to access them in person or seek alternatives. The provider directory lists referrals but FORGE does not manage or coordinate virtual care.

The organization does not publish pricing for any of its services or specify whether services are free, sliding scale, or covered by insurance. Nothing about costs appears on the public pages.

Specific details about the teens group and parents group (when they meet, where, eligibility, what they cover) are not described on the main pages, only mentioned as existing.

Who it fits and who it does not

FORGE fits trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals in Wisconsin and Illinois, especially those seeking community connection with peers, support in exploring identity, and resources for navigating healthcare. It is particularly relevant for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, given the organization's specialized training and federal funding for victim services. It also serves allies, friends, family members, and professionals seeking to better understand trans issues and gain skills in supporting transgender people.

Parents of trans youth and trans teens themselves have dedicated programming, though details are limited on the public site. People in Milwaukee have direct access to the monthly peer support meetings. People elsewhere in Wisconsin or Illinois can access the provider directory.

FORGE does not directly provide therapy or psychiatry; it connects people to providers and offers peer support groups, not clinical treatment. It is not a telehealth platform or online-only service. People seeking immediate clinical care should look elsewhere. Those outside Wisconsin and Illinois have limited direct access to FORGE's own programming, though the national organization does provide training and technical assistance to providers nationwide.