To coincide with the celebration of International Day of Transgender Visibility, activist and model Geena Rocero today launched her new a global awareness campaign, Gender Proud, which calls attention to the fact that there are only 8 countries where transgender individuals are able to change their gender marker without having to first undergo surgery. In addition, her recent TED talk, which garnered an immediate standing ovation and praise, goes live on the TED site at 11am EST.

‘I want people to realize that while gender identity is core to our being, sometimes our gender assignment doesn’t match. There should be space to self-identify,’ says Geena.

In the months ahead, Gender Proud will work alongside the ground-breaking LGBT justice organization AllOut to target countries where gender marker legislation is at a ‘tipping point’.

As it launches, Gender Proud has initiated a petition on Change.org (www.change.org/genderproud) that seeks to bring awareness to the issue at a broader level; simultaneously, an IndieGogo campaign will raise money for a national speaking tour by Rocero about the organization and the need for all transgender people to self-identify with the fewest possible barriers. The campaign will feature donation perks including a limited edition t-shirt designed by world-renown street artist Seizer One, and limited edition prints from award-winning Russian visual artist Uldus.