This collection is a gathering of material that reflects the history of the local transgender community. A majority of the material belonged to Winnie Brandt, the former President of the Transgender Independence Club, also known as TGIC. Brandt, along with other transgender community members, produced as well as collected a large number of local, regional, and national publications. The TGIC and TVIC were two local transgender groups based in Albany New York. TGIC was founded in 1971, and at the time was the only membership organization in the Albany area for transgender people where enrollment stayed confidential. TGIC held weekly social gatherings for transgender people to socialize with other transgender people or partake in discussion about issues affecting the transgender community. Unfortunately the club was disbanded in the early 2000s due to much conflict within the group. A group similar to TGIC was the Albany Gender Project, founded in 2001 by Susan Poe and Helen Farrell. The project worked to improve the conditions for transgender people in the Capital Region as well as promote and advocate educational services for them. The Albany Gender Project also hosted bimonthly meetings where members held forums, listened to guest speakers, and were connected to the social services they needed.

For the transgender community, this collection shows "how we've been a real community with a collective life and traditions and continuity. It shows what our issues have been, what we keep rehashing, what works, what doesn't, and who the personalities have been and how they've helped the community." (Taken from the final issue of Trannies in Love).