TG Conference Draws Thousands
Last week one of the largest transgender gatherings in the United States that you may have never hear of took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. If you read The Week In Transgenderism last week you know it was the 13th Annual Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference. The Conference kicked off on Thursday, June 12 and ran through Saturday. While it admittedly did not take up the the entire Philadelphia Convention Center, which is a very large building, it took up one entire wing of that facility. There were over 250 workshops, activities and social events scheduled, and attendance over the three days was expected to reach near 3000.
Program topics ranged from health issues for TGs to education, legal issues, employment, housing, and social support. In fact the Conference has practically outgrown its name since it has become far more than a conference on trans health. We remarked on that to one of the Conference presenters, Dr. Michele Angello, the noted specialist on trans children’ issues and occasional contributor to TGF, and she said, “It’s Trans-Life. The Philly Trans-Life community.”
Dr. Angello at the Conference.
Dr. Angello went on, “Every year the conference gets bigger and typically better. I love the fact that there is a behavioral health track, a legal track and a medical track this year as well as the whole community track, which is always awesome.”
One attendee named Cyana told us, I’m amazed how many people came to the conference. This is my first time and it’s awesome.”
When asked what impressed her the most about the event Cyana said, “All the young people. There’s such a difference between when I went to school in the dark ages and how it is now. How the world has changed. It’s a way more open society we’re living in.”
Dr. Maureen Osbourne, a Philadelphia area psychologist and former contributor to TGF, made this comment, “I’m going to only the sessions focused on trans people from other countries. The two that I’ve been to so far, Africa and Ukraine/Kazakstan . . . I can say we’re really lucky to be in the United States, as shitty as you may think it is for trans people (in the U.S.) it does not even compare. They’re like the U.S. was twenty five years ago. It’s really mind boggling to be reminded of what it was like.”
If you think back to Cyana’s “dark ages” of twenty five or more years ago you would realize that what could be seen at the Conference would have never been seen at that time. Those where the years when crossdressers had to go to mountain resorts for secluded weekends of dressing up. Here at the Trans-Health Conference trans people and their allies were making their way around the Convention Center hallways, and among those represented were the young (children with their parents), the old, and the in between. Gender identities ranged from transmen to transwomen. Crossdressers to gender-queer, and gender-variant to gender-fluid and the differently gendered. Attire ran the gamut from conservative daytime casual looks to alternative leather and vinyl gear, with a few showgirl looks and Kardashian wannabes tossed into the mix. Much of the bare skin visible was covered in tattoos. Trans men rocked suits and ties or did more casual jeans and t-shirt looks. There were several trans attendees who were differently abled and parents of trans children were also among those present.
We asked an attendee name Lilia what she was getting from the event. She said, “A broader view of the community.”
Janet Mock
When asked if she thought that the diverse, multi-gendered, multi cultural attendees were interacting with one another she replied, “Hopefully. I’m going to go to a ‘Can We All Fit Under the Umbrella’ talk next and just sort of see where that conversation goes.”
The Trans-Health Conference began in 2002 when a group of trans activists in Philadelphia got the use of the Friend’s Meeting House in the Old City section to hold an event designed to educate trans people about their special health care needs. In 2006 organizing of the event was taken over by Mazzoni Center, an organization that had worked with the Conference since its beginning. Mazzoni Center has provided quality comprehensive health and wellness services to the LGBT community in Philadelphia since 1979. They are the oldest AIDS service organization in Pennsylvania and the fourth-oldest in the U.S.
The amazing thing about the Trans-Health Conference is that it’s free. Corporate sponsors, lined up by Mazzoni Center, fund the event. Healthcare professionals seeking continuing education credits do pay, as those credits count toward maintaining their licenses and professional standing. The credits were offered as part of a special two-day course for experienced medical providers and students of medical professions with the goal of educating them on providing better trans affirming care to their patients.
The opening day keynote address was delivered by trans activist and author Janet Mock.
Friday’s keynote address was given by Harper Jean Tobin, Esq., the Director of Policy at the National Center for Transgender Equality.
For more information on the Trans-Health Conference visit the Conference Website. For more information on Mazzoni Center visit their website.
Category: Transgender Community News
About the Author (Author Profile)
Angela Gardner is a founding member of The Renaissance Transgender Assoc., Inc., former editor of its newsletter and magazine, Transgender Community News. She was the Diva of Dish for TGF in the late 1990s and Editor of LadyLike magazine until its untimely demise. She has appeared in film and television shows portraying TG characters, as well as representing Renaissance on numerous talk shows.Subscribe
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