International Transgender Conference Expected to Draw 1000 Participants To Seattle August 4-7, Attendees Include Professionals, Activists and Families
Seattle, WA (PRWEB) August 02, 2016 -- Gender Odyssey, an international conference focused on the needs and interests of transgender and gender-nonconforming (GNC) people, will be held in Seattle, WA from August 4-7, 2016.
This year marks the 15th year for the gathering. Gender Odyssey’s primary objective is to offer tools to navigate obstacles and provide pathways to individual and community empowerment, with conference tracks for professionals, families and trans people of all ages.
The keynote addresses and select programs and presentations will be available via live streaming on Facebook and after at: https://www.facebook.com/genderodyssey
Throughout the conference staff and participants will be tweeting with the hashtags #GenderOdyssey #trans and #transgender from @genderodyssey as well as other tags and hashtags identifying presenters, speakers and topics.
“We are looking forward to gathering at an extraordinary time of visibility and challenge for transgender communities, their families and allies,” said Aidan Key, Gender Odyssey’s founder. “The first Gender Odyssey conference was held in Seattle during the spring of 2001, and with support of dedicated volunteers and participants, has evolved into an event beyond our greatest expectations,” continued Key.
“At a time when we see increasing visibility for transgender people that is coupled with a troubling increase in strategic attacks on the LGBT community scapegoating trans people, the safe space and resources this conference offers are more important than ever,” said Key.
Gender Odyssey will again offer scores of workshops, a screening of the award winning film MAJOR!, several receptions, performances and the opportunity to network, learn and create community.
The stand-alone conference for families with gender diverse and transgender children, “Gender Odyssey Family,” will again be a cornerstone of the weekend. With three days of workshops, a day camp for kids and complete teen program, this annual family conference is one of few places in where children, teens, with their families can get the information and support they need to live happy, healthy and fulfilled lives.
In addition, Gender Odyssey’s recently expanded conference for professionals and students, “GO Professional,” will include sessions covering best practices for therapists, current medical protocols, legal considerations, and a full programming track for educators including model school policies for gender variant students.
This year’s keynote speakers will be Geena Rocero and Dr. Madeline Deutsch.
Rocero is a Filipina model and founder of Gender Proud, an advocacy and aid organization that stands up for the right of transgender people worldwide to “self-identify with the fewest possible barriers.” Rocero came out as transgender while giving a TED talk, which has since received 2.8 million views.
Deutsch, an MD, MPH, is an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Family & Community Medicine at UCSF. She is the Director of Clinical Services at the UCSF Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, with her clinic based at UCSF Women’s Health Primary Care, in partnership with the National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. Dr. Deutsch has been involved in a number of research and capacity building projects focused on transgender health.
For more information about and specific info about programming, go to:
Families & Children - http://www.genderodysseyfamily.org/
Professionals - http://www.genderdiversity.org/gopro/
Community - http://www.genderodyssey.org/
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Contact:
Cathy Renna, cathy(at)targetcue(dot)com, 917-757-6123
Cathy Renna, Target Cue, http://targetcue.com, +1 (917) 757-6123, [email protected]
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