Intensive Descriptions -- FORGE Forward 2007 Conference

Gender identity emerges at a far earlier age than sexuality. As a result, transgender identity may assert itself at a much earlier age than any form of sexual orientation. Using a model of identity emergence, this intensive will focus on the various issues faced by transgender children and their families. In addition, we will discuss the ramifications for other aspects of a child/adolescent’s life – school, faith community, social environment, etc.

This session will outline the scope of the HIV epidemic and the mechanisms of transmission, assist participants in personalizing HIV/AIDS, and discuss their fears and concerns about infection and about safer sex. Presenters will affirm safer sex practices and the reduction of risk in using injection paraphernalia. In this session, participants will practice use of barrier methods and the negotiation of safety. While group and small group discussions will be augmented by role plays, development of individualized prevention plans, consideration of community empowerment, and common methods of accessing testing. Participants who work with (other) transgender people in mental health programs will additionally consider methods of introducing and supporting HIV prevention in their practices.

This day-long seminar is suitable for those people who work with or on behalf of survivors of sexual, domestic, or hate violence. Diana Courvant, the first researcher in North America to focus on serving this specific population has 14 years experience working with over 3,000 advocates. She will build on skills already possessed by experienced advocates, enabling even those least familiar with trans people to work confidently and effectively. By sharing wisdom and solutions to common problems, Diana will prepare attendees to work within or reevaluate the policies of their own agencies. Upon completing the seminar, attendees will know how to serve trans survivors in gender-segregated service agencies with the most effectiveness and integrity, without compromising mission, funder relationships, or effective,
compassionate support for non-trans survivors. Participants are encouraged to bring copies of policies or anecdotes from agencies where they work or volunteer. Role-plays can be customized to give participants practical experience improvising
respectfully and well within the limits of the
organizations they love. Specific question and answer sessions will be held at the end of each section with a general Q&A at the end of the day.

will concentrate on the crossroads between spirituality and creativity. We'll explore life-affirming ways to express both of those through music, rhythm and dance, prose and poetry, and creating our own prayer beads with individualized prayers. We'll also explore the historic and mythic archetypes of our transgendered ancestors and their loved ones, and discuss living our lives as sacred pathways. Folks of all spiritual paths are welcome. If you have them, bring drums and rhythm instruments for the drum circle, and poetry or short prose about your trans and/or spiritual experiences for the poetry slam later in the evening.

Friday, March 30, 2007

This interactive workshop will be conducted by members of the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, an innovative legal collective in New York City focused on justice for trans, intersex and gender non-conforming people. SRLP is a collective organization founded on the understanding that gender self-determination is inextricably intertwined with racial, social and economic justice. Therefore, we seek to increase the political voice and visibility of low-income people of color who are transgender, intersex, or gender non-conforming. SRLP works to improve access to respectful and affirming social, health, and legal services for our communities. We believe that in order to create meaningful political participation and leadership, we must have access to basic means of survival and safety from violence.

Members of SRLP will work with workshop participants on activities structured to help us think about several key themes: 1) how is racism often built into the structures of social justice movements, and how do we build structures for gender liberation work that has a deep commitment and lived practice of anti-racism? 2) how do we bridge cultural and community conversations between transwomen's communities and transmasculine communities to find common ground, address common misunderstandings, and move past hierarchizing our experiences of oppression? 3) how do we build organizations that focus on the needs of the most vulnerable people in our communities: prisoners, immigrants, poor people, youth, people of color? 4) how do different kinds of work such as law and policy reform, base-building organizing, media and public education work, and fundraising work fit together in social movements? how do we prioritize these different strategies, what keeps people pursuing these different strategies from working together more? how can that change? 5) what key issues in gender oppression are going under-addressed in current US trans activism? how can we change that context? 6) how do we envision the world we want to live in, rather than just reacting to the constant attacks on our communities? 7) how do we connect gender liberation work with important social movements against racism, for immigrant rights, for workers' rights, against imperialism, and for women's liberation?

Dean Spade and others from Sylvia Rivera Law Project

This Intensive will be an exploration of participants’ experiences with the language they use to talk about their gender experience, the longings in their lives, and their search and successes in finding legitimacy. Language is a powerful force in our lives. Finding the language that accurately describes our gender experiences can be difficult. Longing is a natural part of life. Giving voice to those longings can be a compelling way to find the means to fulfill them. Legitimacy is something many of us strive for in our families, in our communities, and in the world-at-large. Sharing experiences of striving for and achieving legitimacy can help empower others to take risks to find their own. Come to this Intensive and share, learn, be heard, and leave feeling empowered.

This intensive is designed to acquaint the mental health professional with information regarding the diverse needs of the FTM community. The intensive will begin with basic information about the FTM community, including basics for assisting an FTM through the transition process. We will address the dissonance between mainstream cultural perceptions of trans identity and the lived experience of those who identify as trans. Though not the primary focus of the intensive, time will be devoted to understanding the MTF experience.

This intensive is built on the idea of femme as a gender identity that exists independently of (although it may inform/be informed by) sex, sex identification, or biology. We will come together to talk and learn about issues of community, partnership, and ally-ship, as well as individual

identity and combatting misogyny inside and outside of the queer community. This workshop takes a genderphilic approach to femme, embraces multiple modes and forms of femme genderedness, and seeks to find commonalities and

9. Breaking Isolation, Building Community: A Gathering for Disabled and Deaf Trans People and Our Allies

Disabled and Deaf trans people often live in great isolation, rarely getting an opportunity to talk openly and in depth about our experiences of being trans and disabled--whether our impairments are physical, cognitive, learning, or psychiatric. Come join us for a day long gathering of conversation and connection about our lives. We could talk about our disabilities, the endless struggle for accessibility, our gender(s) and how gender intersects with our disabled bodies. We could have conversation about how we feel; the range of our emotional lives; our frustrations, joy, shame, pride, and internalized hatred. We could share our experiences as lovers, parents, friends, and family members. We could celebrate our tenacity, survival, and the victories of every self-determined moment--the topics are endless.

This gathering will be facilitated, but the agenda for the day will be set by the participants. Come ready to talk and listen, connect and break our isolation. To help create safety, we will be closing the gathering to new participants after lunch.

Contact us!

Intensive descriptions

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Friday, March 30, 2007