TRANSforming Gender 2007

Conference on Transgender Activism

University of Colorado Boulder

October 10, 2007

10am - 5pm

Dennis Small Cultural Center, University Memorial Center Rm 457

5:15 - 9 p.m.

UMC Second Floor Senior Dedication Lounge

For a campus map, click here.

Matt Kailey: 10am-11:15am

Accidental Activism for Everyday People
Anyone can be an activist. In fact, if you're reading this, you're probably already an activist and you might not even know it. You don't have to be a political figure, a public speaker, or a published author to be an activist – it's the guts, rather than the glory, that really counts. Denver author, speaker, and trans activist Matt Kailey will discuss "accidental" and intentional activism for everyday people, and audience members can share their own stories of activism.

Matt Kailey is a Colorado based author, trainer, workshop facilitator, and keynote speaker focusing on issues of gender and sexuality. His current book, Just AddHormones: An Insider's Guide to the Transsexual Experience (Beacon Press, 2005) was a 2006 Lambda Literary Award finalist and has been a selection for many book discussion groups.

Julia Serano: 11:30am-12:45pm

Transsexual and Trans Feminine Perspectives on Sexism
This workshop will focus in depth on two forms of sexism that specifically target subsets within the transgender population: cissexism (the institutionalized belief that transsexual genders are less legitimate than non-transsexual genders) and trans-misogyny (anti-trans sentiment that specifically targets folks on the trans female/trans feminine spectrum). We will discuss the ways in which cissexism and trans-misogyny both differ and intersect with other forms of sexism, and how their existence potentially challenges taken for granted assumptions in transgender, queer and feminist theory. 

Julia Serano is an Oakland, California-based writer, spoken word performer,trans activist, and biologist. Julia is the author of Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity a collection of personal essays that examines the ways in which misogyny frames many popular stereotypes and assumptions about transsexual women. 

Dylan Scholinski: 2pm-3:15pm

Dylan Scholinski, resides in Denver and is a distinguished artist,author, and public speaker ("The Last Time I Wore a Dress: A Memoir published by Penguin/Putnam). Dylan has appeared on 20/20, Dateline and Today to discuss his experiences and has been featured in a variety of newspapers and magazines. His work not only portrays the anguish of his hospital years but also his ultimate triumph.

Helen Boyd: 3:30pm-4:45pm

Queer Heterosexuals, Emerging Identities
Helen Boyd will speak about being the partner of a trans person and the way new, queer identities are emerging as a result of trans relationships. Too often, trans relationships are expected to fit the models of "same sex" and "opposite sex" orientations, but gender exploration and non-binary identities make those choices limiting and inaccurate. For partners of trans people in particular, personal identity can be obscured by the trans person's gender and identity, causing concerns about community, belonging, and visibility.

Helen Boyd is a New York-based writer, blogger, speaker, activist and queer/transgender ally. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book "My Husband Betty,"  and her latest book "She's Not the Man I Married." Both books explore the worlds of crossdressers and trans women from the perspective of someone who is the intimate partner of a transperson.

PANEL DISCUSSION AND BOOK SIGNING

5:15-6:30pm, UMC Senior Dedication Lounge

MOVIE SCREENING and Discussion "Call Me Malcolm" 6:30-9pm
UMC Senior Dedication Lounge

"Call Me Malcolm" is a documentary feature about one man's struggle with faith, love and gender identity.

Sponsored by University of Colorado at Boulder's GLBT Resource Center, Women's Resource Center, LGBT Certificate Program, Women and Gender Studies, Greek Life, Department of History, Stop Hate on Campus (SHOC), PRISM (Progressive Radically Inclusive Student Ministry) and the Open Door Fund, a permanent endowment of The Community Foundation serving Boulder County.