TGC 2020 Schedule

This space for teens aged 14-19 is designed to create a community space for trans, genderqueer and gender non-conforming teens to connect with each other, share resources, and debrief thoughts, feelings and ideas sparked by conference sessions within a supportive context. Expect to meet new friends, find buddies to attend conference sessions with, connect with supportive adults and have space for downtime and play. This space is only for trans, genderqueer and gender non-conforming teens aged 14-19. The room will be open all day but will have facilitators from 10-11:15 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and 5-6:15 p.m. on Saturday. Facilitators will be taking students to lunch (12:45-2 p.m.) both days.

This space will be available from 10 a.m. Saturday through 3 p.m. on Sunday and is for folks who want a moment to collect themselves, to think, to process, to chat with others and generally relax.

Come donate your old clothes and get some new, gender-affirming ones! We’ll be accepting donations all weekend long, so please bring in clothes a step above casual, including binders and shapewear, dresses, skirts, ties, accessories, formalwear and other clothing items. Then, feel free to shop around for free clothes in a safe, affirming environment! Cisgender allies are welcome to participate.

Please visit the information tables of these local organizations on the second and third floors throughout the weekend.

• Queer Asterisk Therapeutic Services
• Out Boulder County
• Denver Health
• YouthSeen
• #QueerTheCensus
• Dylan Edwards (artist)
• Center for Inclusion and Social Change 

Colorado Fingerprinting will be available from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. in 327J to do electronic fingerprinting for name changes. The cost will be $74.50 and they will be accepting cash or card. Note: there will also be a presentation by the Colorado Name Change Project from 11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m. in room 204.

Changed your name or your address recently? Make sure to register to vote at New Era’s table from 9-11:45 a.m. on the second floor.

Every year Out Boulder County’s Trans Steering & Events Committee (TSEC) hosts a social for attendees and presenters of TGC at our Pridehouse. This is a safe(r), sober space for folks to gather and connect. TGC draws people from all over the West and the country, and our local trans community is happy to welcome folks in a casual atmosphere to congregate and socialize. Join us for a free dinner and general merriment. Saturday, March 14, 7-9 p.m. at the (new) OBC Pridehouse (1443 Spruce St., Boulder). Please RSVP here.

Boulder County AIDS Project will be doing free HIV and Hepatitis screenings in room 327J all day, and also in room 300 starting at 11:30 a.m. Free sexual health information and safe sex supplies will also be available at their table.

How can we re-envision our support structures so that they best reflect our unique way of being in the world? How can communities run according to trans sensibilities (such as fluidity, multiplicity, self-direction and innovation) create particular types of safety, intimacy and growth? Members of Phoenix, Colorado’s Trans Community Choir will talk about their unique non-traditional organizational model (collaborative, egalitarian, organic, homegrown) and share the personal impact on members of belonging to an organization run in this way. Participants will experience for themselves the safety, intimacy, and growth that can be fostered by such a model.

Trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people who are also dis/abled, crip, mad and/or sick have unique experiences with gender and sexuality which are too often marginalized and erased. Many of us struggle to access belonging in trans communities and spaces that reproduce ableism and sanism. This session will offer a generative space for participants to examine the intersections of disability and (trans)gender experience with a particular focus on integrating disability justice into trans communities. The intent of this space is for participants to collectively understand, reflect on, and transform ableism, especially as it impacts trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people.

This session has been canceled.

In this session presenters Hana and Rowen will co-create an environment for medical/mental health care providers to reflect on and unlearn negative assumptions/biases related to providing care for transgender and/or gender diverse patients. Participants will be led through reflective, skill-building and visioning activities to help them deconstruct and decolonize the provider-patient hierarchical relationship. Participants will explore how to partner in mutually informed collaboration (the informed consent model) to empower both the individual patient and their community’s holistic wellbeing. This session will enable providers to utilize the informed consent model to practice care safely, responsibly and confidently while giving the patient greater ownership over their own physical and mental well being. This panel is intended for medical and mental health care professionals.

Come learn about the latest research on the effects of HRT on fertility, birth control options and basic information on fertility options for trans people who want to conceive. Basic information will be presented on each of these topics in a trans-centered and accessible manner with ample time for questions. You do not need to have specific background in biology or healthcare to attend this presentation. Arin is a trans and nonbinary person currently employed as a reproductive health care provider and who has done research on fertility outcomes for trans individuals. They are passionate about trans- and queer-inclusive health care and making information accessible so that everyone can make informed decisions about their bodies.

Nonbinary individuals are often misunderstood, which can lead to feelings of invalidation and invisibility. The more aware and experienced mental health providers there are available to the nonbinary population, the more likely these individuals will find the support and encouragement they so very much need and deserve. Increase your confidence in your sessions with this population as we explore: the definition of “nonbinary,” nonbinary gender identities (as well as gender expression and presentation), nonbinary transition options, creating a more inclusive and affirming environment for your nonbinary clients, and best practices for working with nonbinary clients. We’ll also define what it means to be “nonbinary competent” as a therapist and assess where your current skills fall on the awareness continuum.

Local (Denver-area) plastic and reconstructive surgeon Paul M. Steinwald, MD has been performing “top surgery” chest masculinization for trans men from ages 14 to 64 for almost 20 years, and indeed is a pioneer at the inverted-T/nipple-attached technique for chests of almost all sizes. He is also well-versed in alternate techniques, and has many examples of his evolving work utilizing these methods. Please join us for a history of his experience, and dozens of “before-and-after” examples of these techniques, as well as the relative pros and cons of each. Plenty of time will also be allotted for questions and answers at the end.

Voice and other speech/language/communication behaviors are often factors in perception of gender. Individuals may elect to change their communication style to express their gender. This workshop will include: characteristics typically associated with feminine and masculine voice and communication; overview of voice modification options, including audio samples; interactive demonstration of voice assessment tasks and voice training techniques, including possible training features for feminine, masculine and gender-neutral voice; education regarding community and online resources for vocal health and voice training.

Not all transitions are the same. Not all of us knew since childhood that we were trans/enby/genderqueer. Without a guiding narrative for how we got to this point, how do we look at our present to form a future of hope? In particular, what are the practical matters (name change, surgery, HRT, coming out to a spouse/SO, etc.) we have to consider and HOW do we navigate them in a way that’s authentic to who we are and where we are in our lives? The presenter, Bethany Beeler, is the author of “How to NOT Know You’re Trans: A Memoir.” She began her transition at the tender age of 54 and has since undergone HRT, surgery, the complete transformation of her marriage of 33 years and several wardrobe changes. Join her for a nuts-and-bolts, to-the-heart approach to transitioning, suitable not only for those contemplating or in the midst of transitioning but also spouses/SOs/loved ones.

In an overtly cissexist society, it is understandable that people who are the recipients of transphobic questioning would look for ways to validate their gender identities. In recent decades, one of the ways that transgender scholars have found to do this is to direct their attention to other, typically non-Western societies in which the gender system is not structured in binary opposition. While potentially useful to those within and beyond Western transgender and nonbinary communities, these tactics speak to a Western-centric misunderstanding of non-Western gender systems and identity categories. This presentation will take a comparative historical analysis approach to explore the differences between the formation of trans and nonbinary identities in the U.S. and the formation of gender and sexuality diverse categories in parts of Southeast Asia.

This series for teens aged 14-19 is designed to create a community space for trans, genderqueer and gender non-conforming teens to connect with each other, share resources and debrief thoughts, feelings, and ideas sparked by conference sessions within a supportive context. Expect to meet new friends, find buddies to attend conference sessions with, connect with supportive adults and have space for downtime and play. This series is only for trans, genderqueer and gender non-conforming teens aged 14-19.

Come learn how to file your name change petition in Colorado, as well as correct your gender marker on both state and federal identity documents. The workshop is led by an attorney who can answer your questions and guide you through the process. Note: Colorado Fingerprinting will be available from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. in 327J (3rd floor) to do electronic fingerprinting for name changes. The cost will be $74.50 and they will be accepting cash or card.

Our identities make all of us unique individuals, as cliché as it sounds, it is true! These identities configure how we will navigate in this predominantly cis, hetero-normative, colorist and ablest world. The experiences we make or endure provide an additional layer to our character which evolves as we proceed through life. We often place a big emphasis on this idea of community, but oftentimes this term is romanticized; neglecting the hierarchies that still exist within our niche communities whether that be communities of gender, sexuality, race/ ethnicity or even radical organizing. Despite these hierarchies and systems of power within our communities we are all still oppressed by historical systems of oppression that favor cis, hetero-normative, white and able-bodied people, additionally the constraints of the capitalist system solidify a person’s place within this hierarchy. The question is how we can reconcile our differences while being resistant; this workshop will consist of an asset map-making session which spurs the opportunity for individuals to bring forth their experiences and concerns, both negative and positive with the queer and trans community for the purpose of initiating change, collaboration and community learning for the intended purpose of providing the foundation for stronger communities.

What does it mean to perform? Trans people have to navigate different presentations of their identities on a daily basis, and improv is a unique space where individuals explore personality through physicality. In this session, Late Notice Improv, CU Boulder’s only improv team of all women and nonbinary performers, will guide attendees through the basics of improv comedy with interactive activities and exercises. The session will also relate how improv can be an empowering and fun practice for trans people. Improv offers trans people a space to exercise freedom in how they embody themselves and their gender expression. Improv also allows performers to experiment with different identities and fosters confidence in social settings off-stage.

This session aims to provide an overview of evidence-based guidelines and approach to medical and surgical gender transition for trangender and nonbinary individuals, including youth and families. It will be targeted toward community members with ample time for questions, though anyone is welcome to attend.

Dance and movement class to free the soul, the physical body and the spirit from the binary. Learn basic balance and postural skills. Basic follow, lead and switch skills in a body-positive empowering dance space. Basic ballet position and arm placement. Dancing in your own body. Explore movement and dance in a empowering trans-positive setting. Bring your water. Wear comfortable clothing. Please let instructor know if you may have limitation before class. All ability levels welcome

As we navigate our allyship and advocacy journey, mistakes will inevitably be made and being held accountable must be expected as well. We all have complex identities that appear in different ways. Our privileged ones can sometimes move us to engage in problematic behaviors. In this session, we will explore the ways in which allies’ intentions can be well meaning, but hurtful on impact. This will be a hybrid presentation/discussion, with audience participation highly encouraged.

Have you noticed the rise of woke ads over the last few years? Colin Kaepernick and Nike, Gillette’s superbowl ad tackling toxic masculinity, Pepsi’s generic protest share-a-soda-with-a-cop ad or the participation of virtually every company in Pride month ad campaigns? Do you ever wonder about what this all might mean for the social movements they align themselves with and the people involved? Do you worry that corporate social responsibility may not be as wholesome or effective as corporations say it is? Is the triple bottom line even a real thing? Join us for a presentation and discussion about all this capitalist nonesense and much more!

This session has been canceled.

The sport environment that transgender and intersex athletes must compete in is drenched in cisgender privilege and genderphobia. This kind hostile environment creates an advantage for cisgender athletes. The history of discrimination and mistreatment of intersex and transgender athletes is based on questionable science and gender binary social norms. We need to name the real harm to transgender and intersex athletes and celebrate their participation and contribution in sport and athletics.

This performance harnesses political poetic storytelling with elements of spoken word and theatre. Informed by hip-hop and the jazz aesthetic, Kay intimately strips down pretense and engages love and an examination of the world. Kay aims to question notions of desirability, single-issue identity, ableism and what exactly is mainstream normal. Themes explored during this performance keynote include intersecting identities in struggle with racism, misogyny, cissexism, migration, death/loss, disability and, of course, queer love. How do competition and respectability politics impose oppression and instead, how do we uplift our whole lives to joy beyond resilience? How do we embrace a politic that doesn’t isolate or accommodate, but engages everyday movements to show up for those who are affected? This keynote will relay tangible perspectives on ableism as it relates to other isms on a nationwide level from K’s perspectives in disability justice organizing to facilitations and campus performances offered to over 50+ campuses nationwide.

This session will explore the complicated presence of collective and interpersonal trauma among transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming experience. Drawing from my larger doctoral research project, I will introduce participants to my theory of “ordinary trauma” and facilitate a guided conversation about how ordinary trauma manifests among trans folks and other gender deviants. The purpose of this session is to generate a space in which participants can together reimagine dominant understandings of trauma that so often neglect our lived experiences of harm as people who move across or outside of the gender binary.

Learn about the intersections of identity, sexuality and American history. Learn about the intersections of identities and the impacts to the the lives of those marginalized by oppressive societal norms, and understand how your own personal behaviors and hidden biases perpetuate the workings of an unjust society. We will learn tools necessary to begin the journey of decolonization.

This presentation will discuss the distinct consequences of conditional support on trans and gender-expansive people. Conditional support can take many forms when it comes to living authentically. One common example is of parents and guardians who support their child’s social transition but will not support them undergoing hormone replacement therapy or surgery. Conditional support for trans and gender-expansive people may also arise when seeking health care, with some medical providers expressing disapproval all the while allowing the individual to move forward with their desired medical transition. Some may interact with counsellors who purport to be gender-affirmative and trans-friendly but who fail to fully understand and respond to the unique needs of these individuals. Although common, the suffering experienced due to conditional support often lies unacknowledged. By discussing the impacts of conditional support, this presentation hopes to give a voice to the heretofore unspoken pain it elicits and delineate how we, as a community, can move the discussion of conditional support forward.

This session has been canceled.

oSTEM @ CU Boulder will host a panel that covers a variety of experiences of being trans in the STEM fields and the unique challenges it presents. oSTEM will then present on several projects that aim to address these challenges.

Love, romance and sex can be filled with dysphoria, pain and isolation for trans masculine people on the journey to body acceptance. The outdated notions of masculinity plague how we love ourselves and show love for others. The complexities of race, orientation and gender expression also dictate how we offer love and accept it in return. Translating our needs, wants and desires to our partners can be nerve wrecking to say the least. Will they understand? Are they in love with me or the butch/stud/ag/dom they met years ago? Why is this so hard? Communication is key! The confidence to communicate our desires and be steadfast in our needs is the lock that must be open. To redefine ourselves we must lose the shackles of what love and intimacy has looked like for our communities.

This workshop aims to provide participants with a framework for developing an intersectional educational program focused on transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people. Subjects discussed will include how to go about creating a new training, best practices and tips for facilitators.

Transphobia is often justified by the argument that biological sex exists as a consistent and universal binary. These claims are rooted in misunderstandings of the true diversity and complexity of biological sex in humans and across species. My workshop will bring together evolutionary biology, human development and gender studies to discuss biological sex, gender and self- identification within a cultural context. I will provide an overview of the complexity of biological sex, including the role of gametes, chromosomal variation and sex differentiation during development. I will discuss how the medicalized shame towards transgender and intersex people has affected both individuals within these communities and the larger cultural perception of them. I will conclude the workshop with a reflection on how my own positionality and life experience motivates this work, and provide time for questions, feedback and the opportunity for audience members to share personal stories. This presentation will include clinical terminology for body parts, some conversation about sex, non-specific mention of intersex surgeries and discussions of the effects of classism, racism, sexism, transphobia, dysphoria and ableism.

How do you keep track of all the “stuff” you need to keep track of during your transition? How do you organize the legal documents, professional letters, insurance information and everything else you need during transition? What do you actually need to keep? What tricks and tips can someone use to organize all the stuff that comes with transition? What if you have executive functioning difficulties, how can you manage this?

This session has been canceled.

Nicole Garcia is the pastor for mission development at Westview Church in Boulder. She is also a licensed professional counselor practicing as a therapist and clinical supervisor at the Umbrella Collective. Nicole will have an open and honest discussion about the trials, tribulations and joy of being a pastor in a mainline Protestant denomination. She will also talk about how she is able to use her progressive Lutheran theology to counter the harmful conservative faction of “the church.”

This presentation will offer inspiration and guidance to attendees as to how to provide more inclusive and respectful care to their gender questioning, transgender and nonbinary clients. This includes going over the basics of what it means to be transgender/nonbinary, perspectives to enhance compassion and understanding for this clientele, suggestions as to how to create a more trans-affirming environment, and advice around how to handle the early stages of a client’s gender exploration.

This session has been canceled.

“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” Is this old adage true? Why do some of the people who have gone through struggles become better people? Why does change challenge us and force a perspective change? Come explore how gender transition can and often is a vehicle for psychological and spiritual growth. Learn what elements need to be in place for us to find meaning in our experiences and transform what feels like the end of our world to being the spark that gives us renewed hope and the ability to thrive. This focuses specifically on the experiences of those experiencing gender transition, but it is applicable to family and friends as well.

Stories are powerful, and we can recreate ourselves through them. Come and punk your story! Crafting our stories with choice and agency is a personal and political act of taking up space and co-creating space for ourselves. This process is embodied, playful and sense-based. You will be invited to shape aspects of your own experiences into a meaningful story concept during this workshop. And consider how and when you want to share this story with others.

A discussion around navigating the gym, queering fitness and creating a more inclusive and accessible environment in fitness. This session will talk about how to navigate gender, how to find support systems in fitness communities, and how we can create long term inclusivity. This session will be led and facilitated by a trans personal trainer.

The Colorado Transgender and Nonbinary Educators Network (COTEN) is a growing community of current and former classroom teachers. We are self-taught, grassroots organizers working to promote visibility and legal protections for trans educators. While some of us are thriving in our schools, others have faced serious mistreatment and have been pushed out of the classroom. In this interactive session, participants will hear the COTEN story and gain strategies for their own advocacy work. Opportunities will be provided to examine Colorado employment law, practice contacting legislators, and explore our extensive resource bank.

This panel will focus on the experiences of queer, trans and gender non-conforming individuals who are graduate students. Often, LGBTQ/GNC students are pushed out of educational institutions due to violence from peers or administration, this may lead many queer students to not pursue dreams higher education. The panelists will share their lived experiences as queer students who are existing/thriving/ and challenged within graduate higher education.

This series for teens aged 14-19 is designed to create a community space for trans, genderqueer and gender non-conforming teens to connect with each other, share resources and debrief thoughts, feelings, and ideas sparked by conference sessions within a supportive context. Expect to meet new friends, find buddies to attend conference sessions with, connect with supportive adults and have space for downtime and play. This series is only for trans, genderqueer and gender non-conforming teens aged 14-19.

In 2018, One Colorado Education Fund (OCEF) conducted a multi-method survey of the health needs and experiences of more than 2,500 LGBTQ Coloradans, who shared their individual health stories and experiences. This session summarizes the findings from the 2018 survey to shed light on the many obstacles faced by LGBTQ Coloradans and their families, as well as provides comprehensive recommendations to advance health equity.

This talk aims at giving insight and language into how nonbinary people attempt to navigate a very binary world. Even when surrounded by other queer or transgender people, nonbinary folks can have a difficult time with existing in the liminal spaces outside of established and codified gender. We will examine how and why a nonbinary person may un-gender or gender themselves depending on their peers and surroundings.

Join a panel of trans and polyamorous individuals for an open Q&A to discuss polyamory and how it intersects with our trans identities. The session will begin with a brief introduction to what polyamory is, some ways people experience it, and relevant terminology before opening to welcome questions and discussion. Folks of all identities and levels of prior knowledge and/or experience are welcome.

Trauma is often an unspoken assumption in the trans, GNC and nonbinary world. From the looming threat of federal legislation to high rates of assault, discrimination and suicide, it seems like none of us get through life without at least a few scars. But what is trauma really, and what can you do about it? Felix Lefevre, a trans and nonbinary licensed professional counselor, will explain how trauma works on a practical level, while avoiding triggering examples. Attendees will learn how to better understand and recognize trauma, and will gain ideas that may help you to reduce the impacts of trauma in your communities. Content warning: This session will include information about traumatic experiences, without specific examples or details.

The way we move our bodies doesn’t actually have any inherent gender to it. But this interactive workshop will explore different styles of body language that usually “ping” as feminine or masculine. We will touch briefly on vocal mannerisms as well, but the focus is on what you telegraph with your body. This workshop should also have benefit to non-binary people who would like to “de-gender” their body language, but. Heads up, there will be substantial discussion of stereotypical binary gender roles. This is NOT because they are accurate but because lots of people use them as a shorthand to “read” a person’s gender. This workshop is designed so you can learn which version(s) of shorthand you want to broadcast and hopefully “ping” the way you want to more often. The facilitator, a trained actor, is gender fluid and moves through male/female/non-binary gender space.

TYES (Trans Youth Education and Support) is hosting a panel discussion on parenting all gender expansive (non-binary and binary transgender, gender fluid, gender questioning, genderqueer, agender, bigender, pangender) youth. All panel members are parents or caregivers and will be speaking from personal experience. All questions are welcome in this space. This space is intended for parents and caregivers only. Trans youth are asked not to be present as the subject material may not be appropriate for them.

Too often we as trans individuals reject aspects of ourselves and our bodies, or we receive messages by the dominant cis narrative that our bodies and our experiences are something that should be rejected and/or ashamed of. But what if we were to stop disowning those aspects of ourselves? What if we could begin to bring presence to our bodies, no matter how painful or uncomfortable a place they may be? Mindfulness is the practice of turning our awareness toward present-moment experience with an attitude of warmth, acceptance and non-judgment. Through basic mindfulness meditation practices, we will explore ways of “coming in:” into ourselves, our bodies and our direct experience.

Having student’s identities represented in front of them has shown to improve classroom engagement and student success, but where are our trans teachers? Drew will talk about her experiences as a young Tgirl teacher, what she’s trying to do and how it’s going.

Safe Zone trainings do not achieve their initial purpose and tend to only protect cisgender, white, gay men from homophobia. Join us as we detail how we discontinued Safe Zone programs and replaced them with a program designed to go beyond tolerance and basic education and move more toward breaking down barriers on college campuses and combating oppression towards LGBTQ+ people. You will leave with your own outlined plan to do this work at your campus.

The ethics of research on human subjects has a long and conflicted history, particularly with regard to how individuals from marginalized groups have been targeted and exploited as research subjects. Progress has been made in the ethical and regulatory oversight of human subjects research, but there are still areas that require the attention of researchers, ethicists, activists and society as a whole. This talk focuses on some concerns I have (as an ethicist, institutional review board employee and queer/non-binary person) regarding how sex and gender are treated in medical research. These include the use of sex and gender as inclusion/exclusion criteria for study participation, the use of “pregnant women” as a defined vulnerable population, and some worrying trends in research on transgender individuals. I will conclude with a few recommendations for the future, with the aim of helping to ameliorate these concerns.

This series for teens aged 14-19 is designed to create a community space for trans, genderqueer and gender non-conforming teens to connect with each other, share resources, and debrief thoughts, feelings and ideas sparked by conference sessions within a supportive context. Expect to meet new friends, find buddies to attend conference sessions with, connect with supportive adults and have space for downtime and play. This series is only for trans, genderqueer and gender non-conforming teens aged 14-19.

This session will take an in depth look at the lives of transgender women. We will talk about racism within and outside of the various communities that are linked to Black transgender women as well as the statistics, disparities and lack of compassion towards Black transgender women. Also, there will be a portion of how organizations and community based organizations have been problematic and/or discriminatory towards Black transgender women and with the information given, what can be done differently to ensure a safe, equitable space for Black transgender women.

A panel of transgender/nonbinary/gender diverse professionals will share their experiences in (physical and mental) health care, both as patients and as people working in and around health care. We will discuss how to create an environment of “gender euphoric care” that facilitates trust, connection and understanding between provider and patient. We will also discuss the barriers that trans patients face when navigating the complex healthcare systems, and what advocacy can be done, both on an individual and systemic level, to alleviate these barriers. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions of the panelists around advocacy, understanding systemic issues facing transgender/nonbinary/gender diverse patients, providing gender euphoric care or related topics. This panel is intended for medical and mental health care professionals.

Queering the trans body... What does that mean? This conversation will encompass narratives around body modifications such as piercings and tattoos, how the terms queer or trans come with loaded ideas of what bodies should look like, “Do I look queer enough?” or “Do I pass well enough?” Gatekeeping around body appearance happens both inside and outside of the queer/trans communities, frequently leading to feelings of non-belonging. Fostering our own ideas of our bodies and appearances as separate from outside perceptions creates the ultimate queer body: your own.

Do you have questions about your child’s gender-affirming treatment? Want to learn more about gender-affirming care? This Q&A style workshop is designed to support parents and other family members of TGNC (transgender and gender non-conforming) individuals. Please consider using this non-judgmental space to ask any questions or receive support from licensed medical and mental health professionals on CU’s Transgender Care Team.

Rae Senarighi is a cancer survivor inspiring self-compassion, activism and gender resilience via unapologetic portraiture of vibrant transgender and non-binary power and joyful presentations. Start with gratitude. Practice self acceptance and compassion. Align with your path. Respect your work. Connect with and uplift your community.

After 31 years of marriage, my spouse came out as trans. From the moment of our first date, I’d always insisted that my brother and my husband are the two straightest men I’d ever known ... and definitely the only two who were among my handful of AMAB BFFs. So, now I’m a married lesbian (who, honest to gawd, did not fully understand that gay persons could have actual intercourse until after I’d graduated from high school and was a couple of years into college) who’s been married to her wife for 32+ years. Curious? Let’s talk about your questions.

Queer and trans folks have been transforming what communities can be like. Not only are we excluded from some communities, we also perpetuate exclusion and harm within the community based on race, disability, class, etc. How can we be proactive in reimagining healing and thriving in community? This session explores intentional ways we can design a community of care based on experiences of our marginalized identities. We will look at the limitations of self-care, ways to expand care to the community, and what it means to promote a nurturing culture. Participants are invited to engage in discussion, contemplative practices, and leave with a zine that serves as a workbook for collective care.

This poetry workshop will serve as an environment for participants to develop their ability to creatively express themselves and to engage in a fun activity where we will explore what a world that had TRUE Trans Liberation would look like, feel like, etc. Participants should bring the tools to write, an open mind and a willingness to recite their work either in front of others or at the TGC open mic.

The gender binary – the maintenance of two separate and opposite genders – is a system of power that exists to create conflict and division, not to celebrate creativity and diversity. We deserve more options. This false choice of boy or girl, man or woman, male or female is not natural,  it is political. The real crisis is not that gender non-conforming people exist, it's that we have been taught to divide billions of people into one of two categories. Moving beyond the gender binary will help everyone, regardless of their gender. Gender diversity is an integral part of our existence. It always has been, and it always will be.

This workshop focuses on expanding love maps beyond the erotic and romantic, furthering these to include relationality, and levels of monogamy(s) (particularly beyond the false monogamous/non monogamous binary) for all participants, but centering trans and GNC communities. By looking into how not only we, but our partners experience feeling loved and creating dialogue about our gendered, embodied, racialized, familial, cultural, historical and internal localities, we will unpack how to communicate our needs and hear others needs more clearly. This workshop is about learning new ways of communicating ourselves and our desires with a particular focus on turning theory into relational practice, especially around embodiment and gender. Looking into behaviors and their desired impacts, language as a tool of disclosure or non disclosure, and communication as meaning making process, we will delve into the nuances and murk that often surround the most intimate parts of ourselves to more fully understand our, and our partner(s) approaches to love language(s). There will be three additional discussion leaders, including a youth specific discussion leader, to help facilitate this workshop dialogue.

Orange is the New Black depicts what it is like to be queer or transgender while in prison. But is it really like that? If you have had questions about how transgender people are treated while incarcerated, this workshop can answer many of your questions. From housing, to HRT, respect and pronouns, this is the place to ask those questions.

Mirrored Fatality is a Queer brown femme performance art duo, Pam Gwen and Samar Saif. Mirrored Fatality honors metamorphosis as ritual. They share their ancestral wisdom, rage and regeneration through experimental and healing punk. Mirrored Fatality curates portals centered on healing and transformative justice. Influenced by their experiences as musicians in the Los Angeles DIY punk scene, transnational grassroots organizers for prison abolition and anti-militarism, UCLA gender studies undergraduate students equipping Queer theory as praxis-Mirrored Fatality ignites your long awaited catharsis. Grounded in radical love, Mirrored Fatality builds a community of artists, healers, organizers and activists as they travel and tour. Will you join them in imagining the future we’ve all been waiting for? Experience Mirrored Fatality’s reflections and bear witness to your highest, truest self.

Where do babies come from? How do I use a condom/dental dam? How do I know I’m trans? How do I handle being LGBTQ+? How do I come out? These are the types of questions young LGBTQ+ people may come to you with, and we want to help you have the resources to answer any and all questions that come your way. We will discuss how to be an approachable adult and what it looks like to be supportive of any queer youth in your life. Coming from the perspective of the people who needed to hear it most, we will give you the resources to answer any and all questions that the queer youth in your life may need the answers to. As members of Youth Advocating for Change, we have experience teaching others how to best support us and others like us, such as when dealing with questioning gender identity and/or sexuality as well as being open and educating others.

Deciding how, when and where to be out as a trans person is an incredibly personal decision for many people. With anti-transgender discrimination ever-present in the employment, education and health arenas, limiting disclosure to your terms can be paramount. This session will discuss current privacy laws and how they can be used to protect trans people absent or in supplement to non-discrimination protections and allow people to control the narrative of their own lives.

Join us for a queer-focused storytime, craft and community building. We will read picture books that celebrate queer, trans and two-spirit characters written by queer, trans and two spirit people, and lead a fun craft project. This program is intended to create space centered on younger conference participants and provide a break from heavier topics. The books are aimed at 4-8 year olds but have been historically enjoyed by queers and queerspawn of all ages. This program is intended to be inclusive of all ages and ability levels, and all materials will be provided.

Join us for a comprehensive dive into sexual health, specifically tailored for the experiences of trans and queer people! Topics will include body diversity, consent, reproductive health, STD prevention, sex toys, kink and pleasure!

Christen Alannah Malloy is a student at the University of Colorado Boulder finishing a degree in computer science with a minor in mathematics. She is a poet, author, programmer, musician and avid cyclist. “Eruption: The Awakening of Self” is an artist chapbook of feminist transgender poetry which was written in the fall of 2019 while she was studying American Women's Literature. The works aims to engage readers, regardless of how they identify, with the self-reflective process needed to express personal identity.

There are many great books documenting LGBTQ and trans history. But what if you want to get into your own research? Where do you start? What do you look for? Members of the Matt Kailey History Committee will introduce you to their work, and share some of the tips and tricks that historians use every day. This ranges from knowing what search terms to use to knowing how to find the archives most relevant to your research. Trans elders of the past are out there, just waiting for their stories to be told.

Many young people with marginalized identities can struggle with feeling accepted and having their voices heard. In this session, Julian Earley discusses his personal experience as a young trans person on YouTube, explains why social media is such a great tool for LGBTQ+ people, and how anyone can use online platforms to help them find a community.

This is a visionary workshop for those interested in contemplating the future of gender and sexuality. As a society, we are outgrowing binary gender and the dualistic thinking that underlies it. Youth are abandoning the gender binary in droves, as well as sexual identity categories and traditional relationship structures. They are growing conscious of how organizing human experience into oppositional frameworks is limiting to everyone (regardless of where you fall on the spectrum) and leads to painful polarization. If we follow where youth are leading us, what kind of futures can we imagine for ourselves? How might we create new paths for self-expression and meeting our intimacy needs free from dualism, and how might those new paths transform the world for everyone?

We’re living in a time when social constructs such as gender, sexuality and race are being examined, questioned and challenged. It is a time of deconstruction rigid norms and rethinking how we define ourselves and each other in the world. Amidst all of this, LGBTQ+ young people continue to struggle to feel seen, validated and accepted. It is a time ripe with opportunity, and this session is designed to empower trans identified folks and their allies to step up in support of our youth. We’ll examine current thinking around the social and emotional experiences of LGBTQ+ youth and discuss support strategies for building positive relationships with the young people in our lives who may be struggling in relation to their sexuality and/or gender identity. This work will involve active listening, personal reflection and role play.

This will be the TGC’s first-ever open mic! Come join us and share your words, your experiences and your heart with us! All are welcomed! Poetry, song, dance, storytelling and so much more!

This panel brings together trans and non-binary faculty of color from the various universities in Colorado, including CU Boulder, Metropolitan State University and Colorado College. Moderated by trans/non-binary undergraduate and graduate students of color at CU, the panel speak about the experiences of trans/non-binary faculty of color in doing research, activism, teaching and mentoring in higher education.

Queer Room is a non-verbal, contemplative group experience for those interested in being with other queer folks beyond words. Explore energetic connection, presence, spontaneity, alternative communication and the power of simply being with no agenda in a co-created queer space. Group norms and boundaries will be established at the beginning of the group, followed by an hour of experiential relating and ending with a closing circle.

This session seeks to provide folks, particularly students, a point of departure to engage their education, teachers and peers from the point of queer identity and expression. Intellectualism and academia is dominated by masculinist and heteronormative thinking and language. Beyond conservative and reactionary politics and rhetoric, the very ways in which educational systems merely teach our students, and the content of their education, already forms a binary opposition and difficulty with queer expression and identity. This session means to provide the necessary ideas and questions to help probe and interrogate disciplines ranging from literature to biology. This is meant to be an all-levels session and does not rely on so-called high theory and seeks to reduce jargon for the sake of wider reach.

This presentation is targeted for medical professionals, mental health providers and anyone who likes to let their freak flag fly high. In the workshop, we will use a harm reduction approach to navigating intersections of LGBTQ bodies, kink, BDSM and sex work. Participants will gain tools to more deeply engage in conversation with diverse sexual practices, some of which may seem quite queer.

Mainstream American media often fails to adequately represent transgender, non-binary and gender nonconforming people. This session will give a brief overview of historical portrayals of gender non-conformity, and enable participants to identify common tropes. We will examine the economic and political context that prevents adequate representations in mainstream media – while looking at ways that LGBTQ+ people around the world have taken exhibition into their own hands.