Last weekend I attended the 14th Annual Philadelphia (aka Philly) Trans Health Conference, which is organized by the Mazzoni Center—Philadelphia’s LGBT healthcare center. The conference was Thursday through Saturday and featured workshops, vendors, and gatherings all focusing on trans* people with the specific lens of healthcare. It also kind of seems like the place to see and be seen for the trans community; there were younger “trans celebrities” there such as Aydian Dowling, Skylar Kergil, and Chase Ross as well as older guys such as Diego Sanchez, Jamison Green, and Kylar Broadus (there did not seem to be as many trans women celebrities though there were some). I was able to connect with some friends from school too and meet some people that I knew from YouTube.
I tweeted some quotes from presenters I saw so check out @LGBTI_Health, and take a look at the (sort of) live play-by-play.
In general, I had a good time at the PTHC. I learned a lot, which was important for me. There were a lot of vendors as well who are doing interesting and important work. Some of the vendors that stood out to me were The Venture Out Project (wilderness trips for the queer community), Fenway Health (a leading LGBT clinic in Boston), Whitman-Walker Health (a LGBT clinic in DC that is apparently doing a lot of public health hiring), oSTEM (queer people in STEM), TransRecord (crowdsourcing patient reviews of providers), and the Trans Oral History Project (sharing stories within the trans* community). Due to the lack of a map showing where all the vendors are located, I think I might have missed some tables, which is disappointing.
The PTHC is an important conference because it does center trans* people and our health. From what I could tell, the majority of presenters were trans* as well, which is important. Because it was my first time at the conference, I am unaware of the history of the conference and what workshops they have had in the past, but there was a group of trans women who did know though. They were unhappy about the ratio of workshops focusing on trans men and transmasculine people compared to trans women and transfeminine people particularly in regards to workshops that focus on medically transitioning. Frankly, I am not surprised. Large conferences like PTHC often forget or do not focus on trans women and are sometimes like “an Old Boys Club.” I am a white trans man so I fit in and mostly have my needs/interests catered to. The lack of workshops catered to transfeminine people is unacceptable.
There were some closed workshops that were for people of color only, which is important. I am unable to comment further on how these went or if they catered to the needs to trans people of color. I do not know if there were workshops that focused on other intersecting identities either such as class. There were workshops on religion and being transmasculine and giving birth to a child so I think those were important conversations that were being had. Of course, please let me know if any of this is inaccurate.
I think it was helpful and important that I went to PTHC being a trans person in public health; I was able to see other work that people are doing and not doing. I think it is an important conference for every healthcare provider or person involved with healthcare/public health that works with trans* people to attend at least once if possible. Ideally, even providers who do not think they work with trans* patients would attend as well because chances are they do work with at least trans* patient and just don’t know it.
There were times when workshops lost focus because of the lively discussion, which on one hand is great, and on the other, took away from the main point of the workshop. Particularly, some of the workshops I thought were going to be more lecture focused turned into discussions or were focus groups. It is not that I do not want to hear opinions or information from people other than the presenters but I like being prepared for what I am walking into. I also find that in general, conference workshops tend to become side tracked, which can be frustrating or disappointing even if the tangent is important.
Also, as the Trans Buddy intern, I was able to tell people about the program. People’s reactions to the program were all positive. Some people had heard about Trans Buddy already and others who had not, thought it was a great idea.
Workshops, which were from 8:45-7:00, talk about trans healthcare in a broad definition. There were workshops about sexual health to hormones to mental health. Some examples of workshops were Know Your Rights: Healthcare and Insurance, Keeping Your Family Together with a Trans* Child, Increasing Engagement and Supporting Leadership of Trans Women, and Below the Belt: 101. I've highlighted below some of the workshops that I felt were really applicable to the blog and work.
Providing Equal Access for Transgender Populations by Willy Wilkinson, MPH
This workshop started out talking about cultural competency and the intersections of identity. However, the workshop quickly turned into a heated discussion about patients advocating for themselves versus bringing someone who can advocate for the patient. It was an interesting discussion/debate and is relevant to Trans Buddy’s work. However, I wish I was able to see the whole presentation.
Becoming an Empowered, Patient, and Caring Support Person by Ilene Corina and Kyle Schuessler
This presentation was by people from an organization called Pulse of New York who do patient advocacy work. They talked about bringing someone to the hospital or doctor’s office with you, how to pick an advocate, and how to be an advocate. There were also a few listening activities so we could practice just listening to someone else without interrupting. I thought this workshop was well facilitated, informative, and connected with Trans Buddy’s work.
Providing Trans-Inclusive Care in Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations (SAFE) by Cassandra Corrado
This workshops discussed how to conduct forensic exams that are validating of trans* identities and bodies as well as how to make hospitals more welcoming of trans* people in general. It also talked about which wording to use with anyone who is having a forensic exam. This workshop was also well facilitated. I did not know much about the specifics of SA forensic exams so this workshop was informative in that regard as well.
Stigma, Shame, and Black TMSM in Healthcare by Shaan Michael Wade and Drew-Shane Daniels
This workshop ended up being more of a focus group than a presentation. It was still informative though especially hearing from people who are trans* and providers. A point that was raised that I am thinking about is how working in the trans* community and being a member of the community can limit access to confidential care because you may run into clients, patients, and friends when accessing services for yourself.
Using Advanced Directives for Self-Advocacy and Planning: An Overview and Example of the Process by Roxanne Barreto, Sara Boyd, and Heather Zelle
Put simply, advanced directives are legal documents, which explain how a patient wants to be treated and what interventions they do and do not want if unresponsive or unable to make decisions. They are helpful for trans* people in that you can specify which name and pronouns you want—including in which situations—as well as saying that someone cannot take you off your hormones. I knew a bit about advanced directives from my EMT training but I learned a lot from this well facilitated workshop. Everyone should look into having an advanced directive.
WPATH Graduate Student Research Symposium in Transgender Health
This was less of a workshop and more of a presentation. Grad students gave 12-minute presentations on their research regarding the trans community. I was particularly interested in if any of the presenters would mention resiliency, which some of them did. Some of the research covered body image, suicide, healthcare in Kentucky, and trans* identities in India. Kale, one of my supervisors, was presented an award so I received it on his behalf.
Medical Myth Busting for Trans* Folks by Maxwell Parrish, CRNP
This presentation went over common misconceptions about primarily hormones. Even though I knew a lot of what was being covered, it was interesting to see what other people think and to hear a healthcare provider answer questions—compared to some person on the Internet.
Mental Health Issues and Transitions-Does it Really Matter? By julie graham, MFT
The presentation discussed the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s program for trans people on Medi-Cal who want/need gender confirming surgeries. julie also talked about how mental health, medications, and substances can impact healing from surgery. This was an interesting presentation as well. I did not know that San Francisco had this specific program. As well as providing people with access to surgery, the program also coordinates transportation, food, etc.
The trans pride flag flying in front of Philadelphia City Hall (photo by Keanan).
It's hard to find words to describe the Philly Trans Health Conference (PTHC). There were over 4500 people in one convention center working for trans justice, trans rights, trans health, trans education... The list goes on. I met so many incredible people doing really important work. I was struck by many things, but one that really stood out to me was how many non-profits were founded and run by trans*, gender fluid, and gender queer people. I saw evidence of true community activism coming from within. This is a big deal! On the one hand it makes sense that it would be trans* people working for gender justice, but on the other, it is in many ways remarkable to see that in spite of gross under funding (less than .5% of all philanthropic dollars in the US go to trans* causes), rampant discrimination and violence against trans* people, and particularly trans* women of color, trans* and queer people were out en mass working for social justice in so many varied and important ways. In a community that is chronically under employed and underpaid, it was truly extraordinary to see how many trans* and queer people where managing organizations, employing other members of our community and making in their life's work to expand opportunities for our community.
In addition to all of the work that was happening at PTHC, there was a lot of fun as well. It was this part, the fun, that gave me goosebumps. On my first night in Philly I was cajoled into going to a pool party. I wasn't sure what it would be like and when I got there I realized that I never could have imagined the scene that unfolded in front of me. There were over 100 trans*, queer and non-binary folks swimming in a pool. This may sound a bit like a high school party gone wild, but it wasn't that. It was, instead, a place where people, many of whom haven't been swimming in years, felt the freedom and the safety to show their bodies in public. I overheard many comments, but the one that got me was, "Wow, I never thought I'd get in a swimsuit again in my life but here it feels okay. No, it feels pretty good." That is what we at The Venture Out Project aspire to offer our participants. We want you to feel safe, to feel supported, and to accomplish feats you never thought possible regardless of who you are or how you identify.
Thank you to all of those who showed me the beauty and power of our community this weekend. We truly have something to be proud of.
