Call for Participation on Panels at the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference

Emailed proposals due to me by Thursday, January 12, 2012. I will submit full panel proposals for the conference by the due date of 1/15/12.

Conference Dates: May 31 – June 2, 2012 @ the Philadelphia Convention Center

#1: Trans Fats: A Panel Discussion on Weight Diversity, Fatphobia and Gender Expression

I am seeking people who identify as fat/fat-positive and as trans/genderqueer to be on a panel discussing the intersections of fatness and trans identity for a panel discussion at the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference (PTHC). Each person will speak for a few minutes and then will respond to questions from the moderator. (We will brainstorm these questions as a group) After that, we will welcome questions and comments from the audience. If you are interested, please send me an email (Joelle.Ryan@unh.edu) with your contact info, a brief statement about your fat/fat-positive trans/genderqueer identities and any other topics (race, culture, class, nation, ability, age, religion etc.) you would like to weave into your remarks.

#2: Trans Feminism and Trans Womanism: Trans Women Speaking Truth to Power

In this panel at PTHC, I would like to gather several diverse trans women/ trans feminine individuals to discuss their relationship to feminism/womanism and their own personal empowerment as women and its relationship to physical, psychological and spiritual health and well-being. Topics could include fighting violence, race and racism, marginalization of trans women in trans and queer communities, and being an advocate/activist in our communities. If you are interested in being on this panel, please send me an email (Joelle.Ryan@unh.edu) telling me more about yourself and what you would like to discuss on the panel, and how it relates to trans women's empowerment.

# 3: Asexy Trans Folks: A Discussion About the Intersection of Trans and Asexual Identities

For this panel, I am seeking people who identify both as trans and as asexual. Panelists will discuss their own coming out as asexual and how it does (and does not) relate to their gender identity/expression. Topics could include: acephobia in the trans community, transphobia in the asexual community, the hyper-sexualization of dominant culture, invisibility within LGBT communities, promoting asexual visibility, asexual and trans intersections with race, class, ability, age, religion, etc. If you would like to sit on this panel, please send me an email (Joelle.Ryan@unh.edu) with your contact info and a paragraph discussing your own autobiography as an asexual-identified trans, genderqueer or gender-nonconforming person and why you would like to present for this session.

# 4: Trans Sisters, Cis Sisters: Building Solidarity for Feminist and Queer Transformations

For this panel, I seek participation by both trans-identified and cis-identified women to discuss the need for greater solidarity and coalition-building amongst women in the trans, feminist and queer communities. The goal is to discuss transphobia against MTFs in the feminist and queer communities and strategies for promoting inclusion of trans women, as well as greater visibility. Topics could include: cisgender privilege, trans-feminism, implications of exclusion on trans women's physical and mental health, events and organizations that are promoting trans inclusion, on-going struggles like Michigan Womyn's Music Festival and Rivers of Honey, etc. Please send an email (Joelle.Ryan@unh.edu) with your full contact info and what you would like to contribute to the panel in order to promote greater unity between trans and cis women in feminist and queer communities.