Jim Beaux
01-16-2009, 01:00 PM
If it’s the new year then another season of Trans conferences is upon us. The first event, aptly titled “First Event (http://tcne.org/FirstEvent/FirstEvent.html)“, is held in Boston each year and is scheduled for this weekend.
The annual Creating Change Conference (http://www.thetaskforce.org/events/creating_change) isn’t specifically a trans event but is well worthwhile for those who can get there. This year it’s being held in Denver on Jan. 28-Feb. 1
The IFGE Conference (http://www.ifge.org/conference/) will be held in Alexandria, VA (just outside Washington DC) on Feb 4-8.
The Colorado Gold Rush (http://www.gicofcolo.org/colorado-gold-rush.aspx) in Denver is scheduled for March 26-29.
Although not really a “conference”, the NCTE Lobby Day (http://www.nctequality.org/lobby_day/lobbyday09.html) held in Washington DC on April 26-28 will be big this year.
The folks at TransEvents are starting a new conference this year. The Liberty Conference (http://www.transeventsusa.org/liberty/) is scheduled for April 30 - May 2 in Philadelphia.
The Esprit Gala (http://www.espritconf.com/) in Port Angeles, WA is scheduled for May 10-17.
The Be All Conference (http://www.be-all.org/Index.html) is scheduled for June 2-7 in Chicago.
The Philadelphia Trans Health Conference (http://www.trans-health.org/) has been growing and fills a niche. It’s scheduled for June 11-13.
The Gender Odyssey Conference (http://www.genderodyssey.org/) in Seattle is held each year over Labor Day weekend. This year it’s being held Sept. 5-7.
The Southern Comfort Conference (http://www.sccatl.org/) in Atlanta is scheduled for Sept. 22-27. They just sent out a call for workshop proposals so if you have interest in being a presenter now’s the time to submit.
Another conference that is one of my annual favorites that’s not specifically trans but very worthwhile is the Out and Equal (http://www.outandequal.org/) Workplace Summit. This year it will be held on Oct. 6-9 in Walt Disney World.
Fantasia Fair (http://fantasiafair.org/) will be held in Provincetown, MA on Oct. 18-25.I’m sure there are more but that’s quite the line-up of events.
I’m curious about a few things this year:
Some of the conferences are taking on an additional “activist” component (for example, IFGE is having a full day about grassroots activism). I’m curious to see how that goes.
Some of the behind the scenes maneuvering could have a significant impact on the conferences. For example, IFGE took control of their own conference this year - I’m wondering how that goes. The TransEvents people scheduled their own conference in Philadelphia - I’m curious how that goes, too. Lastly, some of the people that I like, admire, and respect behind the scenes at SCC are no longer involved (Cat, Kristin) so I’m curious about what impact that will have, if any.
There’s talk about making the Career Expo at SCC bigger than simply a trans-event and what that would look like.
I’m wondering what impact the economy will have on attendance at all these events. Times are tough for many of us and difficult decisions need to be made.Original posted on http://donnarose.com/MyBlog/?p=271
The annual Creating Change Conference (http://www.thetaskforce.org/events/creating_change) isn’t specifically a trans event but is well worthwhile for those who can get there. This year it’s being held in Denver on Jan. 28-Feb. 1
The IFGE Conference (http://www.ifge.org/conference/) will be held in Alexandria, VA (just outside Washington DC) on Feb 4-8.
The Colorado Gold Rush (http://www.gicofcolo.org/colorado-gold-rush.aspx) in Denver is scheduled for March 26-29.
Although not really a “conference”, the NCTE Lobby Day (http://www.nctequality.org/lobby_day/lobbyday09.html) held in Washington DC on April 26-28 will be big this year.
The folks at TransEvents are starting a new conference this year. The Liberty Conference (http://www.transeventsusa.org/liberty/) is scheduled for April 30 - May 2 in Philadelphia.
The Esprit Gala (http://www.espritconf.com/) in Port Angeles, WA is scheduled for May 10-17.
The Be All Conference (http://www.be-all.org/Index.html) is scheduled for June 2-7 in Chicago.
The Philadelphia Trans Health Conference (http://www.trans-health.org/) has been growing and fills a niche. It’s scheduled for June 11-13.
The Gender Odyssey Conference (http://www.genderodyssey.org/) in Seattle is held each year over Labor Day weekend. This year it’s being held Sept. 5-7.
The Southern Comfort Conference (http://www.sccatl.org/) in Atlanta is scheduled for Sept. 22-27. They just sent out a call for workshop proposals so if you have interest in being a presenter now’s the time to submit.
Another conference that is one of my annual favorites that’s not specifically trans but very worthwhile is the Out and Equal (http://www.outandequal.org/) Workplace Summit. This year it will be held on Oct. 6-9 in Walt Disney World.
Fantasia Fair (http://fantasiafair.org/) will be held in Provincetown, MA on Oct. 18-25.I’m sure there are more but that’s quite the line-up of events.
I’m curious about a few things this year:
Some of the conferences are taking on an additional “activist” component (for example, IFGE is having a full day about grassroots activism). I’m curious to see how that goes.
Some of the behind the scenes maneuvering could have a significant impact on the conferences. For example, IFGE took control of their own conference this year - I’m wondering how that goes. The TransEvents people scheduled their own conference in Philadelphia - I’m curious how that goes, too. Lastly, some of the people that I like, admire, and respect behind the scenes at SCC are no longer involved (Cat, Kristin) so I’m curious about what impact that will have, if any.
There’s talk about making the Career Expo at SCC bigger than simply a trans-event and what that would look like.
I’m wondering what impact the economy will have on attendance at all these events. Times are tough for many of us and difficult decisions need to be made.Original posted on http://donnarose.com/MyBlog/?p=271