TransKansas conference features Tulsa physician

The third annual TransKansas conference will be held September 11-12 in Manhattan, Kansas. Photo provided.

Leaders from across the spectrum to speak

by Stephanie Mott
Special to The Gayly

(Manhattan, KS) Kansas Statewide Transgender Education Project (KSTEP) will hold the third annual TransKansas conference September 11-12 at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Manhattan, Kansas.

The idea to hold a transgender conference in Kansas was born April 24, 2010 in Alexandria, Virginia at the International Foundation for Gender Education Capital Conference - my first national transgender conference. What I most remember from that conference is how everyone was completely free to be who they were that day. No fear. No hesitation. The freedom that was alive at the IFGE conference needed to be alive in Kansas, as well.

Dr. Laura Arrowsmith of Tulsa will be presenting her Trans 101 workshop. Arrowsmith is a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Transgender Equality in Washington, D.C., and recently retired as Director of Transgender programs at Oklahomans for Equality in Tulsa, OK.

The first TransKansas conference finally happened in Lawrence, KS in September 2013 at Bert Nash Mental Health Center. The second was in July 2014 at College Hill United Methodist Church in Wichita. 

This year’s conference offers two full days of workshops and presentations on topics including the legal landscape for transgender people, being a better ally, intimacy and dating, and respecting the non-binary. We plan a full track on transgender intersectionality and a Saturday track dedicated to transgender youth. Many workshops will offer continuing education credits.

We will have four tracks of four workshops each on Friday 9/11 and Saturday 9/12. Thomas Witt, executive director of Equality Kansas, will be presenting on the legislative battles and opportunities that are coming down the road. During these workshops, Dr. Arrowsmith will be presenting her Trans 101 workshop. Alyssa Bryant, a Tulsa attorney, will provide a workshop regarding civil rights history and a workshop on the changes in federal policies over the last five years.

There will be many vendors and information tables, and space for gatherings. We will have open forums dedicated to discussion of various trans, trans-family, and trans-ally identities. The cost is $10 for the full conference - $5 for students - and free for attendees who volunteer at least four hours. More information can be found at www.transkansas.com or transkansas@gmail.com or (785) 215-7436.