Gender Identity Groups

Facilitated small groups for discussion and support:

• MTF spectrum - Bliss
• FTM spectrum - Tre' Andre
• Gender Queer and gender questioning spectrum - Marta
• Allies/Family/Friends - Jessica Flaherty and Aisling

Organizing for Trans/Gender Non-conforming spaces on College Campuses

Ever wondered how to create an accountable campus environment for folks to determine/define their own genders and gender expressions? Join us for a brainstorm session on how to make your campus community a more friendly and inclusive space for trans and/or gender non-conforming people!

Sarrin
Sarrin List is a Translate collective member; in addition to gender related dialogue, Sarrin's activism encompasses radical community education projects, labor and immigrant rights.

Hadley
Hadley Smith is a Translate collective member and has designed curriculum around and facilitated dialogues on gender and gender expression, activism, and alternative organization structures existing within and without the nonprofit industrial complex.

Translate Gender is a nonprofit consensus-based collective that works to generate community accountability for individuals to self-define their genders and gender expressions. For more information on Translate and to get involved, visit www.translategender.org.

How does the "T" fit into GSA?

Having a GSA is a step towards acceptance of gender non-conforming and trans students, but it can also has its’ challenges. In this workshop we will discuss how to work within the framework of a GSA model and discuss strategies for addressing the marginalizing of trans youth and how to work with your GSA to become trans inclusive.

Facilitated by DJ O'Donoghue, Program Director of the Gay and Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Boston, advisor at the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth (BAGLY), and Steering Committee Member of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC).

Workshop for Parents/Guardians

Exploring the family process of acceptance Using Arlene Lev's model, discuss your personal process in understanding your child's gender identity with other parents. Facilitated by Melissa MacNish and Sponsored by Sidney Borum Health Center and Greater Boston PFLAG

This workshop is for parents/guardians and will take place from 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm at a location close by within walking distance of the Transgender Youth Summit

ACT UP: Theatre for Social Change

In this fully interactive workshop, learn the basics of theatre for social change through games, improvisation, and scene building to explore ways to use theatre to make change in YOUR community. Drama Queens of all levels are welcome!

Facilitated by Evelyn Francis, Director of True Colors: Out Youth Theater at The Theater Offensive, and BAGLY Adult Advisor.

Exploring Your Voice: A Writing Workshop

Writing can help us to discover our truth, to understand where we've come from and to show us where we're going. In this workshop, we'll create a supportive space to write creatively, using a suggested idea or writing prompt as a starting point.

Facilitated by Mal Malme, theater artist and co-founder of Queer Soup Theater, advisor and board member with The North Shore Alliance of GLBT Youth, and member of the Cambridge GLBT Commission.

Dance: the language of gestures

Presented By: Mesma
This interactive workshop will delve into topics that spring from the central theme of Bharatanatyam: the classical dance style of the temples and the courts of South India.

• What is Bharatanatyam? What is its place in history of India and the world?
• How does Bharatanatyam as a language communicate ideas of basic human emotions?
• What do hand gestures mean and how are they used in a systematic manner to tell stories through dance?
• Why is dance empowering?
• Ages recommended: 10 and up
• Duration: one hour

About Mesma
Described by the New York Times as a "tour de force", Mesma S. Belsare is a Boston-based dancer, choreographer, actor, visual artist and art-museum educator. Formally trained in Bharatanatyam (South Indian Classical dance) for over 15 years by Shankar Hombal and Padmashri Geeta Chandran, she works on creating choreography that addresses gender, gender-identity and sexuality. As a transgender performer, Mesma is perpetuating the classical tradition of Stri-Vesham where the target gender identity of a woman’s psyche and body is the medium to communicate Nayaki Bhava (the voice of the female protagonist) in the traditional Bharatanatyam repertoire.

ATKM is an all female performance troupe dedicated to pushing the boundaries and exploring the stereotypes of gender identity through comedic and dramatic story telling set to music.

Their six years of steady performance and large fan base has helped them to become New England's premiere drag king troupe. All The Kings Men was the 2004 winner of the Boston Phoenix's Reader's Choice "Best Kept Secret" Award, and Curve Magazine's choice as one of the ten nationwide winners of the "2006 Best Lesbian Theatre Award".

Workshop: Performance and Drag Exploration

with members of All The Kings Men (and another presenter TBD)
Learn how to create a character through dance, performance, and gender expression. Come explore drag and drag performance.