What’s the T?

A Transgender Educational Forum Welcome to a very special evening. Whether you are attending remotely or in person, we appreciate your attendance and thank you for coming. We will be discussing the challenges facing the Transgender community, sharing information and resources. We’ll also talk about how to become an ally and supporter of our Transgender colleagues and friends. Rules of the Road

 At the end of each segment, we will pause for Q&A. We’ll also have a Q&A session at the end of the program.  To support the continuity of each segment we ask everyone to:  Hold their questions until the designated Q&A times.  Be mindful about the appropriateness of their questions. Unfortunately, the discussion of Transgender issues can sometimes result in the unintentional crossing of boundaries as seen in the “teachable moment” between Katie Couric and Laverne Cox.  Our presenters have graciously offered to make themselves available after the presentation so issues that are better discussed privately can be discussed then.  At their discretion, they decide to defer an issue – meaning they are choosing to discuss the issue privately after the event.  Other issues may be deferred due to the run time of the program.

 We appreciate your adherence and understanding. Program

 Chaz Salvatore Bono

 Laverne Cox

(video)

 Jillian Blum, Counselor and Doctoral Candidate

 Avicii video, “Silhouettes”

 Ken Konet & Izzy Green, LEAGUE Florida and Transitioning in a Relationship

 Lana Wachowski (video)

 Jamie Strand, Founder of Atlanta Gender Variations (AGV) and Co-chair of Southern Comfort Conference Family Conference

 Resources Available, Closing Q&A and Thank You

 Dana International video, “Free” Chaz Salvatore Bono

 American advocate, writer, musician and author of Family : A Guide to the Process for Gays, , and Their Families and The End of Innocence.

 2011 Nominated for an Emmy for the Outstanding Nonfiction Special Becoming Chaz, a documentary which follows Chaz Bono's gender transition.  The documentary received positive feedback from both the trans and non-trans communities.

 2013 honored by GLAAD with the Stephen F. Kolzak Award for his work toward eliminating homophobia.

“I’ve had people contact me and say they’ve been struggling for years and didn’t have the courage but seeing the documentary helped them along. … It’s really what I did all of it for. To hear … about how something you put out there helped them is just amazing.” Laverne Cox

 American actress, star, television producer, LGBT advocate and star of the Netflix television series Orange Is the New Black  November 2013 - recipient of the Reader's Choice Award at Out magazine '​s OUT100 Gala, 2013s 100 Most Compelling People of the Year  September 2013 – recognized by Anti-Violence Project with 2013 Courage Award  April 2014 - honored by GLAAD with its Stephen F. Kolzak Award as an advocate for transgender community  June 2014 - became the first openly transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine  July 2014 – the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy  November 2014 - Named Woman of the Year by Glamour magazine Jazz Jennings

 April 2013 honored at GLAAD Media Awards

 Featured on 20/20, 60 Minutes and the Oprah Winfrey Show

 Started her own company, Purple Rainbow Tails, which sells silicone mermaid tails to raise money for transgender children

 The youngest person ever featured on the Out 100 and The Advocate's '40 Under 40' lists

 Author of I Am Jazz, released September 2014 "Everyone should be accepted for their differences, and  Oct 2014 - listed by Time magazine in the Most those differences should be looked Influential Teens of 2014 upon as something positive instead of negative. I just really hope …  Nov 2014 - to be honored with the Voice for that one day things will get better and all people will have the Equality award by Equality Florida freedom to be themselves."

Jazz Jennings Video Jillian Blum

 Senior Behavioral Health Counselor at DeKalb Medical Center

 Counselor Education Doctoral Candidate at Penn State University.

 An overview of terms.

 Importance of Advocacy

 Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) Terms

 Transgender: an umbrella term including many categories of people who are gender variant.

 Transsexual: people who believe that their physiological bodies do not represent their true sex and gender.

 MTF transsexual: Male-to-female transsexual. Person who was assigned male at birth but has a female gender identity.

 FTM transsexual: Female-to-male transsexual. Person who was assigned female at birth but has a male gender identity.

 SRS (sex reassignment surgery): SRS, also referred to as GRS (gender reassignment surgery), is thé surgical process involved in changing one’s sex.

 Cisgender: Identifying as having a gender that corresponds to the sex one has been assigned at birth.

 LGBTQQIA: , gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and ally.

Additional Terms are included in the Resource document Gender Terms How Do We Decide Gender? Who Defines Your Gender?

“As it turns out, we're all still learning to be men, or women, all still learning to be ourselves”

Data Source: She’s Not There, by Jennifer Boylan, 2003 Time to Act The Statistical Picture

 Family chose not to speak/spend  Suicide attempts time with them: 57%  among trans men: 46%  among trans women: 42%  Harassed or bullied at school (any level): 50-54%  Disrespected or harassed by law enforcement officers:  Experienced discrimination or 57-61% harassment at work: 50-59%  Suffered physical or sexual  Doctor or health care provider violence by law enforcement refused to treat them: 60% officers: 60-70%

 Suffered physical or sexual  Experienced homelessness: 69% violence:  At school (any level): 63-78%  At work: 64-65% Data source: The Williams Institute Report, Jan 2014 Transgender Awareness Week

 November 12 - 20, individuals and organizations around the county will participate in Transgender Awareness Week to help raise the visibility of No one should be transgender and gender non-conforming people, and subjected to violence address the issues these communities face.* simply because of their gender identity or expression.  The final day of Transgender Awareness Week is the No one should be denied the basic Worldwide Transgender Day of Remembrance rights that enable their safety and (TDOR), an annual observance on November 20 that security. honors the memory of those whose lives were lost in No one should consider taking their own acts of anti-transgender violence.* life to escape harassment and bullying.

 The Transgender Day of Remembrance was founded Please join us on this day to in 1998 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith to memorialize the remember our departed friends, loved ones, and community murder of Rita Hester in Allston, Massachusetts. members.**  TDoR is observed in over 185 cities throughout more than 20 countries.

 Please visit our Reference Guide to learn about activities in your city. *Source: GLAAD web site ** Source: Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition web site Transgender Day of Remembrance

Worldwide TDoR serves several purposes:  It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people, an action that current media doesn’t perform.  TDoR publicly mourns and honors the lives of our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten.  Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred.  TDoR reminds non-transgender people that we are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers.

 TDoR gives our allies a chance to step forward with us and stand in vigil, memorializing those of us who’ve died by anti-transgender violence.

Source: International Transgender Day of Remembrance web site Ally Slide

What is an Ally?

The important Which pronouns should be used? thing is to truly SEE the whole person.  When it doubt, ASK None of us are just our bodies, we are all  Some use the pronoun appropriate to so much more. their gender identification

 Some identifying as male as “he”

 Some who identify as female are to be addressed as “she”

 Some are fluid, changing pronouns by how they are feeling on that particular day

 Some may prefer zhe or zir How Can We Be a Better Ally?

Listen*  That's the most important thing you can do for any person who is sharing their story with you. Simply being present and giving them your undivided attention is huge.

Thank them*  They're taking a huge risk by sharing themselves with you, so be sure to thank them for their trust. Let me repeat: It's a big deal, so say "thank you."

Share acceptance*  All people -- regardless of who they are or what their situation is -- are searching for acceptance... they aren't looking for you to judge or even to validate, just to accept and appreciate them for the person they are.

Listening & Hearing**  Being a good ally begins with listening and actually hearing what transgender people have to say about their lives. When people actually do listen, the results can be remarkable.  Many viewers of Orange Is the New Black had their first positive exposure to a female transgender character via this show. It also helped launch Laverne Cox as an actress, advocate, and national figure.  All this because an ally took the time to really listen, hear, and empathize.**

*Source1: Be a Better Ally: How to Support Your Transgender Friends By Gena Ricciardi **Source2: Being a Trans Ally: Where to Begin By Brynn Tannehill Who Will Speak Q & A for Jillian

What questions do you have for Jillian? Silhouettes by Avicii

 "Silhouettes" is a song by Swedish house producer and DJ Avicii featuring vocals from Swedish singer Salem Al Fakir.

 The track was first released on April 27, 2012 in the United Kingdom.

 A music video, released on YouTube on June 7, 2012, shows a person before and after SRS.

“We’ve come a long way since that day Link to music video and we will never look back at the faded silhouette” Ken Konet & Izzy Green

 Transitioning in a Relationship and in Marriage  Ken Konet AT&T Employee and VP of LEAGUE Florida  Izzy Green, Wife in Transition  Discussion Topics  Early life of a Transgender Individual  Transitioning as a Couple  Scientific Studies Examining Transgender Patients  Support received at AT&T and elsewhere Early life of a Transgender

 Not Understanding Gender Differences as a Very Young Child.

 Discovering Gender Differences as a Young Child and not understanding why I wasn’t being called a girl.

 Natural Association with Opposite Assigned Gender, I knew I was a female.

 Opposition from others to Who I knew I was.

 Hiding Thoughts, Actions, and Feelings while Acting Like a Male.

 Dealing with Acceptance and Non-Acceptance from Family and Friends. Transitioning as a Couple

 Three months into our relationship, Izzy had her “Coming Out”.

 Deciding whether Ken was ready and willing to stay in a relationship with a male-to-female transgender partner.

 Learning as much as possible, informing ourselves as partners by joining groups and talking to others.

 Izzy Deciding to Transition Part-Time in our home in Ohio, as an initial trial and for safety reasons.

 Moving to Florida to help make transitioning easier and safer. More resources, more accepting, away from family, understanding doctors.

 Coping in Changes in Personality because of HRT and finally being able to be herself. Terminology & Science

 Terminology:  Trans-Women can be defined as a male to female (MtF) transgender individuals.  Trans-Men can be defined as female to male (FtM) transgender individuals.  CIS or Cisgender (often abbreviated to simply CIS) describe related types of gender identity where individuals' experiences of their own gender match the sex they were assigned at birth.  Depression:  Trans-Men’s brains are adversely affected by estrogen.  Trans-Women’s brains are adversely affected by testosterone.  Prolactinoma is a common small brain tumor that can affect depression in CIS or Trans patients.  Scientific Studies Examining Transgender Patients.  Studies have shown that the gray matter of brains of Trans-Men (FtM) are configured the same as CIS-Men.  Studies have shown that the gray matter of brains of Trans-Women (MtF) are configured the same as CIS-Women. What the Science Says

 Understand that every fetus starts out as female.  During very early development of the fetus there are two wash cycles that happen, one for the brain and another for the body.  The first wash cycle will wash away the female characteristics of the brain if the fetus is to become male and the second wash cycle will wash away the female characteristics of the body so the fetus can become CIS male.  If both the body and brain cycles do not happen the fetus becomes CIS female.  If one of those wash cycles does not happen, the fetus becomes transgender. If the brain wash cycle happens, but not the body, then the fetus has the brain of a male and the body of a female. If the body wash cycle happens, but not the brain, then the fetus has the brain of a female and the body of a male. Scientific Studies

Links to Scientific Studies and Evidence Examining Transgender Patients:

 Transcience-Project: http://transcience-project.org/ Brain Studies, Pre and Post HRT as well as health implications of HRT on the body

 TS Roadmap: http://www.tsroadmap.com/index.html Basic information and news about transitioning. Ken & Izzy Hallo-Wedding

Significance of Halloween Q & A for Izzy & Ken

Please bring forward your questions for Izzy & Ken Lana Wachowski

 Writer, director, producer the first major Hollywood director to come out as transgender.  Part of the creative 'Wachowskis' duo behind ground-breaking movies like:  The Matrix franchise  V for Vendetta (2006)  Cloud Atlas (2012) partnered with Tom Tykwer  July 2012 - made her first public appearance after transitioning.  October 2012 - received the 's Visibility Award.  February 2014 - received the Freedom award from Equality Illinois Having good parents is just the lottery… you’re just like, oh my God, I won the lottery! Link to Lana's video

Q & A for Jamie

Do you have any questions for Jamie? Sharon Cohen

 Professionally known as Dana International, she is an Israeli pop singer who has released eight albums and three additional compilation albums, positioning herself as one of Israel's most successful musical acts ever.

 Dana International has been credited with being one of the world's best known trans women.

 She is best known as the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 in Birmingham with the song "Diva".

 At present, she is still recording singles “Free to be and was the main attraction aboard the sure of what I am first Jewish boat to participate in the and what Amsterdam Pride Canal Parade I need not be.”

Link to Free Resources Available

We have a full suite of resources available in a document called Resources for Event.

Access Guidebook: https://guidebook.com/ Click on Find a Guide Open the event titled: LEAGUE at AT&T Transgender Event Nov Open the Schedule titled: Program and Resource Documents Open the .pdf file titled: Resources for Event Final Q & A

 The session is now open for questions.

 Do you have any questions?

 Any general thoughts to share?

 Questions may be directed to a specific presenter or to the panel as a whole.

 Presenters have the right to decline to answer any questions they are not comfortable answering or to defer them at their discretion. Special Thanks To

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Our volunteers from LEAGUE Atlanta Chapter and National Team

And most of all you, for being here and sharing this time with us.