Workshops, community at 2017 Philadelphia Trans Health Conference Sept 7-9

It can be a little emotional, glancing around Reading Terminal at the start of the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference (PTHC), said Perry Monastero, Director of Development and Marketing.

Only one in 250 Americans is transgender, according to one study from National Institutes of Health. In Philadelphia next weekend, September 7-9, attendees will be among 4,000 who, while they haven’t had the same journey, will have shared similar experiences.

The open-area Reading Terminal offers discounts for conference-goers, and is a fun place to hang out and grab a cheesesteak or shop when you get off the train.

“It’s wonderful seeing trans individuals out mingling and feeling all the positive energy of people who have walked a similar path,” Monastero said.

The Philadelphia conference, in its 16^th year, is a highly respected conference on transgender health, and is only a two-hour bus ride from Port Authority. If you can acquire a $10-$25 Greyhound ticket, you can attend the conference workshops for free.

Conference-goers are diverse, and represent the diverse fabric one might find among trans people, Monastero said. Attendees also skew young, with the median age from mid- to late-twenties, but hundreds of conference-goers are older than 35.

“What I think is really unique about this is, we keep the conference free and work to fundraise so we can keep it as accessible as possible,” Monastero said.

The conference offers sponsorships, and vendors pay a small fee for presentation tables. Doctors, social workers, teachers and other professionals pay a fee to earn continuing education credits at the workshops. But for regular attendees, workshops are free.

There will also be opportunities to organize and learn of about advocacy, Monastero said. Kids attending have a camp to go to with youth-appropriate programming.

The press is not allowed to take photos of conference attendees, but participants have a selfie station to take photos with friends.

“We work to keep the area as private as possible,” Monastero said.

The Philadelphia Trans Health Conference is a program of the Mazzoni Center, which provides staff and logistical support for the event, but “the conference is a community-led effort,” according to the website. “Workshops are reviewed and selected by working groups made up of community members focused on different areas, like sexuality, aging, faith and self-care.”

The workshops are determined by large volunteer committees,

The weekend is an opportunity to get together, learn, talk about ideas, and to become a stronger community, in terms of group advocacy, and in terms of the individuals who make up the community.

Workshops for the grassroots conference are determined by a large volunteer community, Monastero said.

“We strive to create an accessible and respectful environment that is inclusive of diverse gender-identities and expressions as well as inclusive of diverse opinions and ideas. PTHC proudly offers a space for trans people and our allies, families, and providers to come together to re-envision what health means for trans people.”

For more information on workshops and scheduling, check out the 2017 Philadelphia Trans Health Conference website. Download the conference app by searching your provider for TransPHL.

Or, for all general questions, contact Ashley Coleman at acoleman@mazzonicenter.org or 215-563-0652 x 264. For questions regarding the professional track of the conference, contact Nay Petrucelli at npetrucelli@mazzonicenter.org or 215-563-0652 x 230.

The STAR Program in Brooklyn, New York, offers a variety of LGBTQ health services. Our medical providers offer compassionate holistic care, screenings and treatments.

Photo: A Philadelphia mural welcomes visitors behind a miniature statue of the Slate Roof House.

Categorised in: News

This post was written by suny-admin