Conference Description

The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS) presents "Trans Politics, Social Change, and Justice" to be held May 6-7, 2005 in New York City. This conference will provide a venue to strengthen activist and research networks, incite dialogues, share research, and create resources central to creating social change for trans people. The conference will take place at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, where CLAGS is housed, at 365 Fifth Avenue (between 34th and 35th streets), New York, NY.

During two days, conference participants will take part in plenary sessions, breakout groups, and roundtables about trans activism and public policy research on local, state-wide, national, and international levels. Activists and researchers will have the opportunity to further develop their ongoing work and to create new dialogues with trans and non-trans allies.

We encourage the participation of trans people in the broadest possible sense of the word "trans."  The conference's educational goal is to go beyond simple lessons about tolerance and gender diversity and engage participants in an advanced discussion of the experiences and political interests of different trans constituencies, including, but not limited to trans, butch lesbians, drag queens, bi-gendered, two-spirited, drag kings, femme queens, A.G.s, genderqueer, non-gendered, andro, crossdressers, and gender-bender peoples. We will also welcome presentations and workshops focused on intersex issues.  While intersex issues are distinct from transgender issues, alliances between intersex and transgender activists strengthen all of our work, and the conference will focus on multiple aspects and effects of binary gender frameworks.

The conference's practical goal is to create new interactions and foster ongoing collaborations among grassroots activists, community organizers, researchers, attorneys, LGBT community members, and members of allied communities and organizations. We will encourage workshops and roundtables that will promote collaborative work and active discussions.