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Colorado Rep. Brianna Titone, the first transgender woman elected to public office in state history, is among the headline speakers at this year鈥檚 TRANSforming Gender Conference taking place March 9鈥�10 at CU Boulder.
The conference, now in its 13th year, is co-sponsored by the CU Boulder Center for Inclusion and Social Change and Out Boulder County and draws participants from around Colorado and from other Pac-12 universities. Last year, some 714 people attended the conference, including alumni, students, staff and faculty, said Morgan Seamont, assistant director of intersectional identity development at the Center for Inclusion and Social Change.
Seamont said the conference works 鈥渢o increase visibility and education about transgender identities and issues while bringing the transgender and allied communities together.鈥�
This year鈥檚 event will feature more than 60 workshops on topics such as trans inclusion in K-12 and higher education and discussions on how to be a trans ally, unlearning racial bias in the LGBTQ community, queer activism burnout, and gender diversity within Native American communities.
鈥淭he conference is a great opportunity to come learn more about what it means to be transgender, understand some of the issues trans people are faced with and build meaningful community among transgender people and their allies,鈥� Seamont said.
The conference, free and open to the public,听is dedicated to celebrating trans identities in all their forms and hosts workshops, panels, discussions and other conference sessions over two days.听
听March 9鈥�10 Koelbel Building
Titone, a geologist who represents Colorado鈥檚 District 27, which covers northwestern Jefferson County and parts of Arvada, will speak about her experience as one of the first openly transgender women to win public office and the challenges of running for, winning and keeping her office in one of Colorado鈥檚 most politically polarized districts.
Conference organizers hope that Titone鈥檚 message will inspire 鈥渁 generation of transgender leaders to stand up, take the reins and fight for their destiny as visible, equal and empowered participants in our democracy.鈥�
Titone will speak from 3:30听to 4:45 p.m. March 9 in Koelbel 210.
Other notable speakers
Hina Wong-Kalu, who is described as 鈥渁 fierce advocate for maintaining Hawaiian culture,鈥� will also speak from 2听to 3:15 p.m. March 9 in Koelbel 135.
Known for her work with youth in her native Hawaii, Wong-Kalu was featured in the documentary film Kuma Hina,听a story told through the lens of a native Hawaiian who is also a proud and confident m膩h奴 or transgender woman and an honored and respected kumu, or teacher, cultural practitioner and community leader.
On March 10, the featured speaker will be Meredith Talusan, an award-winning journalist and author who has written features, essays and opinion pieces for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, VICE, The Nation and other publications.
She has also contributed to several books, including The New York Times best-seller Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture,听which was edited by Roxane Gay. Her memoir, Fairest,听is forthcoming from Viking/Penguin Random House.
