Ttransgender community members, families, and allies join together for this, the first of its kind, two-day event. This Summit provided a unique opportunity to strategize, connect with individuals from across the state and learn or improve important advocacy and activist skills in a variety of areas.
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California Transgender Leadership Summit
February 17 - 19, 2006
The envent opened on Friday evening with an opening panel discussion and a reception. The workshops started on Saturday, and ran along 3 tracks. There were 3 workshop sessions (one of each track per session). The tracks were Personal Development, Community Building, and Institutional Change.
In the registration area, there was a resource area from which people could obtain information about programs and events throughout California.
Opening Panel Discussion
Community Building
• Fostering sustainable coalitions between Transgender communities; Effective communication around identity and privilege: Danny Kirchoff, Equality California (San Francisco)
• Community Organizing: Tools and Strategies: Malachi Larabee-Garza, School of Unity & Liberation (San Francisco)
• Connecting the dots; sharing strategies for local organizing: Shirley Bushnell, West Hollywood Transgender Task Force, APAIT (Los Angeles); Vicki Ortega, LAGLC (Los Angeles); Hannah Howard, League of Trans Unified Sisters – LOTUS (Los Angeles)
Institutional Change
• Public Policy Advocacy: Making change for everyone: AJ Davis, Director of Public Policy, San Diego LGBT Center (San Diego); Pat Magee, OC FTM (Orange County); Tracie O’Brien, Transgender Health Project, Family Health Centers (San Diego)
• Economic Empowerment and the Transgender Community: Lisa Kassner, Broadcast Engineer, NABE-CWA Local 53; JoAnne Keatley, Co-Chair, San Francisco Transgender Empowerment, Advocacy & Mentorship – SF TEAM (San Francisco); Lance Toma, Deputy Director, Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center (San Francisco)
• Media Advocacy: Developing shared messages and strategies: Nick Adams (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation – GLAAD (Los Angeles)
Sunday Panel Discussion What a movement looks like: Building a statewide transgender rights movement: Shirley Bushnell, West Hollywood Transgender Task Force, APAIT (Los Angeles); Sister Mary Elizabeth, AEGIS (Los Angeles); Robert Haaland, SEIU 790 (San Francisco); Alexander Lee, Director, TGI Justice Project (San Francisco) Since I was unable to attend every workshop, these image are from the workshos I did attend.