GS2014: Full Schedule

8:00am PDT

Gender Basics

This optional pre-conference session will ground participants in a common, multi-dimensional framework and vocabulary for understanding gender diversity. Designed for professionals interested in a refresher, or those just beginning to work with gender diverse young people, the workshop will touch upon key aspects of gender, including the relationship between sex and gender, cultural and historical perspectives of gender expression, and the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation.

Speakers

Joel Baum

Senior Manager, Professional Development, Gender Spectrum

Joel Baum is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Gender Spectrum’s professional development programs. He facilitates trainings, develops curriculum, consults with caregivers and professionals, and provides resources in service of a more compassionate understanding of gender... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 8:00am - 8:30am PDT
Soda Center – Moraga St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Interdisciplinary

8:40am PDT

Opening & Keynote

Friday July 25, 2014 8:40am - 9:20am PDT
Soda Center – Moraga St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium

9:30am PDT

Creating Gender Inclusive Schools

This presentation will provide an overview of Gender Spectrum’s model for establishing Gender Inclusive School Climates. Using a strategic and sequential process for building staff, community and student understanding of gender’s complexity, Gender Spectrum has developed a comprehensive program of professional development, curriculum and resources designed to create more accepting conditions in schools at all grade-levels. Participants will be introduced to many of the tools and best practices for creating an accepting school culture, including training materials for school leaders and staff, examples of parent and community education, student curriculum, and various policy documents.

Speakers

Morgan Darby, MA, MAT

Education Program Director, Gender Spectrum

Morgan Darby, MA, MAT is the Education Program Director for Gender Spectrum, and is responsible for deepening the curricular, programmatic, and outreach efforts in order to make issues related to gender accessible to those who work with children and teens. Previous to this... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 9:30am - 10:55am PDT
Soda Center – Orinda St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Educational

9:30am PDT

Improving Child Welfare Services for Gender-Expansive Children, Youth and Families

A prevalence of gender-expansive children and youth involved with child welfare systems is one of the sobering realities of a binary gender system. A combination of family misunderstanding, school push-out, and social isolation, along with ensuing mental health challenges results in a familiar pathway for these vulnerable young people. The presenters will provide an overview of efforts to support gender-expansive children and youth and their families in the child welfare system. Presenters and participants will discuss their experiences with the system and its partners, as well as local policy and practice. The dialogue will inform local, state and national system reform efforts.

Speakers

Bill Bettencourt

Bill Bettencourt, MA is Senior Associate, Center for the Study of Social Policy. He leads the get R.E.A.L initiative – to improve healthy sexual and identity development for children and youth involved in the child welfare system. Bill has 40 years of experience working in the... Read More →

Shannan Wilber, Esq

Youth Policy Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights

Shannan Wilber, Esq is the Youth Policy Director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Prior to her current position, she represented individual children at Legal Advocates for Children and Youth, engaged in policy advocacy and impact litigation to reform child welfare and juvenile... Read More →

Jill Jacobs MS

Jill Jacobs MS brings over 30 years of experience in multi-cultural community based health and social services organizations. She has a Masters degree in Health Services Administration. She has been the Executive Director of Family Builders since 1996. Jill is a national leader and... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 9:30am - 10:55am PDT
Soda Center – Claey's Lounge St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Child Welfare

9:30am PDT

Supporting Gender-Expansive Patients: What Healthcare Professionals Should Know

In the effective care and support for gender-expansive young people, the intersections between healthcare and the law are numerous. Too often, care providers are unaware of how legal issues can significantly impact their ability to effectively treat their young patients or the manner in which their treatment may have legal implications. This session will provide a solid perspective about the legal issues they will most likely encounter during the course of care they provide for a gender-expansive child or teen. Whether working with a child and family around issues at school, supporting their efforts to revise personal identity documents, navigate custody disputes, or respond to incidents of discrimination, being mindful about key legal principles is essential.

Speakers

Elizabeth Gill, Esq.

Elizabeth Gill, Esq. is a staff attorney with the ACLU of Northern California and the ACLU’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & AIDS Project. Elizabeth works around the country on litigation and public policy advocacy that aim to ensure equal treatment of LGBT people by the government... Read More →

Asaf Orr, JD

Senior Attorney, Transgender Youth Project, National Center for Lesbian Rights

Asaf Orr, JD Developing a passion for social justice at a young age, Asaf joined NCLR in 2012 after years of representing students with disabilities and people living with HIV/AIDS. As a Senior Staff Attorney and Director of NCLR’s Transgender Youth Project, Asaf works to safeguard... Read More →

Danny Kirchoff

Danny Kirchoff is currently the Helpline Manager at the Transgender Law Center. He graduated from Antioch College in 2000, after which he moved to San Francisco, California, where he worked at Horizons Foundation & Equality California and served on the LGBT Advisory Committee of the... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 9:30am - 10:55am PDT
Dante 114 St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Legal

9:30am PDT

The Biology of Gender Identity: Emerging Understandings

This session will highlight new understandings about the relationship between biology and gender identity. Influenced by work across multiple aspects of medical science, we are coming to an ever more nuanced recognition of gender’s complexity. Grounded in ongoing research as well as evolving practices from gender and Disorder of Sex Development clinical work, the workshop will explore cutting edge ideas about the physical aspects of gender. The workshop will also review the prevalence of gender-expansive/transgender youth, and current concepts of endocrine care and the implications for integrating medical, mental health, and advocacy services.

Speakers

Stephen M. Rosenthal, MD

Stephen M. Rosenthal, MD is Professor of Pediatrics, Director of Pediatric Endocrine Outpatient Services at UCSF, and Director of the recently created UCSF Pediatric Gender Program, in collaboration with the Child and Adolescent Gender Center (CAGC). A nationally and internationally... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 9:30am - 10:55am PDT
Soda Center – Lafayette St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Medical

9:30am PDT

When Worlds Collide: Autism and Gender

There are many overlaps between the gender spectrum and the autism spectrum. This talk is focused on parents and family members and the challenges confronting the mental health care professional supporting them. Parents are trying to identify the right things to do for their child in the midst of great uncertainty, lack of knowledge and a lot of social pressure. Parents experience a great deal of ambivalence and confusion about how to parent their child who is on either of these spectrums. When a child is living along both of them there can be an immobilizing effect on the ability of the family to take action in either regard. This presentation will go over the research and anecdotal information and contextualize the research as well. It will also touch on the major controversy of whether to permit a child to transition if they are on the spectrum.

Speakers

julie graham

julie graham is the Director of Transgender Health Services for the San Francisco Department of Public Health. (SFDPH). julie is a gender specialist who works exclusively with gender non-conforming, transgender and transsexual people. julie is interested in preparation, information... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 9:30am - 10:55am PDT
Dante 113 St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Mental Health

9:30am PDT

Working Toward a Gender Affirming Assessment Tool

The Child and Adolescent Gender Center-Mind the Gap Mental Health Collaborative has pulled together a team dedicated to developing gender affirmative mental health assessment protocols for children, youth, and their families with the goals of 1) transcending a binary model and replacing it with assessment tools that reflect the multiplicity and diversity of gender; and 2) facilitating open communication and improving collaboration with children, families, and allied professionals in treatment planning. Our team has created new and updated existing gender-focused interview questions, developed assessment protocols, and compiled suggested tools that may be helpful in gathering information about 1) your client's gender identity and gender expressions; 2) relationship to their body and their social, familial and cultural experience of gender; and 3) levels of support in the family and social environment. Our session will first present our working model and tools and then invite the participants to discuss and give the team input and feedback on this complex and delicate, yet much needed, assessment development process.

Speakers

Lisette Lahana

Mental Health Clinician, Private Practice

Lisette Lahana, LCSW has a private practice in Oakland, California and offers online individual and group consultation for gender therapists. Licensed since 1999, she is a Gender Specialist who works with transgender and gender-expansive kids, teens, adults and their families... Read More →

Diane Ehrensaft, PhD

Developmental and Clinical Psychologist, University of California San Francisco

Dr. Diane Ehrensaft is an associate professor of Pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco and a developmental and clinical psychologist with a private practice in Oakland, California. Along with her private practice, she is an attending psychologist at the Child and... Read More →

Shane Hill PhD

Shane Hill, PhD is a clinical psychologist with a private practice in Santa Cruz, California. He specializes in family and child therapy, couples therapy and gender identity. He founded the Santa Cruz Trans Therapist Team and co-founded the Santa Cruz Trans Parent Support Group... Read More →

Joy Johnson, PsyD

Joy L. Johnson, PsyD is a bilingual child and family psychotherapist. Dr. Johnson is an active member of the Child and Adolescent Gender Center’s Mind the Gap Consortium and has been an integral contributor to the development of the Center’s gender affirmative youth assessment... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 9:30am - 10:55am PDT
Soda Center – Moraga St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Mental Health

11:05am PDT

Legal Aspects of Creating Safe Schools for Gender-Expansive Youth

Increasingly, schools are being called upon to meet the needs of transgender and other gender-expansive students. Across all grades and in virtually every aspect of a student’s life, educational institutions face new challenges to ensure that every child has full access to learning. This workshop will examine evolving legislative and policy requirements that are impacting everything from student records to athletic participation. What specific protections are in place for students? What if state or local districts do not explicitly have such protections in place? Where do anti-bullying laws fit in? In addition to these and other topics, the workshop will also include discussions about first amendment speech and expression issues, protections for teachers and schools, and legal implications in private school settings.

Speakers

Kendra Fox-Davis, Esq.

Kendra Fox-Davis, Esq. is an attorney at the United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the San Francisco Regional Office. Kendra’s work includes investigating and resolving complaints of sex-based harassment and discrimination, including peer harassment... Read More →

Amanda Goad, Esq.

Amanda Goad, Esq. is a Los Angeles-based Staff Attorney with the national American Civil Liberties Union’s LGBT & AIDS Project. At the ACLU, Amanda has advocated for transgender and gender-nonconforming youth from Georgia to Idaho, in addition to working on a range of other issues... Read More →

Asaf Orr, JD

Senior Attorney, Transgender Youth Project, National Center for Lesbian Rights

Friday July 25, 2014 11:05am - 12:30pm PDT
Dante 114 St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Legal

11:05am PDT

Navigating Gender and Other Differences: Bringing Cultural Humility to Work with Families

What are some of the complexities of working with families of color and mixed-race families with gender-expansive children? How do racism and other “isms” shape their experience of gender? How can educators and providers practice cultural humility – bringing a stance of lifelong learning, self-reflection and attention to power to their work with families? Two mothers of gender-expansive children will share their experiences as parents and community educators to kick off an interactive workshop with self-reflection, sharing and discussion. Participants will gain important perspectives as they the reflect on their professional practices, including an awareness of themselves and the culture and power they bring into interactions with families; a deepened appreciation for the complexities that mixed race families and families of color must navigate when raising gender-expansive children; and ideas for applying principles of cultural humility to their professional contexts when working with families.

Speakers

Mirna Medina

Mirna Medina is a Co-Founder of Somos Familia, a community organization that engages Latino families of LGBTQ youth to build family and community acceptance. As the mother of a bisexual son, she shares her own story of learning to accept and celebrate her son to spark community... Read More →

Laurin Mayeno, MPH

Laurin Mayeno, MPH is the proud mother of a multiracial gay son who uses her voice to build support for children and youth of all gender expressions, gender identities and sexual orientations. She uses personal storytelling and interactive approaches to explore various dimensions... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 11:05am - 12:30pm PDT
Dante 113 St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Interdisciplinary

11:05am PDT

Not In Our School: Tools to Create Safe and Inclusive Schools for Gender-Expansive Youth

Words Hurt! Gender-expansive students and children who do not fit gender stereotypes are often teased and bullied on a daily basis. Not In Our School (NIOS) is a model offering tools and resources for student-led initiatives to eliminate bullying and all forms of intolerance. The NIOS website offers an array of free films and lesson guides to help educators support students, address homophobia, and create safe spaces for gender-expansive students. Learn strategies that build bridges of understanding across gender, race, and religious differences. Leave this session with a set of tools to help educators bring students together to identify issues at their schools and to launch a student-led Not In Our School campaign.

Speakers

Becki Cohn-Vargas, EdD

Becki Cohn-Vargas, EdD is the Director of Not In Our School (NIOS), and is a mother of two lesbian daughters and a straight son. She has spoken on preventing bullying across the United States. Becki's book, “Identity Safe Classrooms: Places to Belong and Learn,” co-authored with... Read More →

Letitia Burton, MA

Letitia Burton, MA is a veteran educator with over 25 years of experience working with diverse populations of students. Throughout her career, Letitia has been a champion for classroom inclusion, creating identity safe and inclusive learning environments in which all students can... Read More →

Cassandra Belson, MS

Cassandra Belson, MS is the Executive Assistant at Not In Our Town. Cassandra worked as a community organizer for migrant rights in Arizona before earning a Master of Science in Community Development in 2013 from UC Davis for a project titled "La Resistencia: Living Resistance in... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 11:05am - 12:30pm PDT
Soda Center – Orinda St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Educational

11:05am PDT

Outside of the Gender Binary: Defining and Caring for Non-Binary Identified Youth

The gender binary is limiting in both describing the experience of gender, but also in the development of medical and mental health care protocols. This workshop will primarily be a discussion of the approach to caring for non-binary identified youth in the mental and medical health care domains. Led by three experienced clinicians, we will explore the challenges of development, societal integration, language, privilege, and medical decision making for non-binary youth. Additionally, this workshop will introduce a new tool for visual depiction of gender experience that is richer and more complete than the simplistic binary.

Speakers

Aydin Olson-Kennedy, MSW, ACSW

Director, Los Angeles Gender Center

Aydin Olson-Kennedy, MSW, is the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Gender Center where he provides psychotherapy for gender non-conforming and transgender youth, adults and their families. Before moving to Los Angeles, Mr. Olson-Kennedy founded of the Community Counseling Program... Read More →

Susan P. Landon, LMFT

Susan P. Landon, LMFT is the Director of the Child and Adolescent Program at the Los Angeles Gender Center. For the past 12 years she has worked to provide the safe and welcoming space that gender non-conforming children and transgender youth need to explore their gender journey... Read More →

Johanna Olson-Kennedy, MD

Medical Director, Center for Transyouth Health and Development, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Johanna Olson-Kennedy has been providing medical intervention for gender non-conforming and transgender youth and young adults for the past twelve years, and is considered a national expert in this area. Double board certified in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Dr. Olson-Kennedy... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 11:05am - 12:30pm PDT
Soda Center – Moraga St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Interdisciplinary

11:05am PDT

Supporting Gender-Expansive Youth in Navigating Media, Sexuality and Body

Many of the challenges that adolescents face become more difficult when the lens of gender diversity is added to the mix. Sexuality, body image, eating disorders, relationships with parents and other adults are just some of the areas that prove difficult enough for young people coming into adulthood. For gender-expansive youth, working around these issues can become even more complicated. This session will explore how gender intersects with the many medical and mental health challenges adolescents encounter, and specific strategies for approaching them.

Speakers

Desiree Skye Gonzales

Desiree Skye Gonzales works as a Peer Counselor with RAMS Inc. at the PAES Counseling & Pre-Vocational Services program. Skye provides case management, group facilitation and curriculum development. Skye is on the Advisory Board for the Castro Country Club (a sober safe space for... Read More →

J. Jessie Rose Cohen, LCSW

Director of Community Based Clinical Services and Training, University California of San Francisco

J. Jessie Rose Cohen, LCSW (pronouns "J"/she/her) has worked with children and families nearing twenty years. J. is a TransNonBinary identified clinician. Trained at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, J. serves as Director of Community based Clinical... Read More →

Ilana Sherer, MD

Ilana Sherer, MD is a pediatrician in California. In addition to seeing patients at Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Dr. Sherer is a founding member of the UCSF Child and Adolescent Gender Center and serves as its Assistant Medical Director and Director of Primary Care. She has received... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 11:05am - 12:30pm PDT
Soda Center – Claey's Lounge St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Interdisciplinary

11:05am PDT

The Socially Transitioning Family: Lessons from Mine and Theirs

This presentation will cover the multi-faceted wonders involved in identifying, understanding and taking care of gender-expansive children and their families, especially those who go through a social transition. Early social transitions are centered around the health and well-being of the child yet are a profound experience for everyone involved. With hopes of spreading the good news about kids who are supported to live authentically, Kelly shares her deep clinical experience in tandem with her ever-unfolding experiences as a mother of her own awesome gender-expansive child. Delivered with heart, humor and helpful insights, this conversation aims to help all of us understand the rich and profound experience of raising, transitioning, supporting, and championing these incredible kids and families.

Speakers

Kelly Storck, LCSW

Kelly Storck, LCSW, has worked with gender-diverse clients for 10 years in her therapy and gender care practice. Along with this work, Kelly presents workshops and trainings on issues relevant to gender diversity and has served as a facilitator for a gender-diverse children's play... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 11:05am - 12:30pm PDT
Soda Center – Lafayette St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Mental Health

1:40pm PDT

Building Bridges: Working with Families of Gender-Expansive Youth in Child Welfare Contexts

Frequently, families of gender-expansive youth struggle with their child's gender expression or identity. In some cases, this may be the reason the child has entered the system to begin with. Child welfare providers are often challenged by the need to support a child's authentic experiences of gender while at the same honoring a family’s own struggle with the issue. This session will examine ways in which child welfare professionals can balance these two aspects, developing language, resources and tools for helping both the young person and their caregivers move towards a closer understanding of one another's needs and perspectives. The session will also examine the degree to which differing levels of family acceptance, or lack thereof, can impact the ultimate health and well-being of a gender-expansive child.

Speakers

Amy Cipolla-Stickles

Amy Cipolla-Stickles has long been involved in struggles for equity and justice for children and families impacted by the foster care system, transracial adoptees, teenage parents, LGBT and people who are financially unstable. Amy has more than 15 years’ experience in multicultural... Read More →

J. Jessie Rose Cohen, LCSW

Director of Community Based Clinical Services and Training, University California of San Francisco

Friday July 25, 2014 1:40pm - 3:05pm PDT
Soda Center – Claey's Lounge St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Child Welfare

1:40pm PDT

Fertility Issues for Gender-Expansive Youth: What Professionals Need to Know

Providers are often asked to support parents and youth around fertility questions. Both are often concerned about youth who physically transition being able to have biological children. This session will explore in detail different options for future biological children for those who have had or are thinking of medical interventions including puberty blockers and cross hormones. This will include some of the medical basics of what and why there are issues with fertility for youth who transition, and the impact of timing of transition on those issues. The session will also provide time for Q&A, as well as acknowledgment of the emotional difficulties that are particularly acute with this topic.

Speakers

Kathy Hsiao, MD

Kathy Hsiao, MD is a GYN pelvic surgeon and LGBTQ health advocate. She testified as a medical expert witness for the May 2014 landmark appeal of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicare NCD 140.3 for transgender affirming surgery. Dr. Hsiao has lectured internationally... Read More →

Jen Hastings, MD

Volunteer Clinical Professor, UCSF Dept of Family and Community Medicine/Health Improvement Partnership of San

Jen Hastings, MD is Volunteer Clinical Professor, UCSF, Department of Family and Community Medicine and actively involved in supporting Transgender Services around the country.

Rebecca Golfader, NP

Friday July 25, 2014 1:40pm - 3:05pm PDT
Dante 113 St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Medical

1:40pm PDT

Just a Girl, Just a Boy

"My child will not talk about anything transgender. She just wants to be a girl.” Integrating transgender experience into core self is an important element of development for transgender youth, and can be incredibly difficult when transgender identities are not celebrated in their social environments. This integration seems to be more challenging for those who are transitioning early in life. This workshop will present strategies for helping youth to include their transgender selves into their identities. Case examples will be presented for assistance in illuminating the pros and cons of the “just a girl, just a boy” phenomenon. We will discuss the importance of parent/caregiver language that celebrates transgender, and encourages youth to embrace this part of their experience.

Speakers

Aydin Olson-Kennedy, MSW, ACSW

Director, Los Angeles Gender Center

Susan P. Landon, LMFT

Johanna Olson-Kennedy, MD

Medical Director, Center for Transyouth Health and Development, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Friday July 25, 2014 1:40pm - 3:05pm PDT
Dante 114 St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Mental Health

1:40pm PDT

Puberty Blockers and Cross Hormones

This session will focus on the needs of children who are beginning the road to medical support around their gender. The mechanism of puberty blockers (GnRH analogues) and cross hormones, including timing, dosing, and follow up care will be presented. A discussion of the Dutch protocols, the Endocrine Guidelines and WPATH Standards of Care will be presented. The presenters will discuss and debate newer recommendations and timelines for improved care for gender-expansive children and the challenges of providing support for children and families who do not have access to care.

Speakers

Ilana Sherer, MD

Meredith Russell, PNP

Meredith Russell, PNP is a provider at UCSF’s Division of Pediatric Endocrinology dedicated to designing and delivering high quality services for transgender children and adolescents. As part of a multidisciplinary team, Russell helped launch the UCSF Child and Adolescent Gender... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 1:40pm - 3:05pm PDT
Soda Center – Lafayette St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Medical

1:40pm PDT

Safe and Supported: Gender Transitions at School

For many caregivers and educators, even the possibility of a young person transitioning at school seems overwhelming if not impossible. However, some transgender students are taking this courageous step and successfully transitioning while remaining enrolled in their educational institution. What are the key elements of a positive experience? What preparation, training and conditions need to be considered as students and their families make the difficult decision to support a child's authentic gender in the classroom? After exploring key principles that must be considered when a student transitions, the session will present specific tools and resources for supporting a student to safely and successfully transition within the school community.

Speakers

Joel Baum

Senior Manager, Professional Development, Gender Spectrum

Friday July 25, 2014 1:40pm - 3:05pm PDT
Soda Center – Orinda St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Educational

1:40pm PDT

Tough Cases: What We Are Learning (and didn’t learn in school)

Gender affirmative child gender programs have been up and running for some time now. Mental health professionals from three of these programs across the U.S. will each present for discussion one of their tough cases that challenge theoretical knowledge, clinical thinking, and/or assessment and direction of mental health interventions with gender-expansive children and their families. Using an advanced clinical case conference model, we will then invite the session participants to join with us in consultation about insights and recommendations for each of the three cases, with opportunities to make connections with their own challenging cases.

Speakers

Jean Malpas, LMHC, LMFT

Jean Malpas, LMHC, LMFT is a psychotherapist in private practice and a faculty member of the Ackerman Institute for the Family in New York City. For the past 10 years, Jean has provided psychotherapy to individuals, couples, families and groups. His expertise includes family and relationship... Read More →

Diane Ehrensaft, PhD

Developmental and Clinical Psychologist, University of California San Francisco

Amy Tishelman, PhD

Amy Tishelman, PhD is a clinical psychologist with expertise in gender and sexual development of youth, trauma and child maltreatment, and pediatric psychology. She is the Director of Clinical Research and a senior staff psychologist for the Disorders of Sexual Development-Gender... Read More →

Randi Kaufman, PsyD

Randi Kaufman, PsyD is a clinical psychologist who has been serving the transgender and gender-expansive community for over 15 years. She was the founder and coordinator of the Transgender Health Program at Fenway Health in Boston. Currently she evaluates transgender and gender-expansive... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 1:40pm - 3:05pm PDT
Soda Center – Moraga St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Mental Health

3:15pm PDT

Complex Cases and Challenging Questions: What’s New?

This workshop will feature clinical examples that provide insights into some of the difficult questions facing care providers as they seek to support gender-expansive children and youth. What do we know about and how do we characterize "persisters" and "desisters?" What are we learning about the timing for starting blockers on children who have asserted a consistent transgender identity throughout childhood? Where do considerations of future fertility fit into the medical care of a gender-expansive patient? Using specific cases, the session will highlight how practitioners are grappling with these questions, as well as how a growing body of research from gender clinics throughout the world are influencing their answers and approaches.

Speakers

Maddie Deutsch, MD

Maddie Deutsch, MD is an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF where she is the Clinical Lead at the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health. She has conducted research and published on a range of transgender health issues, has written several text chapters and has lectured internationally... Read More →

Johanna Olson-Kennedy, MD

Medical Director, Center for Transyouth Health and Development, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Friday July 25, 2014 3:15pm - 4:40pm PDT
Soda Center – Moraga St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Medical

3:15pm PDT

Gender-Expansive Children and Youth: New Frontiers in the Legal Landscape

As issues of gender diversity continue to become more apparent, a complex array of social, cultural, medical, and other dynamics are unfolding, resulting in profound impacts on the field of law. This workshop will explore this shifting legal context and the growing disconnect between systems grounded in strictly binary notions of gender in a world where gender’s complexity is being increasingly recognized, particularly among young people. Legal professionals are employing case law from emerging from issues such as privacy, free speech and sex stereotyping to assert and protect the rights of gender-expansive children and youth. Additionally, various international perspectives and movements are further influencing this process. After briefly outlining this legal landscape, the workshop will engage participants in a discussion about what a multi-disciplinary, constructive approach for asserting and protecting the rights of gender-expansive youth will look like in the midst of this melting pot of change.

Speakers

Sasha Buchert, Esq.

Sasha Buchert, Esq. is a Staff Attorney with Transgender Law Center where she works to remove barriers to health care, employment and accurate identity documents for transgender and gender nonconforming people. Before joining Transgender Law Center, she worked at Basic Rights Oregon... Read More →

Amanda Goad, Esq.

Friday July 25, 2014 3:15pm - 4:40pm PDT
Dante 114 St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Legal

3:15pm PDT

Supporting Gender Creative and Transgender Youth in K-12 Schools: What We Can Learn from Their Teachers

This workshop will address how to help education professionals identify barriers and supports to creating safe and inclusive school climates. With an emphasis on gender and sexual diversity issues, participants will learn about strategies, long-term interventions, legal guidelines and resources to help you advocate more effectively for transgender and gender-expansive youth in schools. Interactive activities and group discussions will provide participants with experience and practice advocating for the needs of their students and various approaches that are preventive in nature.

Speakers

Elizabeth J. Meyer, PhD

Elizabeth J. Meyer, PhD is a former high school teacher and an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at California Polytechnic State University. She completed her PhD in Education at McGill University and is the author of two books: Gender, Bullying, and Harassment: Strategies... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 3:15pm - 4:40pm PDT
Soda Center – Orinda St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Educational

3:15pm PDT

Surgical Options for Transgender Adolescents and Beyond

The focus of this workshop is to educate the community on the most advanced surgical techniques used today for sex reassignment surgery (SRS). Dr. Crane will discuss current approaches and options for various MtF and FtM procedures, including examples of recent outcomes. Dr. Crane also will answer specific questions after his presentation. The session will include some of the current dilemmas individuals and caregivers must navigate as they consider these approaches for helping to align one’s body and one’s sense of self.

Friday July 25, 2014 3:15pm - 4:40pm PDT
Soda Center – Lafayette St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Medical

3:15pm PDT

Taking a Closer Look: Children and Youth in Varied Systems of Care

Building on the issues raised in the session above, this workshop will feature an exploration of the challenges of providing comprehensive and coherent care for gender-expansive kids in community-based and child welfare contexts. How does trauma impact care priorities and approaches? What role does cultural humility play in working with gender diversity issues? What are strategies for engaging caregivers in the gender-related care and support of a child? What are the challenges of accessing a full range of services on behalf of a client? Bringing together experienced professionals from multiple disciplines and child welfare contexts, the workshop aims to give attendees practical tools and resources for working with some of our most vulnerable young people.

Speakers

Bernadette Ebony Brown

Bernadette Ebony Brown is a senior program specialist at National Center on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) and the project manager for Improving Permanency for LGBT Youth. This project seeks to strengthen the connection between out-of-home LGBT youth and their families, so that these... Read More →

Amber Merziotis

LGBTQ Family Advocate, Family Builders

Amber Mertziotis joyfully joined Family Builders in April 2013 as the LGBTQ Family Advocate for the Youth Acceptance Collaborative. Amber studied Counseling Psychology with a specialization in somatic psychology from John F. Kennedy University. Amber is passionate about using a holistic... Read More →

Kellen R. Grayson, LMFT, PsyD

Kellen R. Grayson LMFT, PsyD is a Doctor of Psychology and also a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Dr. Grayson is currently a clinician at WestCoast Children’s Clinic working with youth placed in foster care or residential settings. He also has a private practice in Old Oakland... Read More →

Captain Young

Captain Young is the LGBTQ Youth Advocate at Our Space, a queer/trans youth center in the East Bay. Our Space a Bay Area youth center which holds the experiences, strengths and needs of youth impacted by institutions at its core, and recognizes these youth as fierce love change... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 3:15pm - 4:40pm PDT
Soda Center – Claey's Lounge St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Child Welfare

3:15pm PDT

What Do 925 Youth Have to Say About Gender?

The Human Rights Campaign, in collaboration with Gender Spectrum, has released it’s groundbreaking report Supporting and Caring for Our Gender-Expansive Youth: Lessons from the Human Right’s Campaign’s Youth Survey. This report provides data from 925 youth aged 13 through 17 who identify as “transgender” or an “Other gender“ (other than transgender, female, or male) about personal well-being, family support, community connection, extent of being “out,” and their hopes for the future. Suggestions for what parents, caregivers, educators, and other professionals can do as allies to all youth will be part of the discussion, and copies of the report will be available to workshop attendees.

Speakers

Johanna Eager, M. Ed

Director, Welcoming Schools, Human Rights Campaign

Johanna Eager, M. Ed

Anne E. Nicoll, PhD

Anne E. Nicoll, PhD provides research consultation to child welfare organizations throughout the country. She oversees the secondary analysis of the data from Human Rights Campaign’s Youth Survey: Growing Up LGBT in America. She has an extensive background working on issues related... Read More →

Friday July 25, 2014 3:15pm - 4:40pm PDT
Dante 113 St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium, Interdisciplinary

4:50pm PDT

Closing

Friday July 25, 2014 4:50pm - 5:50pm PDT
Soda Center – Orinda St Mary's College of California, 1928 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556

Professionals Symposium