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What to expect at the first Trans Alaska Summit

Since the founding of Transgender Leadership Alaska two years ago, we wanted to find some way to bring together Alaskans to learn about Transgender and Gender Expansive issues. In just under two weeks from now, our dream is becoming a reality at our first ever Trans Alaska Summit.

The Summit will be a weekend long event from Friday March 8th through Sunday March 10th, beginning with a Gender Fabulous Welcome Dance at the Church of Love featuring performers Harpers Farce and MC MoHagani Magnetek. The main event will take place at Spirit Path Yoga March 9th; a conference addressing topics from advocacy within the trans community, conflict resolution and group facilitation, the gender nonconforming community, trans rights in the work place, why the heck we have gender reveal parties (actually.. why do we have these??) and more. There’s something here for everyone whether you belong to the trans or queer community, are a health provider, educator, or an ally. Click here for a full schedule of the conference. The weekend will wrap up with a Gender Fabulous Pool Party on March 10th at West High Pool, where we encourage you to come as you are most comfortable. From 4:30pm – 5:30pm we will have an open swim for those who identify as transgender, gender nonconforming, or gender expansive. From 5:30pm – 6:30pm we will be hosting an open swim for everyone! This event is meant to be a gender diverse and accepting space welcome to everyone.

All events will be free of charge, however we encourage you to donate in order to keep our group and these events running and sustainable. Although you do not need to register for the dance or pool party, we ask that you register ahead of time for the Summit on March 9th as we have limited space, so do so as soon as possible! Register here.

Unfortunately, our dance and Summit on March 8th and 9th are only available to those 18 and older. The pool party, however, is all ages!

We really hope that you enjoy the Summit this March, a lot of work went into this and we are so glad you’ll be joining us on this journey.

Transgender Day of Remembrance 2018

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) recently passed us as yet again we celebrated and honored the lives of the transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals who were murdered this year. The numbers reached at least 369 recorded deaths from November 20th, 2017 through November 19th, 2018. Due to the stigma around this community and the difficulty in seeking out reports, it’s plausible to assume the numbers reach much higher. You can find this years list supplied by the Remembering Our Dead Project here.

In remembrance our fallen TGNC siblings, we hosted a few events leading up to November 20th. A social hosted at Alaska’s center for the LGBTQ+ Community, Identity Inc. brought the community together under one roof and was followed by Transcending Tales: Overcoming Adversity. Transcending Tales brought together six trans and gender nonconforming speakers to talk not necessarily just about their transition or life in the trans community, but their experience in the world. The show put on at the Alaska Experience theater was directed by Oliver Smith and featured Quinn Christopherson as the musical opener followed by the stories of Emma Horner, Kal L. Bacon, Luka Kondratyeva, Skylar Arend, Matt Pacillo, and EB Galloway. You can see this edition’s recording below.

Following Transcending Tales, Transgender Day of Remembrance was observed in Anchorage, Talkeetna, Fairbanks, Juneau and Wrangell. The Veteran and Pagan communities of Anchorage held additional observances of TDOR, making this year’s observance possibly one of the furthest reaching in Alaska so far. Though we are saddened that year after year more names are added to an ever growing list in greater and greater proportions, we hope to remain vigilant in connecting and strengthening our communities. We thank Alaska for joining us again this year.

TDOR Events 2018

It’s Trans Week of Awareness and that means that Trans Day of Remembrance, a day honoring and celebrating the transgender and gender nonconforming community in wake of the violence they face every year. Across the state of Alaska in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Talkeetna, Juneau, and Wrangell TLA and allied organizations will be hosting events in remembrance of those we lost. You can find the different events we’ll be hosting on our events page  or on the flyer below.

Rallying for Trans Equality

 

In a short-notice call to action this weekend, Trans Leadership Alaska held a rally in support of trans rights, bringing awareness to the upcoming election and to problems with our current administration. Although the rally was intentionally nonpartisan, the organization called to attention the recently leaked Trump Administration memo that revealed the Department of Health and Human Service’s plans to attack the transgender and gender nonconforming community. The memo states that under their proposal, gender may be defined in binary male-female terms and based solely on one’s genitalia at birth. This plan definitively erases transgender and gender nonconforming people under the law.

There was noticeable tension in the air when addressing the systematic attacks on the TGNC community, however as multiple members from TLA addressed, simply being visible and showing support for the community moves us closer to a safer more inclusive world. Trans education pamphlets and statewide equality petitions were brought in tow to promote and expand the work that TLA is hoping to continue over the coming years.

In addition to the 70+ people that attended the rally, governor candidate Mark Begich made a surprise appearance coming off the busy campaign trail just days before the election. Begich has a history of standing with the LGBTQ+ community as an elected Alaskan official, whereas Begich’s competition Mike Dunleavy is outspokenly anti-LGBTQ+. Looking forward, the governors race will influence much of TLA’s work in the future. We hope that you all vote this upcoming Tuesday!

Coming Out for Equality and Statewide Protections

For National Coming Out Day October 10th, TLA decided to take the name quite literally. Coming to the University of Alaska Anchorage Trans Leadership Alaska dragged along the outhouse built for the Fur Rondy Outhouse Races, toting it as the “closet to come out of”. Lillian Lennon and MoHagani Magnetek tabled in the Student Union raising awareness for the special day and for an upcoming fight in Alaska’s legislature, the Statewide Nondiscrimination Bill.

Known as HB 184 in the 2018 legislative session, the bill is “an act to add to the powers and duties of the State Commission for Human Rights; and relating to and prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.” With Juneau and Anchorage being the only two municipalities in Alaska upholding nondiscrimination ordinances (NDO) protecting individuals on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation and Anchorage reaffirming it’s ordinance in April of 2018, the rest of Alaska’s LGBTQ+ community continues to be unprotected.

TLA strives for a state protecting the rights of all LGBTQ+ individuals and believes securing a statewide nondiscrimination bill will be a giant step in achieving that. We intend to be active on this topic as we enter the next legislative session.

Lillian Lennon and MoHagani Magnetek tabling at UAA.