Last weekend, I attended the Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference! This was my first time attending this conference so I didn’t know what to expect, but I was excited to be there, meet people, and learn as much as possible.

I saw amazing workshops and talks hosted by the North Jersey Community Research Initiative, the San Francisco Community Health Centre, and Point of Pride. I was especially impressed by the creativity and care that these three organizations demonstrated in their presentations.

I also got to meet the creators behind amazing trans brands I love like Trans Tape, as well as get to know and love new brands like Toxic Femme, and Darb Garb.

I also got to participate in a top surgery show and tell where I stood shirtless in a line with twenty other folks to show off and talk about our top surgeries! AND I saw the keynote by trans swimmer Lia Thomas which was moving, beautiful, and a perfect way to start the conference.

I also got the opportunity to present a talk myself!

I spoke about the importance of student-led and culturally responsive gender-affirming voice education and how I’m upholding those values through my new course, Mix & Match. My talk also included some gender-affirming voice 101 with lots of very fun audience participation, and I got tons of very thoughtful questions at the end.

Overall the conference was an incredible experience. I got to meet people who are working tirelessly in their communities to make the world a better place for their trans neighbours. I met people who are creatively problem solving and resource sharing and breaking down barriers for trans people everywhere. And I met people just like me who want to find ways to make their services even more accessible to trans people.

My big takeaway from this conference is that I’m really at the beginning of my journey. There is a huge network of trans folks and their allies out there that I’ve barely begun to tap into and I’m excited to have started the process of making those connections. I have so much to learn from people who have been at this way longer than I have, and I truly believe in the vision that we all have for the future - one where trans people everywhere are free, resourced, and loved.