Come join us at Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre on Saturday 17th June for our annual Scottish Trans Conference!
This year's conference will be an opportunity for our community and allies to come together to learn, share, and discuss how we can best uplift trans people and our voices. Our theme is “Care & Community” as we want to focus on how we look out for each other while making bold steps forward as a community.
This free event will be open to all trans and non-binary people and our supportive friends, parents, partners, families and allies, who are 18 years old and over. Some sessions will only be open to trans and non-binary people. Service providers and professionals who work with trans people, or want to improve their services for trans people, are also welcome.
The day will include an opening and closing plenary from Scottish Trans staff, three different sessions where attendees can choose between a range of informative and participatory talks and workshops, and a free lunch.
NOTE: It may now be too late for us to request adjustments to the lunch for people with allergies or special dietary requirements. If you are booking your tickets from today, please do still let us know what you need, and we can speak over email to get things sorted :)
What's on?
Want to know happening on the day? Check out the list below to see some of the sessions available to attendees, with more to be announced:
What’s happening with gender identity services? (Scottish Trans)
Scottish Trans are hosting a Lived Experience Coordinator as part of the Scottish Government’s work to “transform” gender identity services through a three year strategic action framework. Join Ryan to hear more about what’s going on with that work, how you can be involved, and share with us what you think needs to be happening to make sure we have access to the healthcare we need.
“Talking Trans” Conversations Training (Scottish Trans) ^
Training workshop for trans people and our allies about how to have better conversations about our experiences or those of our community, whether that’s with a friend, loved one, colleague, or journalist.
Trans Pride Scotland – Come Get Involved! (Trans Pride Scotland Committee) *
A chance for trans and non-binary people to ask the Trans Pride Committee what’s involved with organising an annual pride event, and find out how they can get involved with helping to run future events.
Trans Women In Sport Workshop (LEAP Sports Trans Women Steering Group)*
A chance to discuss the current climate for trans women and transfeminine people in sport, which sports are more accepting, and what can be done to improve trans inclusion in sport.
Gender Recognition Reform and Section 35 (Scottish Trans)
Join Vic to hear about what we know (and maybe even more about what we don’t know) about what’s happening with Gender Recognition Reform and the section 35 order. We’ll talk you through what the block means for the Bill, what the Court process should look like, and what the different options might be depending on the outcome.
Campaigning for Healthcare Panel ^
Join a panel discussion with 4 activists who have campaigned to change and improve healthcare. Hear from:
- Eva Echo – who is involved in the Good Law Project’s legal case against NHS England, challenging the long waiting times for GICs through the courts
- Kay Kasese – from Black Beetle Health, who work to shed light on key health disparities for LGBTQ+ People of Colour and redefine the standard of health outcomes for these communities
- Greg Owen – who leads on PrEP and on mpox at Terrence Higgins Trust and is co-founder of iwantPrEPnow, a website which facilitates the safe purchase of genuine generic PrEP (the HIV prevention drug)
- Oliver Wain – who works to make services and organisations focusing on endometriosis more responsive to the needs of trans men and non-binary people
about their experiences, successes, and challenges in campaigning, along with a Q&A
Moving Forward in Transition (LGBT Health & Wellbeing)*
A workshop exploring the various aspects of transitioning, including: social, medical, mental health impact and gender presentation. Aimed at anyone feeling stuck or just needing that extra boost to help you feel better about the journey. Whether you’re unsure what transition really means or have been at it for years now, come join us for a mixture of group discussions and individual work, with practical ideas and peer support along the way!
Care & Community Zine-making (Coin Operated Press)
Coin-Operated Press CIC presents this zine-making workshop in collaboration with Scottish Trans. In this workshop you will be using collage techniques to create pages to go into our zine about LGBTQ+ rights, trans issues, activism and the trans conference theme for 2023: Care & Community. All ages and experience levels are welcome and all materials will be provided by Coin-Operated Press CIC. If you have any questions or accessibility requirements, please email Katie at coinoperatedpress@gmail.com
Drop-in and Chat (Scottish Trans)
Do you have a suggestion, comment, idea or project you’d like to share with us? Come and join Oceana from Scottish Trans for a relaxed drop-in session with Q&A to talk all things community.
Create your own healthcare campaign
Whether you're feeling inspired from the Campaigning for Healthcare panel, or just know there are problems with good healthcare for trans people that you want to solve, this is the one for you! This workshop will give you the opportunity to discuss in small groups the problems, big and small, with healthcare for trans people - and then get thinking about what needs to change, who needs to be persuaded, and how we make that happen. Come prepared to share ideas, get creative, and make plans!
Experiences of Healthcare Panel ^
A panel event hosted by Esraa Husain with three other trans and nonbinary people based in Scotland, who will share their challenges and experiences when accessing healthcare, including mental health care and wellbeing services including community support groups. The panel includes BPOC and disabled speakers.
Our Community, Our Voice (OurStory Scotland)
Join OurStory Scotland for a group recording to amplify trans voices in archives. By taking part in this short group discussion you can safely use your voice to send a message, share an experience or talk about your life under the theme of Our Community, Our Voice. What do you want to pass on to the future? What do you want to say to our community or wider society? You can also have your say in written form using one of our episode forms. The material collected will be archived at the National Library Scotland and the National Museum of Scotland.
What matters to you about healthcare in Dundee?
This drop-in session is only open to those living in the Dundee City Council area. Join Siobhan Tolland, Councillor for Lochee Ward at Dundee City Council and member of the Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership, and Joyce Barclay, Senior Officer at Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership, to start a conversation about access to local local community health and social care services, and how things can get better. They want to hear from you about what works, what doesn’t, and how you can work together to improve things going forward.
Sessions marked with * are only open to those who self-identify as trans or non-binary (as well as their carers), and sessions marked with ^ indicate those which will be available for online participants.
The DCA's galleries are also open as usual, and so please feel free to explore their exhibitions from Zineb Sedira and Saoirse Amira Anis during breaks between sessions (see below for more info).
Conference Schedule:
10.00 - Doors open & registration
10.45 - Welcome & Opening Plenary
11.15 - 12.30 - Session 1:
What's happening with gender identity services?, Talking Trans Conversation Training, Trans Pride Scotland - Come Get Involved!, Trans Women In Sport Workshop
12.30 - 13.30 - Lunch
13.40 - 14.55 - Session 2:
Gender Recognition Reform and Section 35, Campaigning for Healthcare Panel, Moving Forward in Transition, Care & Community Zine-making, Drop-in and Chat
14.55 - 15.10 - Short comfort break
15.15 - 16.30 - Session 3:
Experiences of Healthcare Panel, Create your own Healthcare Campaign, LGBT+ Oral History Workshop, What matters to you about healthcare in Dundee?
16.40 - 17:00 - Closing Plenary
17.00 - Conference ends
Online sessions & Accessibility
Some sessions will be available for remote participation, and will be run as hybrid sessions via Zoom. If you would like to attend remotely, please select the “online” ticket option below, and we will send out joining instructions closer to the time.
All session spaces have step-free access, and the venue has three accessible toilets. For more information about accessibility, see here: https://www.dca.org.uk/visit/Accessibility
If you have any questions regarding the event, please contact florence@equality-network.org
Getting there on the day
The conference takes place at the DCA (152 Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4DY) which is a five minute walk from Dundee Train Station and a 15 minute walk from Dundee Bus Station. You can use the trainline website or app to find train times into Dundee Train Station from where you live, or the Stagecoach website to find out how to get there by bus.
The nearest car park is immediately outside the building on Greenmarket.
About the DCA & Current exhibitions
Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) is an internationally renowned centre for contemporary arts and registered charity that enables audiences, artists and participants to see, experience and create. With two beautiful large-scale gallery spaces, two thriving cinema screens, a busy print studio, an award-winning learning programme, and a packed programme of events, workshops, classes and activities aimed at all ages and abilities, DCA is a vibrant cultural hub open to all, located in the heart of the city.
Zineb Sedira - Can’t You See the Sea Changing?
This major solo exhibition by Zineb Sedira, developed in collaboration with De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea, will be her first project in UK public galleries for 12 years. Working across photography, installation and film, Sedira draws upon her personal history and close connection to Algeria, France and the UK to explore ideas of identity, mobility, gender, environment and collective memory.
Saoirse Amira Anis - Symphony for a fraying body
This exhibition debuts a new body of work by Dundee-based artist Saoirse Amira Anis. Anis’ practice prioritises radical care, informality and empathy. Her work is informed primarily by Black queer literature, her personal ancestry, and her own body as it moves through the world. She considers the ways in which the body holds ancestral and lived memories – particularly in relation to feelings of guilt, shame and inadequacy.