Unfortunately I had to decline an invite to speak at this event due to a scheduling conflict with my impending 30 year high school reunion, but for those of you who are in or can get to the Left Coast for this one, it might be worth your time and effort to do so. It's the 2010 TransFaith in Color Summit, and it will be taking place in Los Angeles on October 8-10 at the Radisson Hotel. Address is 6161 West Centinela Avenue in Culver City, CA.
The group organizing it is the North Carolina based Freedom Center for Social Justice. You can e-mail them for further information about this event at info@fscj.org
The mailing address for the Freedom Center for Social Justice is:
P.O. Box 37131
Charlotte, NC 28237
According to the website, there are three goals for this event:
1. Bring the talent and efforts of transgender communities of color more to the center of the work already being done by many within the broader transgender community. More specifically, this effort will expand the network and thus leverage efforts and resources in a more effective and efficient manner.
2. Strengthen the transgender faith community through training and networking. This will be done in ways that will help individuals with their personal journeys, while initiating change within and between communities of faith. It will support ongoing work aimed at creating more welcoming and truly inclusive communities of faith.3. Develop and implement of a survey that will provide greater insight into the needs and opportunities that exist for transgender people of faith and others. this work will, in turn, yield a final report that will provide leaders in faith communities with ways to enhance the service to and experience of transgender people of faith, as well as aid socio-political activists at the policy level.
One point that is repeatedly missed in the broader trans community is the faith of transpeople of color is an integral part of their lives.
The knee jerk bashing of religion by some trans people is a factor in one of the many reasons why some POC trans people shy away from participating in the trans movement.
