DignityUSA’s Transgender Caucus News
Peggy Burns, Operations Manager, and Marcia Garber, Dignity/Boston member, attended the Transcending Boundaries Conference, of which Dignity/Boston was a sponsor, over the November 11th weekend. The Conference was held in Springfield, MA, and was attended by over 300 participants. Per the brochure, “The conference is designed to increase understanding, build solidarity, and encourage activism among communities such as bisexual/pansexual, trans/genderqueer, intersex, polyamorous, and allied communities”. Begun as a project of BiNetUSA, Transcending Boundaries expanded their Conference by including transgender and intersex issues, as well as bisexual ones, in the Conference theme.
The theme of this year’s Conference was “Beyond Binary.” The event provided opportunities for all to be entirely themselves and break free of the either/or labels we encounter each day.
Kate Borstein, keynote speaker, asked during her talk, “What is beyond binary?” Her answer: “You are.” Kate shared a message of compassion and acceptance. She stressed that we should not be inhibited by either/or messages.
The Conference workshops addressed many issues, including the fact that bisexuals, transgender persons, and intersex persons do not fit into the simple categories of gay/straight, man/woman, and male/female.
For further information about Transcending Boundaries, see www.transcendingboundaries.org.
For more information about staffing a table at a transgender conference near you, contact Peggy Burns or Leo Egashira.
