Partner Programming Track
As part of our ongoing commitment to meeting the needs of partners,
Gender Odyssey is excited to share with you our partner specific
programming. One need NOT be currently in a relationship to participate.
Also included is a sampling of programming not exclusive to partners
but sessions that may be "of interest" to partners, friends,
and allies.
Note: In order to provide the most optimal sharing environment,
some sessions are open to specific audiences only.
Living Stealth – Partners
Does your partner keep their gender identity/history under wraps?
Only at work? With everyone? How does this impact your life? Does
it provide some relief? Stress? A bit of both? Are you and your
partner in agreement? Is it an “in” or “out” proposition?
Let's discuss the ways in which living stealth plays out in our
lives.
Note: This workshop if for non-trans-identified partners only.
Transparent Love & Family
When a person discloses to their family that they are transgender,
a wide array of responses are possible, some are positive, open
and affirming while others most definitely are not. During this
session, you’ll hear one family’s experience and what
they learned along the way. As other attendees also share their
stories, tips and insights you will learn to navigate many paths
to the road of acceptance.
Note: Open to all.
Partners & Transition: Grief, Loss and Transformation
When our loved ones transition, we try our best to be supportive.
However, their movement affects us – their partners, friends,
and family – in ways that are sometimes not noticed or disregarded.
Our own feelings of grief and loss may not be articulated. In this
closed, partner-only workshop, we will have the time and space
to explore our personal experiences and find some way of transforming
ourselves in a safe, loving community.
Note: This workshop if for partners only.
The Rules of Attraction
Homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, ... transsexual? There is
no word for people who are specifically attracted to trans people.
For trans people, how does this affect our ability to feel sexy
and desirable? How do we know if someone’s attraction to
us is based on a gender fetish? Do we ourselves fetishize non-trans
bodies? For non-trans people, are our motives questioned when we
prefer to date trans people? How do we deal with language that
assumes we’d rather date non-trans people? Join us for an
in-depth discussion of navigating dating, sex, and intimacy with
bodies that aren’t recognized by the current language of
sexual orientation. Let’s talk about getting confident in
our own sexiness, and making room for trans-specific desire.
Note: Open to all.
Stepping Up
There is much discussion on how to best support someone through
a gender transition and often very little discussion addressing
the ways a person in transition can support their allies. Once
stable relationships can become challenged. We will discuss how
to provide empathic responses to our partners, families, and allies
so that we may be pro-active in preserving our relationships. This
workshop will explore how to nurture the people around us and be
aware of their transitions and difficulties.
Note: Open to all.
Fasten Your Seatbelts:
Our Relationships Transition, Too
A gender transition isn’t just about pronouns, hormones,
and surgery. It’s also about subtle and not-so-subtle shifts
in family dynamics, relationship balance, sexual practice, and
sometimes the very ground under our feet. We will look at what
changes, what stays the same, and how sometimes the expected changes
can manifest in unanticipated ways.
Note: This session is open to non-transitioning partners only.
Sex & Intimacy for Partners: Pt 1
Whether our partners are post-transition, just beginning to question
their gender, or negotiating an identity somewhere in the middle,
their journeys can have major implications for our sex lives. This
workshop will provide a confidential space for non-trans-identified
people to talk frankly about fears, challenges, pleasures, and
desire.
Note: This workshop if for non-trans-identified partners only.
Readings From the Heart of Trans Families
Enjoy readings and dramatizations of letters from Trans families
including parents, grand parents, children and their siblings,
on the trials and triumphs of daily life with living trans. You’ll
hear some of the daily trials and triumphs these families experience
with two goals in mind – one, to bring visibility to those
who are often in isolation and two, create community through healing
and encouragement. A time of sharing and reflection is to follow.
Bring your tissues, your gonna need 'em.
Note: Open to all.
Sex & Intimacy for Partners: Pt 2
Have you been with your partner through transition and noticed
shifts in your sexual connection or chemistry? How do you really
feel about your partner's body-including new smell, taste, and
look? Wonder how to create and sustain sexual intimacy in the face
of obstacles such as trauma and body shame? We may experience greater
intimacy and passion but at times feel a sense of loss. This workshop
will provide a confidential space to talk frankly about fears,
challenges, pleasures, and desire.
Note: This workshop is for non-trans-identified partners only.
TRANSforming our Unions:
The Joy of Transgender Relationships
Readily available literature relevant to the lives of trans individuals
and their partners is often focused on distress experienced within
their romantic relationships. We’ll explore how resiliency
and hope can contribute to the success of our relationships and
discuss the many ways in which these relationships can adapt and
grow.
Note: Open to all.
12 Step Meeting
This is an open meeting for all conference attendees currently
working a 12 step program. Meet with others to find support and
make connections for the conference weekend.
Buddy Up!
It can be challenging to find ways to connect with folks as you
hustle from one workshop to the next. If one of your goals for
the weekend is to make some solid connections, this is your chance
to get started. Get a jump on meeting folks in this session designed
for just that purpose, and find buddies to hang with for the weekend,
or perhaps even a lifetime friend.
Note: Open to all.
Who Am I Again? Shifting Sexuality
Shifting gender can mean changing sexual orientation labels, community
affiliations, and sexual practices... or even changing who you're
attracted to in the first place. For transpeople and their partners,
transitioning can be quite the roller coaster ride. Let's discuss
these issues and share ideas for enhancing communication and sexual
confidence.
Note: Open to all.
Lucky Them! Partners Discussion and Zine-Making
Let’s make a ‘zine! As partners of trans and gender-nonconforming
folks, we’ll focus on our stories. These might include: our
own transitions, identity formation/reformation, oppression, and
visibility. We’ll distribute the ‘zine to conference
participants to increase visibility and build community.
Note: Open to partners of trans people.
As the Dust Settles
What do you say when your son says he’s really your daughter,
or your sister says she’s really your brother? A loved one’s
decision to transition can feel scary and overwhelming. We need
a place to voice our own emotions and concerns. How do you navigate
the feelings of loss and grief when the person you love is still
right in front of you? Come share your feelings, listen to others'
experiences, and ask questions in a comfortable, confidential environment.
Note: This closed session is for non-trans-identified families
and friends.
No Dumb Questions: Five Years Later
No Dumb Questions is a 2002 Sundance award-winning documentary
film about three young sisters struggling to understand why and
how their Uncle Bill is becoming a woman. We will screen the film
and preview it’s sequel No Dumb Questions: Five Years Later
that includes new family footage. These films offer an inside view
of one family’s journey in understanding a transgender loved
one. The director will engage Q&A.
Note: Open to all.
|
