tgender zagreb 2005.

Society’s concepts of sex and gender must be challenged. These concepts are more fluid now than they have ever been. However, as the struggle for gender equality and freedom of gender expression intensifies, communities that could be working together are becoming more and more divided. What does it mean for the sisterhood of feminism when someone who was born with testicles, someone who will never menstruate, wants to be accepted as one of their own? Can someone assigned male at birth ever really be a woman? What should be done when a baby is born with “ambiguous” genitalia? Furthermore, is gender socially constructed, or wired into our brains? Can an androgynous person actually exist in a gender-free identity? Can a man with a vagina really call himself a man? And what does all this mean on the larger scale of human rights? Is gender in and of itself a human rights issue? These questions seem to be affecting communities all over the globe and we want some answers. And so, we bring you the Transgressing Gender Conference: Two is not enough for gender (e)quality.

This conference is being held in order to initiate communication on the interconnected issues of feminism, gender, and transgenderism in order to generate a better understanding of overlapping dimensions of gender oppression, violence, transphobia, and genderphobia , as well as to redefine and clarify existing definitions of gender. The purpose of this conference is to reach out to feminists (of all genders), intersex people, trans people, genderqueers, gays, lesbians, straight folks and others who care about these issues. It is being designed by a mixed demographic that represents these categories. It will be the first of its kind in Central and South East Europe and it aims at combining concepts of feminist, transgender, and gender perspectives in search for more efficient mechanisms for furthering gender rights and freedoms, on the local level and internationally. It will include academic papers, presentations, workshops and performances relating to the intersection of transgender and feminist perspectives and the implications of the subversion of traditional gender norms.

This conference strongly seeks to empower trans people, intersex people, women, LGB populations, feminists, gender and human rights activists, and to bridge gaps between them and create strategic alliances between diverse groups concerned with gender issues and gender freedoms. The working language of the conference will be English, however, part of the program will be in local languages.

Goals:

to introduce transgender issues to gender equality and feminist debates
to develop a discourse on the meanings and concepts of gender(s) and gender equality
to identify common grounds for action and form the basis (platform) for future (regional) actions and activities in order to empower broad gender rights movement
to foster dialogue between diverse groups concerned with gender and gender issues
to provide space for articulating experiences on pushing for inclusive gender politics
to produce theoretical and practical knowledge on the interconnectedness of concepts of gender, feminism, and transgender
to open up resources for further education on gender issues, freedoms, and rights

Conference fee: 60 Euros; 30 Euros for students and unemployed.

Method of payment: cash, on site.

The fee covers conference materials, refreshments and lunch during the conference.

Up to 100 people can participate in this conference. All conference participants must fill out the registration form by 1 September 2005. All participants will be notified as to the status of their registration by 10 September. The registration form for the conference is available at www.tgenderzagreb.com.

The Conference Team will provide assistance in reserving accommodation. However, we regret that we will be unable to cover travel and accommodation expenses for all participants. All applicants are strongly advised to seek funding from other sources.

There will be limited financial assistance for covering travel and accommodation expenses for select participants from the Central and South East Europe.

For more information and updates about the conference, and an application for financial support please visit www.tgenderzagreb.com or email GenderZagreb2005@yahoo.com.

Please share this announcement with colleagues, friends, and even random acquaintances that may be interested!

This conference is supported by COC Netherlands, Mama Cash, and Kvinna Till Kvinna.

Best regards,

Conference Team