TransAction conference set for March 1

02/16/2024 

The history, current issues and challenges around trans healthcare are the keynote address topics during SUNY Cortland’s sixth annual TransAction conference.

Colton M. St. Amand, M.D., Ph.D., a child/family psychologist and physician, will deliver the keynote speech at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, March 1, at SUNY Cortland.

TransAction, a conference about the needs and experiences of transgender and gender-queer students in the college environment, will focus on responding to the legal and cultural challenges facing transgender and nonbinary people.

The conference runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Corey Union and is open to the public. Keynotes and breakout sessions will focus on enhancing and expanding active support for trans students in all education settings. Area community organizations will provide information at tables throughout the event.

TransAction participants may register to attend the entire conference or individual sessions. There is no registration fee to attend the conference’s selected breakouts virtually through Webex. Registration also is free for in-person attendance by all SUNY Cortland students, faculty and staff. The in-person registration fee is $12 for SUNY Cortland alumni and $15 for all other participants.

The day includes the following guest presentations:

• Aaren Woodworth, SUNY Cortland student, on “Gender Diverse Education: Building Trust Through Accountability.” 9:10 a.m.
• Mike Doughty, representing the Cortland LGBTQ Center, on “What is Transition? And Other Trans-Ally Tips.” 9:10 a.m., available virtually.
• Lyosha Gorshkov, Ph.D., director of LGBTQ+ Initiatives at Colgate University, on “TRANSforming Rurality: Supporting Trans and Non-Binary Students on Non-Urban Campuses.” 10:20 a.m., available virtually.
• Milo Cameron, librarian and instructor at Mohawk Valley Community College, on “Beyond the Safe Space: Advocacy in Action.” 10:20 a.m.
• Panel on “Exploring Gender Identities in LGBTQIA+ Children’s books.” Panelists include Vincent Aquino, SUNY Cortland student; Lisa Czirr, SUNY Cortland associate librarian; and Tadayuki Suzuki, SUNY Cortland associate professor of literacy. 1:50 p.m.
• Damien Kritzer, a graduate student in University at Albany’s Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Department, on “Outreach as a means of Fostering Support and Community to Trans Students.” 1:50 p.m., available virtually.

Keynote speaker St. Amand is medical director at the Bassett Healthcare Network’s Gender Wellness Center in Oneonta, N.Y. A licensed psychologist and board-certified family medicine physician, he is an assistant professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Houston and in the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. They specialize in research, consultation, training and clinical health care treatment related to transgender and gender diverse people of all ages and their families.

The author of dozens of published, peer-reviewed articles in the field of gender health, St. Amand was a co-author of the most recent World Professional Association of Transgender Health Standards of Care, specifically the chapter on hormone therapy. They serve as the chief educational officer of Gender U, an online education platform educating providers on caring for transgender and gender-diverse people. St. Amand co-founded Gender Infinity, a Texas-based education and support organization.

Previous keynote speakers at TransAction include Court Pineiro ’18, a model, artist and writer; Maybe Burke, a New York-based writer, actor and human rights advocate;  Harrison Browne, an actor, LGBTQ+ advocate and retired athlete who was the first transgender athlete in professional hockey; Michelle Knaier ’01, M ’03, author, educational scholar and artist; and Becca Barile, Hobart and William Smith’s vice president for campus life and dean of students.

The event is sponsored by the Multicultural Life and Diversity Office, grants from Cortland Auxiliary, the Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office, the Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies and the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression Committee.

For more information or to inquire about scholarships for those who can’t afford to attend, contact organizer Erin Morris, associate professor of sport management, or visit RedDragonNetwork.org/Transaction.