Nikki Kushner reports at the 2012 Colorado Gold Rush

At the 14th Colorado Gold Rush Conference March 22-24, workshops and presentations carried a consistent theme: There is a positive future and positive change in the transgender community!

I always have multiple agendas at Gold Rush: to greet old friends, meet new attendees, and show visitors how well the trans community fits into Denver, and finally, to learn what’s new and happening around the country in other trans communities.

This year’s Gold Rush was no disappointment. As I wandered from presentation to presentation, talked with session presenters, conference attendees, and even vendors, I kept coming away with a positive buzz.

One of the common threads throughout the weekend was on the clinical side: to change the way that Transgender persons are perceived by others both in the medical field as well as the lay community.

Saturday evening’s keynote speaker, Arlene Lev, noted social worker, family therapist and gender specialist from Albany NY, focused on the emerging positive trends in the trans liberation movement.

I sat down with Fawn Oates, an instructor at Red Rock’s Community College where she teaches Physiology of Gender and Human Sexuality. I asked Fawn where she thinks education is going with regards to transgender awareness.

“I find a lot of textbooks insulting to the Trans and Intersexed community,” Oates said. “One of the text books I use right now uses a heading for the section on Intersexed When Gender Goes Wrong. It’s such a negative connotation or slant. I want to be shamelessly positive about it.  I think that’s where were going.”

Fawn said though she gets to choose her class text, she considers the text the “best of the worst.” Fawn is currently co-authoring an updated gender textbook on sexual identity and gender issue with Jennifer Dale at the Community College of Aurora. She said a number of publishers are excited about it.

Though all of the presentations and workshops at this years conference were uplifting a few stood out including the following keynote addresses and plenary workshops.

The first keynote presentation was presented by Brad Clark, Executive Director of One Colorado.  Brad’s lunchtime address explored the challenges that transgender and gender non-conforming individuals face. Brad encouraged attendees to refocus our efforts, the efforts of our friends and allies to build a more inclusive movement to bring all of us together to allow everyone, no matter how we identify.
Arlene took a direct and positive look at what the mental health and medical community can do to help and assist the trans community in living a positive and fulfilling life in our chosen gender.

This year’s Gold Rush also included two plenary afternoon workshops.Of note was Saturday afternoon’s session on hate crimes. This panel discussion was moderated by Kit Chalberg, Conciliation Specialist from the US Department of Justice.
The panel discussed the current state of hate crime prosecution at both the local, state and national level including examples and lessons learned from the Mathew Shepard and Angie Zapata hate crimes.

Panelists included Thomas O’Rourke, Senior Litigation Counsel for the Colorado US Attorney’s Office,  Mindy Barton, Legal Counsel for the GLBT Center of Colorado, Brian Schmidt, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Ty Campbell, Detective with the Denver Police Department’s Bias Crime Unit.

Vendors from across the country who recognize and support the trans community filled the vendor room.  Representatives from both The Center and OutBoulder where also in attendance focusing on programs addressing the needs of the trans community.
Gold Rush is hosted by the Gender Identity Center of Colorado. “Gold Rush” as it’s referred to by attendees is three days full of learning workshop presented by experts in the field of MTF/FTM transitioning such as surgeons, physiologists, therapists, as well as hair and cosmetology services.

For more information on Gold Rush and the programs at the GIC visit their website, http://www.gicofcolo.org