Exploring Gender: True Colors Virtual Conference

LIVESTREAMS AT:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLlOWfrNpKWsFwxaH00gQqw 

and

https://www.facebook.com/truecolorsinc/

SCHEDULE

1. We will begin with a live Q+A with our youth panel, featuring Charles, Skye, Lu, Charlie, Adrian, and Bren. 

2. The youth panel is followed by a conversation with Marcel “Mz. October May Lay” Jennings, an eclectic performer with a long history with True Colors. Marcel will talk about his own race and gender identity journey. What was it like for him to grow up in a Black, hyper masculine world as a gay youth in sprouting Hartford CT. Who is Mz. October May Lay ? And what is life like now for the performer now?

3. Following the conversation with Marcel, we will turn to Dr. AJ Eckert, from The Gender and Life-Affirming Medicine (GLAM) Center in Wethersfield, to answer your health care questions.  This is a great opportunity for youth, parents, providers and caregivers to get their questions about hormones, surgery, and other trans/nonbinary health care questions answered. 

4. Next, we will take a dance break with Nikki Exotika , a pop/Dance Music Recording Artist, Actor, Public Figure, and Beauty Consultant. She will spend a little time with us after her performance to talk about her life and career.

5. Last but certainly not least, is a conversation with Emmy Nominated actor, activist, writer and long-time friend of True Colors, Scott Turner Schofield.  Making television history as the first openly transgender actor in Daytime television with a recurring role on CBS’s The Bold and the Beautiful, Schofield has been Emmy- Nominated for in his recurring role on  STUDIO CITY (Amazon Prime), and received international critical acclaim for his lead role in the 2018 feature film THE CONDUCTOR (Splendid Films). His 3 one man shows have toured major venues in the US and Europe, with the support of the National Performance Network and the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. The live performance, Becoming a Man in 127 EASY Steps, is now becoming a groundbreaking multi-platform adventure as a film, podcast, and book. Among other behind-the-scenes credits in film, TV and streaming, Schofield consults for HBO’s EUPHORIA; the role he helped create has been called “TV’s most interesting trans character” and “the future of TV”. Partnering with IATSE, he has educated hundreds of crew members in on-set sensitivity, and vetted trans-affirmative policy for the Union. With 360-degree experience, he brings the expertise necessary to authentic, artistically excellent transgender storytelling, from script to screen.

PRE-RECORDED SESSIONS

The pre-recorded videos, which you can watch at your leisure, include:

• Adrian Huq, a high school senior who will set the stage for the discussion by defining gender dysphoria, sharing element of their own experience and offer ideas about the ways in which cisgender folks can be allies for our transgender siblings, friends and family members.
• Master story-teller, Scott Turner Schofield offers an unexpected exploration of gender dysphoria. Using his unique combination of personal narrative, history, and analysis, Scott makes the case that we all have gender dysphoria and offers some strategies for changing this reductive national narrative.
• Qwin Mbabazi from GLAD.org along with attorney from the ID project will lay out your legal rights for transgender and non-binary folks, including information about how to go about changing your name and gender documents.
• Facilitated by Charles, a 19 year old transgender man, three young people share their own gender journeys. Charles, Skye, Lu, and Charlie , along with Adrian Huq (above) and Bren, a True Colors Youth Team staff member, will join us live for a Q+A in the first part of our May 29th MiniCon Series episode
• Rebecca Burrell, MS. CCC/SLP, a speech and language pathologist from Middlesex Health, who provides masculine to feminine and feminine to masculine voice therapy for folks who want their speech to more closely mirror their gender identity.