Chair in Transgender Studies

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Ivan Coyote

"Care Of: Letters, Connections and Cures with Ivan Coyote," Thursday, January 27th, 2022, 7:00 PM Pacific. LIVE ON ZOOM - REGISTRATION REQUIRED!

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Joy Ladin

"Jonah, God and Other Strangers: Reading the Torah from a Trans perspective." In partnership with Kolot Mayim: Building Bridges. Feb 6, 2022, 11:00 AM Pacific. Registration required.

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2021 Year in Review

As 2021 comes to a close, please remember that in these difficult times, we need each other, and we need our allies. Watch our NEW YouTube video reviewing 2021.

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10 Years: Transgender Archives

The Transgender Archives is 10 years old! 

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Picture of Kelendria Nation, Miss Major, and Syrus Marcus Ware

Miss Major keynote

Watch now on YouTube! Miss Major in conversation with Kelendria Nation & Syrus Marcus Ware.  The Saturday, March 13th, 2021, keynote at the Moving Trans History Forward conference.

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Chair in Transgender Studies

The Chair in Transgender Studies is committed to generating solid reliable information about the real world to drive social change and improve the well-being of Trans, Nonbinary, Two-Spirit, and other gender-diverse people.  We support and build healthy communities by facilitating activities of interest to Trans, Nonbinary, Two-Spirit, and other gender-diverse people and their allies.

Our work is fostering research and scholarship in Transgender Studies

  • Encouraging both existing and new scholars to pursue careers in Transgender Studies and building local, national and international linkages with others working in Transgender Studies
  • Hosting visiting academic and community scholars
  • Proactive community outreach and knowledge mobilization
  • Teaching and mentoring related to the area of Transgender Studies
  • Assisting faculty to integrate Transgender Studies content into their courses
  • Subject matter expert of the Transgender Archives
  • Fundraising in support of the Chair in Transgender Studies and the Transgender Archives

 

Visiting scholars

Academic and community-based scholar visit with us throughout the year. Many of them have come to make use of the Transgender Archives.

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Moving Trans History Forward

Community activists, researchers, educators, artists, service providers, and allies come together to create a better future.

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Public events

The Chair in Transgender Studies holds a variety of public events, including guest speakers, social and arts events, and honorary degrees!

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Video message

A donation by the Tawani Foundation, founded and led by Lieutenant Colonel Jennifer N. Pritzker, US Army (Retired), supports the inaugural chair in UVic’s Faculty of Social Sciences for five years.

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Syrus Marcus Ware - "touch change"
https://www.uvic.ca/research/transchair/index.php https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/index.php The Chair in Transgender Studies Presents Syrus Marcus Ware “touch change: what I learned at the trans archives" 12:00 PM Pacific, Thurs., Nov. 25th, 2021 Syrus will be LIVE online, with Aaron Devor hosting in-person from the Trans Archives. JOIN US in-person, UVic, McPherson Library A003, OR on Zoom. In this talk Dr Syrus Marcus Ware will be exploring the role of archives in community building and remembering who we deem as inherently valuable- considering the importance and need for spaces like the trans archives. Syrus will consider his project Touch Change:2068, a speculative fiction drawing and story-based exhibition held at Grunt Gallery in Vancouver based on his research in the archives. Syrus Marcus Ware is a Vanier scholar, visual artist, activist, curator and educator. Syrus uses painting, installation and performance to explore social justice frameworks and black activist culture, and his work has been shown widely, including in a solo show at Grunt Gallery, Vancouver in 2018 (2068:Touch Change), for the 2019 Toronto Biennial of Art and the Ryerson Image Centre (Antarctica and Ancestors, Do You Read Us? (Dispatches from the Future)), for the Bentway’s Safety in Public Spaces Initiative in 2020 (Radical Love) and at the Never Apart in Montreal. His performance works have been part of festivals across Canada, including at Cripping The Stage (Harbourfront Centre, 2016, 2019), Complex Social Change (University of Lethbridge Art Gallery, 2015) and Decolonizing and Decriminalizing Trans Genres (University of Winnipeg, 2015). He is part of the Performance Disability Art Collective and a core-team member of Black Lives Matter – Toronto. His on-going curatorial work includes That’s So Gay (Gladstone Hotel, 2016-2020) and BlacknessYes!/Blockorama.
Dr. Aaron Devor, "Repository for Remembering" @ Artists’ Film International
https://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/artists-film-international/?past=3 https://www.uvic.ca/research/transchair/index.php https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/index.php Dr. Aaron Devor did a talk about the Transgender Archives entitled "Repository for Remembering" at the Artists’ Film International in Manila, Philippines. He speaks on what a transgender archive is, and how its creation is a form of care. AFI is a collaborative project featuring film, video and animation from around the world. Established by the Whitechapel Gallery in 2008, AFI includes 21 global partner organisations. Each organisation selects an exciting recent work by an artist from their region which is shared amongst the network. The programme is adapted to every venue and is shown over the course of a year. Artists Film International 2021 programme responds to the theme of care.

See more videos from the Master Playlist playlist on YouTube.

Rikki Swin

See more from the Transgender Archives on Flickr.

Years in Review

See more videos from the Years in Review playlist on YouTube.

Moving Trans History Forward 2021

[MTHF21 HIGHLIGHTS] 4 Days in 11 Minutes
Conference Website: https://www.uvic.ca/mthf2021/ Chair in Transgender Studies: https://www.uvic.ca/research/transchair/index.php Transgender Archives: https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/index.php Donate: https://extrweb.uvic.ca/donate-online/transchair The Moving Trans History Forward conferences are not just for scholars, or just for community people. MTHF conferences are a unique blend that create opportunities for cross-fertilization among members of general public; students and faculty; artists; activists; Trans, Nonbinary, Two-Spirit, and other gender-diverse people; family members; allies; and service providers. Conferences consider both our history, and the crucial issues which impact us today, and into the future—locally, nationally, and globally.
[YOUTH PANEL] Moving Trans History Forward conference 2021
Conference Website: https://www.uvic.ca/mthf2021/ Chair in Transgender Studies: https://www.uvic.ca/research/transchair/index.php Transgender Archives: https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/index.php Donate: https://extrweb.uvic.ca/donate-online/transchair THE YOUTH PANEL PRESENTED BY RBC IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SKIPPING STONE (CALGARY, ALBERTA) Three youth (ages 11, 14, and 18) show a PechaKucha style art presentation about their experiences of being Trans+ youth. A panel of three additional Trans+ youth (14, 17, 19) provide LIVE responses and discussion.
[KEYNOTE] Miss Major w/ Kelendria Nation & Syrus Marcus Ware - Moving Trans History Forward 2021
Conference Website: https://www.uvic.ca/mthf2021/ Chair in Transgender Studies: https://www.uvic.ca/research/transchair/index.php Transgender Archives: https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/index.php Donate: https://extrweb.uvic.ca/donate-online/transchair THE MOVING TRANS HISTORY FORWARD CONFERENCE PRESENTS MISS MAJOR SATURDAY KEYNOTE MARCH 13 2021 11:15 AM PST Miss Major is a Black, transgender activist who has fought for over fifty years to create a better world. ABOUT MISS MAJOR Major is a veteran of the infamous Stonewall Riots, a former sex worker, and a survivor of Dannemora Prison and Bellevue Hospital’s “queen tank.” Her global legacy of activism is rooted in her own experiences, and she continues her work to uplift transgender women of color, particularly those who have survived incarceration and police brutality. Miss Major is featured in the 2015 documentary film, MAJOR!, which explores the life and campaigns of Miss Major Griffin-Gracy. IN CONVERSATION WITH KELENDRIA NATION & SYRUS MARCUS WARE Kelendria Nation is a Black woman of Trans experience of Caribbean descent who uses her perspective and unique experience to bring awareness to the various issues surrounding trans people; especially trans women of colour. She has dedicated herself to using her voice to impact change and bridge understanding across all communities. She provides advocacy, resolutions and transitions for Trans identified peoples. Through her work in community space through advocacy, she strives to allow folks to see that Trans, Non binary, and 2spirit identified folks because of their multiple intersections are often times left out in conversations. With collaboration and standing in solidarity with other community members she has been given the tools of being able to communicate her experience which has allowed her to tell her own story in her own voice. It is her hope that in time there will be more opportunities to empower other BIMPOC identified folks in the same which she has been. Syrus Marcus Ware is a Vanier scholar, visual artist, activist, curator and educator. Syrus uses drawing, installation and performance to explore social justice frameworks and black activist culture, and he’s shown widely in galleries and festivals across Canada. He is part of the Performance Disability Art Collective and a core-team member of Black Lives Matter – Toronto. He has won several recognitions including the TD Diversity Award 2017, “Best Queer Activist” NOW Magazine 2005, and the Steinert and Ferreiro Award 2012. He is the co-editor or the best-selling Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada (URP, 2020). Photo Credit: Jalani Morgan

See more videos from the Moving Trans History Forward 2021 playlist on YouTube.

Martine Rothblatt - Hon. Degree Recipient

Dr. Martine Rothblatt - Convocation Ceremony
CHAIR IN TRANSGENDER STUDIES: https://www.uvic.ca/research/transchair/index.php TRANSGENDER ARCHIVES: https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/ DONATE: https://extrweb.uvic.ca/donate-online/transchair Martine Rothblatt, Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) November 13, 2019 | 10:00 a.m. Martine Rothblatt, PhD, MBA, JD, is a technologist, entrepreneur, lawyer and author, and a leader in communications, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and bioethics. As an entrepreneur, Rothblatt launched the navigation system GeoStar and the broadcasting company that became SiriusXM. After coming out as transgender she founded the biotech company United Therapeutics (UTHR), to develop a drug for lung disease that ended up saving her own daughter’s life—and those of thousands of others. Projects in development include creating transplantable organs using a 3D-printer and a person’s own cells. She was included in Forbes Magazine’s “100 Greatest Business Minds.” Rothblatt also supports transhumanism and experiments with robotic and artificial intelligence. Her Terasem Movement Foundation helps people upload records of their lives to computers to prepare for “mind clones” in the future. As part of this exciting work, her team created an intelligent, lifelike robot called Bina48.
Dr. Martine Rothblatt - Fireside Chat
CHAIR IN TRANSGENDER STUDIES: https://www.uvic.ca/research/transchair/index.php TRANSGENDER ARCHIVES: https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/ DONATE: https://extrweb.uvic.ca/donate-online/transchair DR. MARTINE ROTHBLATT UVic Honorary Degree Recipient Nominated by the Chair in Transgender Studies In 2017, Forbes Magazine named Dr. Martine Rothblatt as one of the “100 Greatest Living Business Minds of the past 100 years.” On Wed., Nov. 13th, 2019, Martine Rothblatt will be receiving an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree from the University of Victoria (watch the live webcast). On the following evening, Thurs., Nov. 14th, 7:30 PM, Martine Rothblatt will join Aaron Devor, Chair in Transgender Studies, for a "Fireside Chat" about her remarkable life and accomplishments. Martine Rothblatt, PhD, MBA, JD, is a technologist, entrepreneur, lawyer and author, and a leader in communications, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and bioethics. As an entrepreneur, Rothblatt launched the navigation system GeoStar and the broadcasting company that became SiriusXM. After coming out as transgender she founded the biotech company United Therapeutics (UTHR), to develop a drug for lung disease that ended up saving her own daughter’s life—and those of thousands of others. Projects in development include creating transplantable organs using a 3D-printer and a person’s own cells. She was included in Forbes Magazine’s “100 Greatest Business Minds.” Rothblatt also supports transhumanism and experiments with robotic and artificial intelligence. Her Terasem Movement Foundation helps people upload records of their lives to computers to prepare for “mind clones” in the future. As part of this exciting work, her team created an intelligent, lifelike robot called Bina48.

See more videos from the Martine Rothblatt - Honorary Degree Recipient playlist on YouTube.

Scholars & Fellows

2021 Scholars & Fellows
CONGRATULATIONS We are proud to announce the 2021 Chair in Transgender Studies Scholarship & Fellowship recipients. Read more about the recipients and their exciting research.https://www.uvic.ca/research/transchair/research/scholarship/index.php Thank you to our community supporters, like Andrew Beckerman, who helped make these awards possible. Become a supporter today! https://extrweb.uvic.ca/donate-online/transchair Over the coming year, you will hear more from each of our recipients. https://www.uvic.ca/research/transchair/contact/index.php
Mattie Walker - 2020 Scholarship Recipient
Mattie Walker - 2020 Scholarship Recipient WEBSITE: https://www.uvic.ca/research/transchair/ DONATE: https://extrweb.uvic.ca/donate-online/transchair Supporting Gender-Diverse Survivors: Exploring Current Approaches to Trauma Support for Trans, Two-Spirit, and Nonbinary People Who Have Experienced Violence Mattie Walker Scholarship Recipient 2020 PdD Student, Social Dimensions of Health, UVic Registered Clinical Counsellor Thursday, January 14th, 2021 11:30AM - 12:30PM PST REFERENCES - CITED DIRECTLY Hendricks, M. L., & Testa, R. J. (2012). A conceptual framework for clinical work with transgender and gender nonconforming clients: An adaptation of the Minority Stress Model. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 43(5), 460–467. Meyer, I.H. (1995). Minority stress and mental health in gay men. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36, 38-56. Meyer, I.H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 674-697. Shipherd, J. C., Berke, D., & Livingston, N. A. (2019). Trauma Recovery in the Transgender and Gender Diverse Community: Extensions of the Minority Stress Model for Treatment Planning. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. Trans PULSE Canada (2020). Trans PULSE Canada Report no. 1 of 10 March 10 2020 transpulsecanada.ca Van der Kolk, B., (2014). The body keeps score. Viking Penguin. COMPLETE REFERENCE LIST AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST PHOTO CREDITS: Slide 01: Zakary Drucker - The Gender Spectrum Collection - Vice Slide 04: Sharon McCutcheon retrieved from Pexels Slide 06: Zakary Drucker - The Gender Spectrum Collection - Vice Slide 10: Sharon McCutcheon retrieved from Pexels Slide 14: Nathan Hilton retrieved from Pexels Slide 15: Zakary Drucker - The Gender Spectrum Collection - Vice Slide 16: Zakary Drucker - The Gender Spectrum Collection - Vice Slide 17: Anna Taravich retrieved from Pexels Slide 19: Zakary Drucker - The Gender Spectrum Collection - Vice Slide 20: rfstudio retrieved from Pexels Slide 21: Zakary Drucker - The Gender Spectrum Collection - Vice; Cottonbro retrieved from Pexels

See more videos from the Scholars & Fellows playlist on YouTube.

Speakers

Adrienne Smith - Invited Speaker
WEBSITE: https://www.uvic.ca/research/transchair/ DONATE: https://extrweb.uvic.ca/donate-online/transchair ADRIENNE SMITH - "RECENT ADVANCES IN TRANSGENDER LAW" Tuesday, September 15th, 2020 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM PST BIO: Adrienne Smith is a transgender human rights activist and social justice lawyer. They hold a double honours BA in English Literature and Geography (2000), a Masters in Human Geography (2005), and a JD (2013), all from the University of British Columbia. Adrienne is the recipient of the Canadian Bar Association BC Diversity Award, the Canadian Mental Health Association BC Branch Nancy Hall Public Policy Leadership Award, the Allard Law Alumni Achievement Award, and the Vancouver and District Labour Council Syd Thompson award for Award for Community Service. ABSTRACT: The struggle for transgender recognition and rights in Canada is an evolving area of law. In this short zoom presentation, Adrienne Smith, a Vancouver Social Justice Lawyer, will discuss recent legal victories for trans people, and the issues that may be next for transgender litigants. Adrienne will begin with foundational cases about the right to access bathrooms and other gendered facilities, the right to change sex designations on government-issued ID without surgery, and the explicit recognition of gender identity and expression in provincial and federal human rights legislation. They will then give participants an update on the types of cases that have been argued since explicit recognition, and what types of cases we can expect in the future.
Chamindra Weerawardhana - Fellowship Recipient
WEBSITE: https://www.uvic.ca/research/transchair/what-we-do/events/speakers/index.php Dr. Chamindra Weerawardhana "Decoloniality, Transfeminism, and Love: The Personal as Political" Thursday, February 13th, 2020 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM (bring your lunch) Cornett A317 Accessibility information Decolonial politics are inherently interlinked to the sphere of trans politics, a reality that is often overlooked. The world we live in prefers to compartmentalise people, their lived realities and their travails. This talk seeks to go against these trends, and build a common thread between decolonial politics and priorities in Turtle Island and elsewhere, intersectional feminist imperatives and trans politics. Dr. Chamindra Kumari Weerawardhana is a political and international affairs analyst, and a gender justice activist, working especially in the areas of inclusive reproductive justice and intersectional feminist advocacy. A Sri Lankan national, she is a Research Affiliate at the Centre for Gender, Feminisms and Sexualities at University College Dublin. She currently serves as the Secretary to the Regional Steering Committee of the Asia-Pacific Transgender Network. She also serves as Directress of Venasa, Sri Lanka’s oldest trans equality network.

See more videos from the Speakers playlist on YouTube.

Chair in Transgender Studies

Safety in Numbers: A Trans History
What was it like to be transgender before there was such a thing as a trans community? Pioneers who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s reflect on their personal experience, while young people in the community today offer their own stories. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TELUS STORYHIVE supports compelling, original stories told by filmmakers from BC and Alberta by providing production funding, training and exposure to new audiences. Find out more - http://www.storyhive.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Connect with us: STORYHIVE Twitter - https://twitter.com/storyhive STORYHIVE Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/storyhive STORYHIVE Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/storyhive/

See more videos from the Chair in Transgender Studies playlist on YouTube.

Scholars in Residence

Esther Suwannanon - Scholar in Residence
CHAIR IN TRANSGENDER STUDIES: https://www.uvic.ca/research/transchair/index.php TRANSGENDER ARCHIVES: https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/ DONATE: https://extrweb.uvic.ca/donate-online/transchair Esther C. Suwannanon, is presently an M.A. student in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand. She is currently researching Kathoey history through the analysis of her personal formal/informal archives and living in Canada as a graduate visiting research student at University of Victoria where she is a Canada-Asian Scholarship and Education Exchanges for Development Scholar.
Dan Wei - Scholar in Residence
CHAIR IN TRANSGENDER STUDIES: https://www.uvic.ca/research/transchair/index.php TRANSGENDER ARCHIVES: https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/ DONATE: https://extrweb.uvic.ca/donate-online/transchair Dan Wei Scholar in Residence from Nanchang University, China Dan Wei, PhD, lecturer at Nanchang University in China, is a visiting scholar funded by the Chinese Scholarship Council. She is interested in gender inequality and transgender issues in China. She is doing research on cross-gender performance in Chinese theater and transgender history, politics, and activism in China.

See more videos from the Scholars in Residence playlist on YouTube.

Transgender Archives

See more videos from the Transgender Archives Visitors playlist on YouTube.