This talk will explore the proliferation of gender and transgender studies programs and publications, as well as the artistic and political evolution of the transgender community from a birds-eye view and with an historical perspective, as a way of expressing gratitude for the work accomplished by the Chair and Archives at UVic, acknowledging the inspiration and support the Chair has offered to so many people, and expressing hope for the future of the academic field and our broader communities.

In this talk, I will describe the first decade of an in-depth, long-term study that has followed more than 300 socially-transitioned transgender children, more than 200 of their siblings, and an age-matched cohort of (unrelated) cisgender children from childhood (3-12 years of age) through adolescence and early adulthood. I will discuss what we've learned about how their gender identities and wellbeing have unfolded over this time, including how that has shifted (or not) with medical transition support, adolescence, and the increased sociopolitical stress of the last few years.

Kristina Olson is a professor of psychology at Princeton University and the director of the Human Diversity Lab. She received her B.A. in Psychology and African and African-American Studies from Washington University in 2003 and her Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2008. She studies gender development and directs the Trans Youth Project, a long-term study of transgender children.