Regional trans equality conference set to take place in Cape Town

The 6th Biennial Regional Trans Health, Advocacy, and Research Conference will explore innovative strategies to secure equality for trans and gender-diverse communities in Southern Africa and beyond.

The event will be hosted by Gender Dynamix from November 29 to December 1, 2023, in Cape Town, South Africa. This collaborative effort involves partnerships with the Africa Trans Network (ATN), Southern Africa Trans Forum (SATF), Community of Practice (CoP), and the South African National Gender Diversity Coalition (NGDC).

The conference signals an important collaborative moment to advocate for trans and gender-diverse equality, particularly with regard to gender-affirming healthcare and legal gender recognition, and to find greater movement alignment.

The theme of the conference is “Reimagining and Driving Innovative Possibilities: Gender Equity in Health and Law in Africa”. The event aims to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to discuss and address the challenges and opportunities that trans and gender-diverse communities face in Africa.

Diverse Discussions on Critical Topics

Key topics that will be addressed include legal gender recognition, gender-affirming health, movement strengthening, digital technologies, and positive narrative building.

The agenda will also explore strategic advocacy and litigation, cross-movement solidarities, inter-generational dialogue and knowledge sharing.

The event will feature several notable speakers including Department of Justice and Constitutional Development Deputy Minister John Jeffries, Commissioner Leigh-Anne van der Merwe, the first transgender woman serving on the South African Commission for Gender Equality; Rikki Nathanson from OutRight International; and Monica Tabengwa, LGBT Policy Specialist at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Iranti’s Founding Director, Jabu Pereira, will deliver the keynote speech at the opening plenary.

Taking place during Transgender Awareness Month

“It is becoming clearer that in a hyper-digital era, we need to embrace digital technologies and innovation whilst being mindful of the digital divides that exist, particularly in Africa. We have a governance crisis and a resourcing crisis,” said Lindsay Louis, Gender Dynamix National Programmes Manager, in a statement.

“It is for this reason that we need to increasingly innovate beyond these limitations to open greater prospects and possibilities for change to get access to legal gender recognition and gender-affirming healthcare realised for, with and by our people,” asserted Louis.

Taking place during Transgender Awareness Month, the conference also aligns with the recent annual Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20.

During this period, transgender people and their allies take action to bring attention to the trans community by educating the public about who transgender people are, sharing stories and experiences, and advancing advocacy around issues of prejudice, discrimination, and violence that affect the transgender community.

For more information about the Regional Trans Health, Advocacy, and Research Conference, contact info@genderdynamix.org.za.