What is gender? How do we maintain a safe space for trans visibility?

     Further, why is trans visibility not always empowering or desirable?

     In this interactive session, we will learn about the key issues with today’s vocabulary about gender as well as a quick history of representations of transgender individuals in popular media.

     Through copious film clips, we will unlearn our habits of seeing gender through a trans-inclusive perspective. Performance provides fertile soil for understanding gender practices, because gender is not a fixed identity but a set of social practices and interpersonal relationships. They evolve in the presence of other people, in social spaces, and over time.

      With the latest vocabulary and tools for cultural analysis, we will acquire a road map to better emotional intelligence to engage diverse communities with empathy, to move forward with shared vulnerability, to develop authentic relationships with individuals of all genders, and to build inclusive and restorative social spaces on campus.