Introduction to the Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit
Contributed by Josephine P. Tittsworth, alumna and executive director of the Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit
UHCL is distinguished in that in 2003 it became the first site in Texas to initiate policy change to protect transgender faculty, staff, and students. At that time only [identify how few educational systems had protections for the transgender community]. By 2006, the President of UHCL signed off approving policies to protect transgender faculty, staff, and students. As a result of that action, three years later (2009) a nonprofit organization was created to continue the effort of gaining equality for all transgender faculty, staff, and students in educational systems throughout Texas. This organization is called the Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit (TTNS) and it supports the creation of gender identity and gender expression inclusive policies in educational systems.
In celebration of these historical events, on June 28-29, 2019, the Eleventh Annual Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit: Back to Our Roots will be held at the UHCL. It will be a celebration but also a learning experience for many across Texas. There will be workshops for people to learn how to develop policy inclusive language within their institutions. Currently, due to the work at our Summit, there are now over 38 university systems in Texas that have inclusive policies for transgender faculty, staff, and students.
This event is run solely by volunteers. No paid staff works for TTNS. All expenses are covered on campus by TTNS. The only thing required is that rooms be made available for the event by the university. The cost to the university is negligible at most. This is our pledge to the university. These are guarantees that students and those with limited means can participate in the conference.
There will be three keynote speakers; Dr. Dionne Hill, Dr. Stephen Sutton (former Dean of Students UHCL and now Vice Chancellor Student Affairs at University of California Berkley), and Ana Andrea Molina. Dr. Hill, LPC-S, LCDC-I is a Counselor Educator in Houston, Texas and works at the Harris Center in Houston. Dr. Sutton is coming for his second presentation at our Summit where he will discuss the works at the University of California Berkley. Finally, Ana Andrea Molina is the Executive Director of Organización Latina de Trans en Texas (OLLT) and her presentation will be in Spanish with interpreter services provided. Molina is the head of an organization that does outreach work with the Latina Trans community of Texas. So we have a great lineup of speakers.
TTNS is now inviting workshop proposals and poster sessions to be submitted for approval at this year’s Summit. If anyone wishes to submit your work, please go to our website http://www.txtns.org/summit/proposals/ . We are always interested in the work others are doing to help people learn to change policies on campuses. So, if your research is dealing in advocacy for social justice, we encourage you to submit. Also for students, submissions of poster sessions are highly encouraged.
The TTNS mission is to help individuals from Texas Colleges and Universities gain the tools needed to transform their campuses into transgender supportive institutions, develop gender identity and expression inclusive policies, and share successful strategies at the summit. Learn what works and what does not work in changing policies on campus to protect transgender faculty, staff, students, and allies. Make connections with those already doing this work. Learn from their successes and experiences.
TTNS hopes to showcase the UHCL campus to others across the Great State of Texas as an all-inclusive diverse campus. Welcoming to all who wish to work and learn at UHCL. We hope to see you this summer, June 28-29, 2019 at UHCL.
