Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference will be held virtually on July 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, 2021.
The mission of the Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conferenceis to empower trans individuals on issues of health and well-being, recognizing the need for expertise surrounding trans health & wellness to rise from within the community. In addition to lecture-style workshops, we highly encourage creative workshops presented as interactive workshops, panels, group discussions and “show-and-tells. The conference provides an opportunity for members of the trans community to come together to share & hold space, to educate and empower one another, as well as those who aspire to support the community (providers, friends, families, allies, etc.).
Workshops lead by members of the trans & gender-variant community are our primary focus. We are particularly aiming to elevate content serving and/or submitted by BIPOC members of the Trans community. Uplifting and amplifying the voices of our most marginalized community members is our priority. Workshop topics and presenters representing these communities are highly encouraged to submit a proposal.
We invite those who have presented at the conference previously to submit updated proposals from the year before. Keeping in mind that attendees return from year to year, our goal is to bring up-to-date information to attendees presented in innovative and creative ways.
The Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference is the largest free transgender health conference in the world. Originally founded by Charlene Arcila in 2002, this conference is brought to life with the support of countless community members year after year.
Regarding the Impact of the Pandemic
In previous years, the Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference has been held at the Philadelphia Convention Center, which allowed us to carve out a physical space for attendees to come together, to build a sense of community and togetherness. Undoubtedly, the vibrant energy of the PTWC has been supported and sustained by the Convention Center. For this reason, it is bittersweet for us to announce our decision to pivot to a virtual conference for 2021. This decision comes after months of thoughtful consideration and preparation. We know that for many, the conference itself as a space, represents community, unity, and connection and for some, it may the only space such experiences can be held throughout the year. It pains me that this year, we will not be able to provide that sense of connection, during a time where it’s needed most.
Even with the advent of a vaccine, a conference with such a high level of international participation and attendance exponentially tcreates numerous health and safety risks, drawing folks to airports, hotels, public transportation, the convention center, restaurants, etc. The primary goal of the conference has always been to advance the health, wellness, and safety of the Trans community. We cannot in good conscience, hold a conference that places this community, for whom access to healthcare in this country is already such a burdensome experience, at greater risk in the midst of a pandemic.
While the conference will look different this year, we’re aiming to develop virtual programming that supports the types of experiences and programs we offered in previous conferences as much as possible. There will still be workshops, show and tells, exhibitors, panels, shopping, and more, but all from the comfort and safety of home. A virtual conference presents us with a lot of opportunities as well, from expanding programmatic offerings to reaching and welcoming folks who may have been unable to attend previously for a myriad of reasons.
Forthcoming resources will be made available, to support presenters and attendees alike in navigating and acclimating to, the Virtual Attendee Hub, the PTWC's central point of access and engagement.
Note: As a result of the pivot to a virtual programming platform, we expect to present a smaller programming slate than previous years, resulting in few presenter slots.
Workshop Topics
The conference covers a wide range of topics such as :
- Sexual health & pleasure seeking
- Spirituality
- Relationships, & family building
- Aging
- AIDS & HIV
- Gender-affirming Therapy & mental health
- Community-building
- Transition Planning
- Voice Therapy
- Bottom Surgery & top surgery
- Financial planning
- Hormone Therapy
- Intersex & sex-variance intersections
- Self-Acceptance & self-actualization
Our hope is to provide a programming slate that captures the beautiful diversity and intersections of trans community, touching on a wide range of topics, issues, and experiences related to trans health & wellness.
Conference Workshop Formats
Ready? Submit a Workshop Here: