Jen Grosshandler is returning to GO as a presenter for her second year, and shares with interviewer Devon Bacso about her new GenderCool project and its origins. What will you be presenting at Gender Odyssey this year?I’m presenting on how transgender children are thriving across the country. The idea is to show a different spotlight on raising transgender children for families inundated with an unfortunate amount of negative and tragic information. What would you like attendees to take with them from your presentation?That there are thriving, talented transgender children and that their child ..read more

Kathie Moehlig, a San Diego resident, is a returning presenter for GO Los Angeles and GO Seattle, and has been instrumental in planning our GO Family program in LA this year. What will you be presenting at Gender Odyssey this year?I’ll be presenting Tools for the Parent Toolbox, which is about advocating for trans teens, and Parenting the Trans Teen, which is about what follows coming out and navigating adolescence. What would you like attendees to take with them from your presentation?For Tools for the Parent Toolbox, I want parents to know that your child is with you for their whole life; s ..read more

Meet India Holden, returning presenter for Gender Odyssey! India is presenting her impactful “Wise Peer” workshops  in Seattle and Los Angeles this year, and shared some thoughts with Spotlight blogger Devon Bacso. What will you be presenting at Gender Odyssey this year? “Wise Peer: The Healing Art of Listening.” Normally taught as a 12-week course, I’ll be teaching two 90-minute workshops—one with tools that protect the listener’s wellbeing, and the other with tools that equip the listener to facilitate the speaker’s healing. What would you like attendees to take with them from your pres ..read more

Meet Dr. Tony Mangubat, the owner of La Belle Vie Cosmetic Surgery and presenting sponsor for Gender Odyssey 2018!  Dr. Mangubat, a cosmetic surgeon, is a longtime supporter of Gender Odyssey and the Pacific Northwest’s leading expert in gender-affirming top surgery. He is dedicated to serving and supporting the trans community.  Dr. Mangubat recently hired surgeon Megan Dreveskracht to help broaden the services offered at the practice. Registered attendees can meet privately with both La Belle Vie doctors at Gender Odyssey in LA or Seattle! Dr. Mangubat spoke recently with Spot ..read more

Diego Manuel Sanchez Diego Miguel Sanchez, APR will deliver Saturday’s keynote. He is the Director of Advocacy, Policy & Partnerships for PFLAG – the national organization committed to advancing equality through its mission of support, education, and advocacy, uniting people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) with families, friends, and allies. He spoke with guest blogger, Nathan Tabak about attending Gender Odyssey this year. What are you presenting at Gender Odyssey this year? “Commanding our lives in these times.” I plan to speak truth to power through the ..read more

Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy The Gender Odyssey workshops of Johanna Olson-Kennedy, MD have been cornerstone programming for many years.  Dr. Olson-Kennedy specializes in the care of gender expansive children and transgender youth at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.  She has been providing medical intervention for transgender youth and young adults including puberty suppression and cross sex hormones for the past six years, and is considered a national expert in this area.  What subjects are you presenting at Gender Odyssey Seattle this year? Overall, I’m speaking about tran ..read more

Dr. Jennifer Lynne Hastings We are pleased to have Dr. Jennifer Hastings with us at Gender Odyssey this year. She is an assistant clinical professor at the UCSF Department of Family & Community Medicine, and founding director of the Transgender Health Care Program at Planned Parenthood Mar Monte. Hastings is actively involved in supporting transgender services around the country.  She recently talked to guest blogger Nathan Tabak about her work. What is your background working with the transgender and gender-diverse community? I have been providing transgender health care for many y ..read more

Kristie & Joe Maldonado Courtesy Kristie Maldonado Gender Odyssey welcomes Kristie Maldonado and her son, Joe!  This year, Joe became the first openly trans boy to be inducted into the Boy Scouts.  Together, this family continues to advocate for trans people everywhere.  Kristie recently connected with guest blogger Nathan Tabak. What makes this year’s Gender Odyssey conference important to you, particularly given current events? I want everybody to hear our story, and how we made a change – not just in the Boy Scouts, but for all transgender people across America. I fough ..read more

Gavin Grimm. Photo: Scout Tufankjan/ACLU In March of this year, the US Supreme Court was scheduled to hear oral arguments in a case against a Virginia high school that refused to allow student Gavin Grimm access to the same bathrooms as his peers. The case has since been returned to lower courts, but Grimm and the ACLU haven’t given up. Before Grimm starts back to school, he will be joining Gender Odyssey. He spent a little time with guest blogger, Nathan Tabak, talking about conference, and life as a young activist. How do you see your role at Gender Odyssey this year, and why is it importa ..read more

Dr. Linda Gromko Linda Gromko, MD is a Board Certified Family Physician who has worked with the transgender community for nearly eighteen years. She is an author and advocate, and will be leading three workshops at the Seattle conference this year.  She recently talked to guest blogger Nathan Tabak. Tell us about your background working with the transgender and gender-diverse community. I started working with the trans community in 1998, when a woman called and asked, “Does Dr. Gromko treat transgender women?” My answer at that time was, “Not yet!” But I said if she was willing to help ..read more