"The Joy of Gender": Presentation by Hershel T. Russell

Queer and lesbian events in Toronto

6-8pm

Wheelchair Accessible

food provided

"The Joy of Gender", a provocative and gorgeous slide show, identifies trans experience as an ordinary, if ‘unusual’, aspect of human diversity. Chapters include: "Disrupting gender: the Opposite Sex is Neither." "Policing Gender: who does it?" "Trans communities here and now: we're fabulous, get used to us!" Thought-provoking experiential exercises, film clips and plenty of time for Q&A make for a lively and interactive workshop readily adaptable for a broad range of audiences from trans activists and academics to cisgendered people seeking answers to the most basic questions.

The event will also be an opportunity to learn about – and complicate – the current politics around the DSM (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and the University’s problematic ties. Let’s educate, activate and mobilize around the issues together!

Open community discussion will follow.

All welcome. Allies welcome.

Bio.

Hershel Russell is an older, white, trans man, experienced as psychotherapist, educator and activist. He has been counselling trans people and their families since 1995, has worked in a range of capacities with Sherbourne Health Centre from its inception and has critiqued the practises of the Gender Identity Clinics at CAMH for many years, both within CAMH and at a range of public venues from UofT to TVO. Current activism includes work developing proposals for Province-wide trans health care and trans specific health-care promotion. He is keen to see and join more local activism around the upcoming DSM_V. He loves presenting to a range of audiences, both workshops offered through larger agencies, (CAMH, CMHA, CAS, RHO) and his own workshops " The Joy of Gender: Trans 101" and "Homophobia is so gay: LGBT 101" . As an educator he believes that learning is always an active process, that respect for everyone’s dignity is key and that shared laughter can accomplish much! Participants often say that it feels easy in his workshops to raise difficult or awkward questions and to discuss them with complexity.

For more info check out this interview with Hershel in dialogue with Dr. Kenneth Zucker:

http://www.tvo.org/cfmx/tvoorg/tvoparents/index.cfm?page_id=483&event_id=2425

Light dinner (an array of vegan magnificence) and fair trade coffee provided.

** Please note: This is the rescheduled date for the same event postponed due to illness in 2009. The Centre apologizes for any inconvenience and greatly looks forward to seeing you on the new date: March 15th, 2010.

RSVPs encouraged.

If you require any accommodations please email or phone ASAP to ask about arrangements.