Transgender Day of Visibility: History & Best Practices to Honor the Lives of Transgender System-Involved Youth

Kelsey Pacha

Training Description

Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual holiday celebrated every March 31st. Inaugurated in 2010, TDOV is an observance highlighting the contributions of transgender people, while acknowledging barriers to trans communities’ safety & health. This training, a comprehensive 4-hour session designed for child welfare workers and therapists. It delves into the historical context of Transgender Day of Visibility, providing a nuanced understanding of its significance. The training equips participants with practical tools and best practices to honor TDOV every year, and how to use this observance to support gender diverse system-involved youth and educate their colleagues on trans-competent resources, emphasizing cultural competence and sensitivity in their professional roles. Participants will generate action steps for creating affirming environments, aligning their ideas with the goals of Transgender Day of Remembrance. They will work in small groups to identify nationwide, state, county, and city resources for transgender system-involved youth and create a resource list accessible to their colleagues.

Learning Objectives

Attendees will:

· Assess three goals of Transgender Day of Visibility for transgender communities.

· Identify five ways to honor Transgender Day of Visibility in each person’s professional role.

· Identify nationwide, state, county, and city resources for transgender system-involved youth and create a resource list accessible to their colleagues.

Agenda

1:00-2:00pm  Introductions, objectives. Explore history of Transgender Day of Visibility, and review three goals of TDOV for trans communities. Video and large group discussion: How is TDOV different from Pride, Transgender Day of Remembrance, or other observances centering gender diverse people?

2:00-2:45pm  Small groups identify five ways they can honor TDOV in their professional role—specific practices that align with the three goals of TDOV all year-round. Review five best practices in working with gender diverse system-involved youth.

2:45-3:00pm  Break (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

3:00-3:30pm  Small groups will identify nationwide, state, county, and city resources for transgender system-involved youth and create a resource list accessible to their colleagues.

3:20-3:55pm  Small groups share their resource lists with one another & create a unified list.

3:55-4:00pm  Question and answer period. References/Resources handout.

Meet Our Trainer

Kelsey Pacha, MA, M.Div. is a transman who has worked with marginalized communities for 18 years in a variety of settings. He holds a Master of Religion and Psychology, Master of Divinity, and Certificate of Sexuality and Religion from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Psychological Services from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. He is the owner of Infinite Diversity LLC, which supports the work of institutions and individuals in increasing their capacity for cultural humility and social justice-informed institutional change. Kelsey offers educational trainings and LGBTQ workplace policy expertise with an emphasis on practical skills, identity awareness, and personal empowerment. He regularly works with corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion officers and LGBTQ affinity groups, as well as legal, clinical, medical, and direct service (including child welfare and faith leader) personnel. Kelsey has been featured as a subject matter expert on gender pronouns in Rolling Stone, Grammarly’s Guide to Personal Pronouns, and interviewed on NPR Cap Radio about best pronoun practices in the workplace. He has been featured on NPR’s The Takeaway with Melissa Harris-Perry, & publications like LGBTQ Nation educating the public on the dire need for trans youth acceptance. He presents workshops around the country on the impact of inclusive spaces for LGBTQ people in various settings. Kelsey straddles the worlds of academia/theory and practice, serving as the Board President of Trans Bodies, Trans Selves, a national non-profit organization that publishes a 705-page resource guide of the same name, by and for the transgender, nonbinary and gender expansive communities. Through this work, he connects with leading transgender and gender expansive scholars in medicine, law, mental health, social sciences, politics, and culture to collaborate on editions of Trans Bodies. He recently authored the Religion and Spirituality chapter of the second edition of the book, released April 2022, while managing a nationwide qualitative survey of over 2,000 respondents, and editing several chapters. Kelsey also co-authored the Religion and Spirituality chapter in the surgical textbook Gender Confirmation Surgery: Principles and Techniques for an Emerging Field, edited by Loren Schecter, released 2020. For more information, visit infinitediversityllc.com or contact Kelsey at kelsey@infinitediversityllc.com.

This course meets the qualifications for (2.75) BBS CE hours for LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.