Understanding Gender
A free bilingual online conference for parents, guardians, adult allies, and educators who want a deeper understanding of gender and youth in Monterey, San Benito, & Santa Cruz Counties.
Saturday, October 9, 2021
10:00 am – 3:00 pm PST
Via Live Stream Event
Registration Open — Sign up today!
Find us on Facebook
For more information, contact us at gendersummitsc@gmail.com or call (831) 427-4004.
Haga clic aquí para información en español
About the Summit
Understandings of gender are changing rapidly and it can be challenging to keep up! All children are limited by traditional gender roles and stereotypes, whether they are transgender, gender expansive, or not. Parents and adult allies play a crucial role in creating a safe and supportive environment for all young people around their gender.
We hope you’ll join us for an afternoon of learning, conversation, and reflection about youth and gender, including such topics as:
- Understanding the dimensions of gender
- Learning common terms and concepts
- Affirmative parenting practices around gender
- How your own experiences with gender may affect your parenting
- The personal experiences of transgender and non-binary youth
- Suggestions for talking with children and teens about gender
- Making schools more gender inclusive and safer for gender expansive youth
- Strategies for navigating the school system with transgender or gender nonconforming students
- Understanding the medical aspects of gender transition
Simultaneous Spanish translation provided
Presenters
Rick Oculto is Education Manager for Our Family Coalition, which provides support, advocacy and education for LGBTQ+ families in the Bay Area and beyond. Rick collaborates with educators and school administrators to create safe and LGBTQ-inclusive schools. An accomplished speaker and presenter, Rick has conducted trainings for thousands of students, educators, and youth workers focusing on diversity, harassment, gender stereotypes, and other LGBTQ issues.
Formerly the Youth Service Coordinator at Billy DeFrank LGBT Center in San José, Rick developed programs that addressed LGBT youth issues and created the first transgender youth support group in the area.
Rick holds a dual B.A. degree in Psychology and Spanish from Seattle University in Washington and a Master of Arts Degree in Social Welfare at UC Berkeley specializing in management and planning. He lives and games in San Francisco and frequently visits his family in the South Bay.
Jen Hastings, MD, is a Volunteer Clinical Professor at UCSF Department of Family and Community Medicine and is actively involved in supporting transgender services around the country.
Jen is a member of the Medical Advisory Board of the UCSF Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, a consultant for Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), and is the Director of Medical Conference Programming for Gender Spectrum. Jen works to increase medical access and understanding about the gender journey.
Isolda Atayde was born and raised in Mexico City. She found her passion in advocating for LGBT rights in Mexico and Latin America, focusing on gender non-conforming children and transgender youth. While living in Mexico, she founded along with her husband, the first support group for parents and caregivers of gender non-conforming children and transgender youth. She has presented in various conferences in South and Central America and Portugal.
Her advocacy in Latin America includes various activities such as being the part of the Steering Committee of the Asociación Internacional de Familias por la Diversidad Sexual (FDS) as well as organizing, along with COPRED (Mexico’s City Anti-Discrimination Agency), events in Mexico City aiming to provide information to Mexican government officials, educators and family members regarding the importance of supporting gender non-conforming children and transgender youth.
In September 2013, she was a key part for organizing the “Derechos de la Personas Transgénero desde la niñez” Forum in Mexico City, in order to simplify the legal procedure in Mexico for transgender people to be able to change their legal documents, as well as to raise awareness in society of the violence and harassment transgender and gender non-conforming children face in school.
In June of 2017, she co-organized with COPRED a two day forum for professionals and families regarding the importance of family support for Trans and LGBI children and youth being the first event of its kind to be held in Mexico.
During 2016-2019 she was part of PFLAG’s National Board of Directors where she co-chaired the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, advocating for the hispanic and latino community and their families. Isolda’s loyalty to gender expansive youth is unquestionable.
She has been running the monthly online Spanish speaking support group for parents and caregivers offered by Gender Spectrum since 2015.
Educator and GSA/QSA Advisor, LGBTQ Task Force Member
Jen Salinas-Holz founded and co-advises the first elementary school GSA in Pajaro Valley Unified School District at Watsonville Charter School for the Arts (WCSA). Additionally, Jen is also an advisor to three other GSAs in PVUSD: Alianza QSA, Lakeview Middle School QSA, and WCSA Middle School GSA. Jen’s advocacy and affirming presence as an openly queer adult on these campuses has helped create a safer space for LGBTQ and ally students to express themselves and feel accepted in school.
Since Spring 2019, Jen has collaborated with TransFamilies of Santa Cruz and Gender Spectrum to present several annual Understanding Gender parent/educator summits. Jen was a 2019 Santa Cruz County Ally to Queer Youth Awardee, serves on the PVUSD LGBTQ Task Force, was honored with a proclamation from the Watsonville Mayor for Pride month in June 2021, and has most recently served on the City of Watsonville Ad-Hoc Committee on Policing and Social Equity. Jen’s tireless commitment to serving queer and trans youth puts her at the forefront of positive change in the Watsonville community.
Michelle Brandt is the Co-Facilitator for Transfamilies of Santa Cruz County, a supportive parent, and a tireless ally to LGBTQ+ youth. Michelle often spends her weekends tabling at events to help support local families in understanding gender diversity so they are better able to support their gender expansive youth. In addition to advocating at events and supporting her own gender diverse child,
Michelle has collaborated with the Safe Schools Project and Gender Spectrum to create several “Understanding Gender” adult summits to better reach local parents and families and educate them on gender. Michelle’s years of work and commitment to helping the families of trans and gender diverse kids have undoubtedly improved the lives of countless youths and made our communities stronger and our world better.
Rachel Morales Warne is a local activist who has a long history of stepping up to interrupt oppression, from protesting with ACT UP during the AIDS epidemic to advocating for LGBTQIA+ youth today. In 2020, Rachel had a vision of an LGBTQIA+ graduation celebrating all of our local queer and trans graduates. Well into planning this event, Rachel was sidelined by the shelter-in-place order, but she quickly pivoted and created the virtual event “LGBTQIA+ Graduation Celebration” which included many guest speakers offering empowering messages to both openly LGBTQIA+ and closeted graduates at a time when many were feeling isolated. Rachel is both a fierce activist and the mom who makes sure all the young people around her are seen, affirmed, and loved for who they are.
Andrea Damon is a leader with TransFamilies of Santa Cruz County, facilitating support group meetings, providing individual peer counseling to parents, and participating in community outreach, advocacy, and education on behalf of gender diverse children and youth in our community. Andrea also volunteers with Gender Spectrum, co-facilitating their national parent support group meetings. This is Andrea’s second year as part of the Understanding Gender summit organizing committee.
Summit Schedule
- 10:00 am – 10:15 am
- Welcome & land acknowledgment
- 10:15 am – 11:30 am (choose one)
- Entendiendo el género desde una perspectiva Hispana/Latina
- Isolda Atayde
- En español
- Understanding Gender
- Rick Oculto
- In English
- Entendiendo el género desde una perspectiva Hispana/Latina
- 11:45 am – 1:00 pm (choose one)
- Medical Aspects of Gender Transition / Aspectos médicos de la transición de género
- Dr. Jen Hastings
- In English con traducción simultánea al español
- Creating Gender Affirming Schools presentation and panel discussion
- Jen Salinas-Holz and guests
- In English con traducción simultánea al español
- Medical Aspects of Gender Transition / Aspectos médicos de la transición de género
- 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm
- Lunch break
- 1:30 pm – 2:45 pm
- Youth Panel: Youth Activists Talk Gender
- Rachel Warne, moderator
- In English con traducción simultánea al español
- Youth Panel: Youth Activists Talk Gender
- 2:45 pm – 3:00 pm
- Closing
Presented by TransFamilies of Santa Cruz County and Gender Spectrum
Registration Open — Sign up today!
Summit Resources
Handouts for the Summit in English and Spanish
Community Resources to Support Youth and Families
Community Sponsors
Download and share the Summit Flyer on social media — thank you for helping get the word out!
Queer, Trans, & Allied Student Summit of the Central Coast — Fall 2021
Thank you for helping get the word out to LGBTQIA+ and allied students about the next Queer, Trans, & Allied Student Summit taking place the same day as the Parent/Guardian & Adult Allies Summit on Saturday, October 9th, 2021!
