Synopsis:

Join queer trans health journalist Baxstar Jonmarie Ferguson for an educational presentation exploring what gender dysphoria is and why it matters. This talk will clarify common misconceptions, explain the various forms dysphoria can take, and help cisgender attendees (people whose gender is the same as that assigned to them at birth) understand experiences that affect some of the most vulnerable members of our communities.

Through clear explanations and relatable examples—including how cisgender people, from movie stars to cancer survivors, may experience similar feelings—we'll examine why access to appropriate healthcare is an essential need and human right for transgender people. We'll talk about how you can help fight for us to keep these rights, and look at what research actually shows about detransition rates and medical regret. The presentation includes a short, optional guided exercise designed to build empathy through imagination. 

This is an opportunity to learn, ask questions in a respectful environment, and better understand transgender experiences from someone who has lived them and been writing about them for more than a decade. Please note: This presentation discusses medical and social aspects of concepts like "gender identity" and "biological sex." Attendees should be prepared for frank, educational discussion of these topics.

Presenter:

Baxstar Jonmarie Ferguson (he/they) is a journalist, creative strategist, and storyteller with over a decade of experience amplifying LGBTQ+ voices, writing at the intersections of identity, health, and justice. A Canadian immigrant in Oaxaca, their work has been featured in Esquire, TIME, Yahoo! Canada, Xtra, and Lonely Planet, among others.

As founder of Well Beings News, a queer trans health and wellness newsletter and resource hub for care providers, BJ helps providers move from ally to accomplice through transformative practice. Their writing has earned grants from organizations like the National Institute of Health Care Management Foundation, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the Trans Journalists Association.

BJ brings both rigorous, research-driven reporting and lived experience as a genderqueer trans person to their work. Through journalism, education, and community building, they create accessible dialogue around complex topics.