November 2006

The second annually seminar was as popular as the previous GDA seminar. Remarkable about the 2006 seminar is the fact that it coincided with the 6th International transgender day of remembrance. Participants came as far as Uganda and the African Gender Studies department of University of Cape Town sent participants as did SWEAT. The latter is a progressive NGO, Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce. The seminar took again the form of story telling and was a day long event. Guest speakers shared their stories and experiences and answered some questions. The purpose of the workshop was to “let non-transgender people in” to the lives of transgender people, in the aim to give them some sort of understanding about the daily experiences of transgender people.

September 2006

During the September Resource Mobilisation session of the September workshop Gender DynamiX presented a session on “Understanding Transgender”. The Joint Working Group is an entity of about 17 of South Africa’s LGBT organizations. As part of the vision of the JWG “Access to Rights, Access to services” the management committee always present an informative training session as part of the quarterly meeting to empower all attendees. As part of this process Gender DynamiX was invited to share information regarding transgender issues in a South African context to the larger group.

2006 and ongoing

This specific workshop is designed to engage in one’s own journey from birth to date. Time of reflection in a very creative way, exploring and sharing with others present. It is a workshop that can be done in a “social space” as it does not consist of “speeches” and presentations. During this workshop a person draw parallels between “what you wanted and what you had/had to do…”

September 2006

One lecture each to the under graduate and post graduate education students of the University of Cape Town in sensitising them around issues of gender, Gender identity and also to explain the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation. Sharing with the students some thoughts about how to handle a class room situation when a learner “comes out” as trans. Some practical exercises were presented. Definitions of various transgender experiences and ways of expressing one self were discussed. With a strong message of inclusiveness and how to embrace diversity a handful of future educators might be able to help mainstreaming transgenderism and the understanding thereof.