Trans Wellness Conference 2023: a focus on the whole person

The Transgender Wellness Conference, held annually in Buffalo by the Pride Center of Western New York, is an educational and celebratory gathering for people of transgender and non-binary experience (TGNB) and their allies. It’s a space for TGNB folks to participate in panel discussions, learn from guest speakers, and participate in workshops with the goal of empowering and educating their communities and centering whole-person health.

Kelly Craig, director of the Pride Center (an affiliate of Evergreen Health) and the leader of the team that hosts the Trans Wellness Conference each year, says that the conference offers TGNB folks a space to be in community with people who share similar lived experiences: “being in a space with people who you identify with is an unspoken language.”

This year’s 2023 Trans Wellness Conference will be taking place on November 4 and 5 at the Richardson Hotel. The event is free, and with the hard work of the Pride Center team, registration is already full. Kelly says that her team developed this year’s conference around feedback from folks who attended in previous years to make the conference better than ever.

The 2023 Trans Wellness Conference is welcoming back keynote speakers Cecilia Gentili and Dr. Gale Burstein, whose talks last year were a must-see; plus a lineup of local leaders hosting activities ranging from a TGNB Communities of Color forum and a trans-affirming surgery provider Q&A, to inclusive yoga and a drag storytime.

Trans Wellness Conference: 2014 to now

The first Trans Wellness Conference took place in 2014, and was a one-day health fair that was much smaller than the conference we know today. Kelly says that the 2014 conference welcomed around 120 participants and 20 community vendors, and its focus was mostly on connecting TGNB folks to health and supportive services.

The purpose of the Trans Wellness Conference has always been for attendees to “take away something as it relates to their own wellness to make informed decisions, or something else that they didn’t bring with them,” Kelly says.

Each year the Pride Center team has taken the community’s feedback to improve the conference: at the request of past attendees, the event has grown from a one-day health fair to a two-day event featuring health resources, community discussions, fun activities, and a shared space with community.

Kelly says that in recent years, attendees have been increasingly asking for resources and support around mental health, which is why this year’s conference includes events like a creative writing and poetry workshop, a presentation from Evergreen’s Center for Behavioral Health, and a recreational room for anyone who needs a quiet moment during the conference.

The Trans Wellness Conference happens thanks to the hard work of the whole staff of the Pride Center of Western New York, who not only make this event happen each year, but work year-round to provide support, linkage and resources to TGNB communities.

40 years of unconditional care for transgender and non-binary folks

Evergreen Health, founded in 1983 under the name AIDS Community Services, started as a small team of volunteers who got together to care for community members who were facing the emerging HIV and AIDS crisis. Since then, our mission has been to provide care to communities who are underserved by the healthcare system.

TGNB communities have historically, and to this day, face barriers to care in traditional healthcare settings. Evergreen is proud to offer unconditionally affirming care in a safe space for people of TGNB experience. From using gender inclusive patient intake forms to offering services that meet the unique needs of TGNB folks, we’re committed to the health and wellness of transgender, non-binary and gender expansive people.

Our transgender health and wellness services include:

• Legal name and gender marker change assistance
• Hormone replacement therapy
• Linkage to gender-affirming surgeries
• Walk-in and by-appointment sexual health clinic testing for STIs, HIV and hepatitis C
• Medical case management
• Peer support services
• Support groups specifically for the TGNB community
• Access to PrEP, a daily pill for HIV prevention
• Sensitive gynecologic and pelvic care
• Syringes and injection works

Other Pride Center programs for people of TGNB experience

The Pride Center, an affiliate of Evergreen Health, provides affirming programs and services for adults and youth of transgender experience, and for caregivers of TGNB youth. The Transgender Youth Program at the Pride Center offers trans youth:

• Drop-in services and activities in a safe space to socialize and get connected
• Groups for transgender, nonbinary, gender expansive and questioning youth
• Groups for caregivers of transgender, nonbinary, gender expansive and questioning youth
• One-on-one and family support
• Linkage and referrals to affirming medical, mental health, legal, and other services and care
• Access to safer sex supplies and STI and HIV testing
• Employment assistance program for TGNB youth

To learn more about the Pride Center of Western New York, call 716.852.7743, stop by 278 Delaware Ave, or follow us online at @thepridecenter.

To learn more about Evergreen Health’s history, visit our historical timeline page.