Moving Trans History Forward conferences are a series of international conferences, founded and led by the
University of Victoria's Chair in Transgender Studies and the founder and subject matter expert of the Transgender Archives. The conferences draw community activists, researchers, educators, artists, service providers, and allies of all ages from around the world. Conferences consider the history of trans activism and research, and the issues which impact trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit people today – locally, nationally, and globally. The first conference, held at the University of Victoria, March 21–23, 2014, was entitled "Moving Trans* History Forward". Researchers and activists gathered to retrieve and preserve the stories and records of transgender pioneers of the early 1960s onwards. The second conference, entitled "Moving Trans History Forward: Building Communities – Sharing Connections", took place at the University of Victoria, March 17–20, 2016. Keynote speakers included
Kael McKenzie, baritone opera singer,
Lucia Lucas and
Tobias Picker, composer of the biographical opera
Lili Elbe in which Lucia Lucas starred as Lili Elbe. It has been hailed as the largest transgender conference in Canadian history. Trans and
gender non-conforming (GNC) community-based scholars and activists, academics, archivists, librarians, family members, and allies of trans and GNC people explored preserving and recounting the history of trans and GNC people and communities in all eras and regions of the world. Events included: keynote speakers
Jamison Green and
Martine Rothblatt, oral presentations, posters, art exhibits, a feature-length trans-themed film (
Two 4 One), panel discussions with founders of trans activism and research. The third conference, entitled "Moving Trans History Forward: From Generation to Generation", took place at the University of Victoria March 22–25, 2018. The conference registered 300 people from 11 countries in
Asia, Europe, North America, and the
Middle East, and drew 600 people to the largest event.
Kent Monkman, a Canadian
Cree Two-Spirit artist, delivered one of the keynote addresses, with
Andrea Jenkins, the first openly transgender Black woman elected to public office in the U.S., presenting the second keynote address. The fourth iteration of the Moving Trans History Forward conference was held online, from March 11 to 14, 2021. Originally, the conference was scheduled to take place in Victoria, BC, from April 2 to 5, 2020, at the
Victoria Conference Centre but was moved online due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. 379 people from 23 countries were registered for the conference. Blas Radi, the cofounder of the world's second chair in Transgender Studies, was the first keynote speaker.
Miss Major, a long-time activist and trans woman of colour, was the second keynote speaker. There were both youth and elder panels, where speakers discussed issues faced by their respective age groups. The fifth Moving Trans History Forward conference, occurring between March 30 and April 2, 2023, was the first to be presented in a hybrid format, happening both in person at the University of Victoria and online. The conference drew the largest attendance yet, with 470 people registered from 23 different countries. Keynote speakers included author and activist
Julia Serano; and
Chase Joynt,
Jen Richards, Morgan M Page, and
Jules Gill-Peterson from the film
Framing Agnes. The sixth Moving Trans History Forward conference continued in hybrid format and took place between March 27 and March 30, 2025, with over 125 speakers hosted. This iteration marked just over 10 years since the founding of the conference.
Dallas Denny,
Jamieson Green and
Jennifer Pritzker spoke at the opening reception. A decline in attendees was noted, thought to be a result of anti-trans legislation pushed by the
second administration of U.S President Donald J. Trump. ==References==