Transgender healthcare panel

The Community Uplift Program (CUP), a local nonprofit, is hosting a discussion about Transgender Healthcare at the Fargo-Moorhead Unitarian Universalist Church (121 9th St S Fargo), June 27th, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. This event is open to the public and will provide water, coffee, snacks to those who attend.

I’ll be a speaker at this panel, as trans healthcare is something I research, teach, and keep close to heart. I had the honor to talk to CUP President Cody Severson about his reason for creating this panel, who will be there, what people should take from it, and how they can get involved with this kind of work!

High Plains Reader: Why did the Community Uplift Program decide to host a transgender panel?

Cody Severson: For CUP, one of our primary goals is to raise awareness for issues that minority populations within our community face. With that, we feel as though education on transgender topics isn't adequate and we would like to start seeing that change. Furthermore, information around trans healthcare is always evolving and we wanted to give both trans individuals, social workers, and healthcare providers an opportunity to familiarize themselves with a marginalized group that often doesn’t get the care it needs.

HPR: Who will be speaking at this panel?

CS: I want to say that I’m elated with the panelists that we have confirmed for next Tuesday! First, the event will be moderated by retired gender therapist Alice Christianson, who spent countless years providing therapy and support to transgender individuals in our area.

We’ll have Dr. David Newman, who is one of two endocrinologist in our state that specialize in trans care, with several years experience in this area providing hormone therapy and letters of recommendation to his patients.

Working closing with Dr. Newman in Sanford’s gender clinic is our next panel speaker Psychologist Dr. Danial Sturgill, who replaced Alice Christianson and has been providing therapy and support to our trans population.

Next we have Faye Seidler who is a trans woman who specializes in providing transgender cultural competency training and for years has advocated improvements in trans healthcare.

As our final panelist, we have Rebel Marie, who is a licensed counsellor and trans community leader in the F-M area. Collectively, these panelists have decades of knowledge and hands-on experience!

HPR: What do you hope individuals will take away from this panel?

CS: My hope is that individuals who are thinking about starting the process of changing their gender, social workers who interact with the trans community, and healthcare practitioners will learn more about both the process and the people in the community who are involved with it.

In just starting to put together this discussion, I have learned so much about the medical side of transgender needs that I never considered before. As an ally, I feel it is imperative that we have this information to help those around us. I want people to go home knowing a great deal more about how to better help the trans people in their life.

HPR: Does the Community Uplift Program have anything else on the horizon?

CS: We are currently looking forward to this year's Pride festival, where we will be sharing a booth with the group Tristate Transgender!

We still have our monthly Uplift discussion group, and we're working in tandem with Amanda Mattern and Rebel Marie, through Experience Counseling Services, to offer counseling to individuals in need at no cost to themselves.

Also, we are now teaming up with Faye Seidler to bring her Transgender Competency Training to CUP and offering it as tax-deductible.

Our ultimate goal remains opening an Opportunity Center/Halfway House to help out minority communities in a more one-on-one setting.

HPR: How can individuals get involved with the Community Uplift Program?

CS: We have monthly board meetings and we welcome anyone to come and share their input, volunteer their time with our projects, or donate what they can to help with our programming! If you have some new ideas for us or want to lead a project, we want you!

Email me at cup.nonprofit@gmail.com for more information about what we do or how to get involved! Also, we're on Twitter and Instagram as cup_uplift, if those are easier platforms.

HPR: Any final thoughts or comments?

CS: At the Community Uplift Program, we want to give as much visibility, voice, and empowerment as we can to marginalized groups. Part of the focus of this panel is allowing queer and queer-friendly voices to shine through. But, After this we’re planning on providing a space for a Black Lives Matter panel, because we don’t feel that those issues are given adequate space in our state.

Also, it has been a fantastic experience working with the UU Church to provide a neutral space that is welcoming of all identities and backgrounds for this panel!

[Editor’s note: Faye Seidler is North Dakota Safe Zone Project Spokeswoman]