Since its inception in 2007, Capital TransPride has continued to provide the Washington D.C. transgender community and its allies with a safe and open forum to connect with one another. The event gives participants access to receive support and services, and learn about various issues facing the transgender community. This year the 2013 Capital TransPride event will take place on Saturday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the National City Christian Church in Thomas Circle.
Co-chaired by Holly Goldmann and Roberta “Bobbie” Gills, this event continues to grow each year, attracting over 150 community members, leaders, and sponsors.
“It’s hard to get everybody together in one space at one time,” says Gills. “One of the reasons we are doing this is to get everybody together, regardless of background, so we can all learn and connect with each other.”
Over 25 different vendors and non-profit organizations will be in attendance at this year’s event.
“We won’t offer performers. Instead, we like to keep it educational,” says Goldmann, who first joined the TransPride planning committee in 2011.” There’s a distinction between drag queen and transgender. We will keep the focus on transgender, and keep things positive,” she adds.
Goldmann hopes that this event will encourage leaders in the transgender community to challenge the stereotypical perceptions and images often associated with the transgender community.
To meet the different needs of the community, the 2013 TransPride committee has secured leaders in the health and legal community who will be offering a variety of free services, from HIV and Hepatitis C testing, to name-change clinics and transgender law workshops. Whitman-Walker Health, Casa Ruby, HIPS, and Kaiser Permanente are just some of the many community organizations that will be in attendance.
Featured keynote speaker Codie Leone, award-winning stylist for Patricia Field, Sex and the City, and The Devil Wears Prada, will be speaking about her life as a transgender woman. “As we learn together, we grow as a group,” Leone explains. “We are becoming stronger every day.”
For more information on Capital TransPride, visit http://www.capitalpride.org/transpride.
