This week Dublin will be welcoming 250+ transgender activists from all over the world to the 4th European Transgender Conference, which is being held in DCU from 7th-9th September.

Hosted by the Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI), the conference is held by Transgender Europe (TGEU), who also have their annual council as part of the weekend. The theme for the conference is Trans Rights Now! Realising Recognition, Respect and Equality which is a theme the Irish government should really take a look at!

The conference consists of keynote addresses, panel discussions, workshops and organised spaces, as well as a few social events. Full details of the programme can be found here.

I caught up the the director of TENI, Broden Giambrone, for a quick chat about the conference:

We’re delighted to be hosting the conference – it’s a fantastic opportunity for TENI and the whole trans* community in Ireland. There are delegates coming from all over the world – from Cork to Croatia and Dublin to Denmark – and there is such a fabulous selection of workshops and panel discussions.

Joan Burton TD is one of the keynote speakers, and it is monumental that she is speaking at this conference, especially in light of the issues surrounding the Gender Recognition Act.

TENI lobbies for inclusive, marriage-friendly legislation, for legislation that doesn’t rely on diagnosis and divorce, and hopefully this conference will further get this message out there.

On Saturday, 8th September, Mother will be hosting Transistor, a party for the delegates and their friends. Open to conference delegates from 9:30pm with a suggested donation of €5, and then open to everyone from 11pm (admission €10). It promises to be an excellent night, so come along to support TENI, and let’s have a kiki!

The closing event of the conference on Sunday, 9th September, will be a special Walking Tour of Historic Gay Dublin from Tonie Walsh, with trans* specific input from Louise Hannon. The Tour will meet at Dublin Castle and start at 3pm.

• There are still some places left for anyone who’s interested in participating! To register, just click here.

For more information, visit:

• TENI
• TGEU
• DCU