National Trans Health Conference 2024

SVENSKA

We invite you to our second edition

A full day of panels, lectures & workshops to bring the trans & non-binary community, organisations & healthcare providers together towards self-determination.

Come and participate in fruitful conversations, create community and figure out ways to improve the Swedish healthcare System.

You can watch the recordings from last year here!


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14 December

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Blå stället,
Angereds torg 13,
Angered,
Göteborg

09:30 Opening presentations: Hosts for the day (10 min)

Theo Vasilopoulos (he/she), Theo is a masters student of Gender Studies at the University of Gothenburg. Along with her studies she’s been active in Gothenburg’s queer activist scene, co-organizing TDOR 2022, being involved in Reclaim Pride Gothenburg, as well as a performer for Status Queer’s drag collective CULT and a host for Trans Hälsoplattformen’s First Conference on Trans Health in 2023.

Merlin W. (they/he) Merlin is an actor and performer based in Gothenburg city. They are a part of the drag collective CULT, and active in a performance project called DOCTOR HEXY where they use their experiences as a trans person to shine a light on heavy themes such as transphobia, power dynamics within trans healthcare and medical malpractice against trans bodies.

09:40 Lecture: Electronic Medical Records for Trans People (20 min)

This presentation is about a qualitative study on the overview of documenting sex and gender information in electronic health records from the healthcare professionals’ perspectives. From the semi-structured interviews with Swedish medical staff, a lot of aspects of the present situation revealed the problem of hegemonic heterosexuality lying deeply in the medical system. The alarming part is that the vast majority of medical professionals do not know what kind of care we need, and they undervalue the gender identity of people, compared to sex-assigned-at-birth. We urgently need to build bridges to tell them what kind of health care we need.

Jiahe Chen (they/them) is a master’s student at Karolinska Institution. She is currently working at Xiaowusheng Life Ease Health Company (formerly the psychological department of the Beijing LGBT Center), aiming to train more gender-friendly psychological counselors in China by introducing various psychotherapy courses. As an activist for human rights and LGBTQ people’s rights, Jiahe has actively joined minority community activities in both Chengdu, China, and Stockholm, Sweden. Her passions include LGBT mental health, health equality in electric medical records, and the development of AI-based novel psychotherapies.

10:00 Panel: Trans & Neurodivergent in the Swedish healthcare system (40 min)

Recent research suggests a great overlap between neurodivergence (autism, ADHD, etc.) and trans identities. Both trans and ND individuals are forced to navigate a healthcare system that was not designed for them, relying on validation from medical professionals to gain access to the support they need. This panel will discuss trans+ND experiences of barriers in the Swedish healthcare system, and what can be done to improve it.

Birk Öhrlund (they/them), late-diagnosed AuDHD’er (2021) partly raised in Florida as well as Stockholm. They run their own business as a photographer and filmmaker, work as a sexual informant for RFSL and do a lot of work with trans kids, teens and youth. Birk engages in queer activism and questions surrounding educational and healthcare systems adaptions for queer and ND-people.

Ian Song (they/them) is an international student living in Copenhagen, they are interested in underground youth culture and have worked on building local queer communities in Beijing, Chongqing and Copenhagen. They have struggled with decision making towards gender affirming surgery and autism diagnosis, so a cozy space for all is what they dream of building.

Marrin O’Neill (they/them), Rin, is an Irish and American dual-citizen living in Sweden. Genderqueer and transgender, autistic and ADHD. “I’m so sorry that you have to have a body.”

Moderator

Fabienne Westerberg (they/them), late-diagnosed autistic, late comer-outer, agender and queer. Former language researcher, now working in healthcare. Engaged in activism around queerness, disability, politics and environment.

10:40 Lecture: Trans Healthcare in Catalonia: A Story of Community-Driven Change (45 min)

Join us for a journey through the gender-affirming care system and the transformation of trans healthcare in Catalonia and Spain. Lina Mulero will share her firsthand experiences in the successful grassroots movement that revolutionized access to gender-affirming care in the region and that eventually led to Spain’s Trans Law, one of the most progressive and groundbreaking trans and nonbinary rights laws in Europe. She will talk about the current model of gender affirming care, social and legal transformations, and the community organising strategies that led to systemic change.

Lina Mulero Santoro (she/her), transfeminist woman, activist for the rights of trans* and LGTBIQ+ people

Health Agent; Management and Services Representative; Citizen care and support for the coordination of the Trànsit Service (Care and Health Promotion for trans* people at the Catalan Health Institute).

Collaborating teacher in the optional subject “Training in Gender Diversity: trans* people”, in the fourth year of the Medicine Degree at the University of Barcelona.
Teacher of the “Master in Gender and Health” at the University of Barcelona https://www.il3.ub.edu/master-genero-salud

Health Agent of the Kasatrans Association and spokesperson for the Trans*forma la Salut Platform (for a new Health Care Model for trans* people).

11:25 Panel: THE POWER OF CIVIL SOCIETY: Presentations from organizations working on trans & non-binary rights (60 min)

Join us for an inspiring series of presentations showcasing civil society organizations working to advance trans and non-binary rights in Sweden. We’ve brought together nine diverse organizations—ranging from established institutions to grassroots groups—to share their experiences, strategies, and victories. Listen to the power of civil society organisations on how they organise by and for our community.

Vice chairperson in RFSL Göteborg

Marion Englaborn is a licensed healthcare teacher at adult education and higher vocational training and has a healthcare background as a specialist in palliative care. She is currently studying a master’s program in pedagogy. She has over 30 years of experience in healthcare and social services and has spent 10 years lecturing on LGBTQI awareness, primarily within palliative care.

LHBTQ+ perspektiv – DöBra.se

Marion is also transgender and has had an extensive activist career within RFSL, where she is now the chairperson of the Gothenburg chapter. Marion is the author of a couple of anthologies and a teacher’s guide in geriatrics.

Counsellor in RFSL Göteborg

Lio Gustafsson (they/them) is a social worker and a supervisor in psychosocial work in training. They work at RFSL Göteborg as a counsellor offering social support individually as well as in groups. Earlier they’ve also worked with lgbtqi-migrants and -refugees coordinating a social platform, and they have voluntarily coordinated a social platform for lgbtqi-youth. They were also a part of organising the social workers metoo #orosanmälan.

RFSL Göteborg is an NGO funded in 1971 working for LGBTQI rights. In this brief presentation you will get to learn more about us, our work with trans health and what kind of support we offer.

Chair person of Patientförening för Transpersoner (The Patient Association for Trans People)

Frank Berglund (he/him) has a long running engagement in trans rights and children’s rights in Sweden. He has been chair person of RFSL Ungdom, vice chair of RFSL, and on the board of the Swedish youth council and Youth against racism. Currently he is the chair person of Patientförening för Transpersoner (the Patient Association for Trans People) and advocacy advisor at RFSU.

Patientförening för Transpersoner (The Patient Association for Trans People) is a non-profit organization working to improve the quality of and access to gender-affirming care. We advocate for change in collaboration with gender-affirming healthcare services and civil society organizations with similar goals and purposes. The Patient Association for Trans People works both structurally and at a group level. We consist of approximately 200 trans individuals and their relatives.

Chairwoman of Transammans

Signe Krantz (she/her) is the chairwoman of Transammans and works as a freelance opinion journalist. Transammans is the Swedish federation for trans people and close ones and works locally with social events and nationally with advocacy, mental health help, elder trans people, and many other things.

Photo credit Jakob Nyman

Member of RFSL Ungdom’s National Board

Max Sjöquist (they/them) 20 years old. Member of RFSL Ungdom´s national board. Starting 1st January 2025, they’ll be vice president of RFSL Ungdom.
They grew up in a small town outside of Jönköping and are currently studying chemistry and microbiology at Gothenburg University. As a transgender and nonbinary person, trans healthcare and rights have always been an issue close to their heart.

Project Coordinator in Queer Rights are Children´s Rights (QRCR)

Hanna Thessén (they/them) (born 2000) has been a child rights activist since they were 15 years old. They grew up in Eskilstuna but now based in Stockholm. Today they’re working for Save the Children Youth Sweden as a project coordinator in a project called Queer Rights are Children´s Rights.

QRCR: How does the age power structure affect trans children’s health and rights? Trans children face an oppression that is based on a destructive view of children. The Convention on the Rights of the Child gives trans children specific rights, but few have knowledge about them. Get an insight into how age and trans are linked as grounds for discrimination and how the Convention on the Rights of the Child can be an effective tool to ensure trans children’s rights.

Member of Trans Hälsoplattformen

Oliver Jähnke (he/him) is a transguy from Göteborg. He is a board member of Swedish Christian Rainbow Movement, European Forum of LGBTI+ Christian Groups and run the video project Queers of the world. He is also a lecturer, focusing mainly on how the church can be more trans inclusive.

Vice Chairperson of FPES, Secretary of FPES West

Angelica Löwdin (she/her), board member of FPES since 2009. Member of the HBTQ Council of Gothenburg City since 2013. Member of the Västra Götaland HBTQ Consultative Council for approximately ten years.

Executive Director of Queerstion Media

Purity Tumukwasibwe (she/her) is a trans woman and trans activist originally from Uganda and living in Sweden, The Executive Director of Queerstion Media, a board member of Trans gender Europe and Transammans-Sweden.

Queerstion is a non-profit initiative founded by African Transdiverse activists in Sweden and Sub-Saharan Africa. Our mission is to empower and unite Transdiverse individuals of color, refugees, and asylum seekers through media and digital activism. Operating on five pillars—creative expression, Trans* entrepreneurship, leadership, wellbeing, and cultural integration—we provide inclusive platforms for storytelling, leadership development, community building and supporting our community to find support for their mental health.

Chairperson in SIB (Sveriges Ickebinära)

Helle Berglund (they/them) has played a leading role during the meetings that would later lead to the foundation of the organisation/association and have been active in the association since then. This year they have earned the trust of becoming the organisation’s/association’s spokesperson and they seek to maintain the member-led and transparent atmosphere of the organisation while it grows and takes on new challenges.

12:25 LUNCH (65 min)

  • Roasted vegetables and quinoa salad
  • Broccoli and cheese patties
  • Smörgåstårta (+ gluten-free option)
  • Hummus
  • Roasted garlic + white beans dip

Everything is vegan.

13:30 Panel: Black non-binary & trans in the Swedish healthcare system (45 min)

This panel takes its starting point in what being black and trans or non-binary means in healthcare in general as well as gender affirming care. We will explore what changes need to be made to reduce barriers to access and interrogate racist structures within the healthcare system in Sweden.

Halima Handulleh (they/them) is a youth worker, activist and artist based in Malmö. They have a long history of community organizing with a specific devotion of centering the needs and struggles black and trans people face.

Ese (they/them) is a Nigerian-Swedish multidisciplinary artist and cultural worker based in Gothenburg. Ese works with text and video installations. Their work engages with topics that are LGBTQIA+ related and mental health issues. Ese has a BFA degree in Film Composition from HDK-VALAND- Academy of Art and Design, University of Gothenburg.

Photograph of Ese.

Nala El Rayes (her/they/them), originally from Egypt. Born and raised in Sweden. Currently based in Stockholm. Works as a music producer and DJ under the name Nala the Doll. Previously active in the ballroom scene, where they walk the category of realness. Nala also contributed to trans and BIPOC advocacy through involvement in organizations like Trans i Göteborg and Reclaim Pride. In their free time, Nala enjoys writing, playing piano, dancing and video games.

Moderator

Kai Lo Andersson (they/them/hen) has been active in queer and leftist organizing in Gothenburg on and off for 7 years. They dream of self-determination for queers, trans people and sex workers. For money Kai Lo is a PhD student of Gender and Technology and has worked in Västra Götalands Regionen as an assistant nurse and switchboard operator.

14:40 Lecture: Identity was never yours (20min)

Ever since psychiatrist Robert Stoller coined the term “core gender identity”, trans people have been inscribed in a discourse of identity to which we have to conform in able to access gender-related care. The current Swedish system grants different treatment options to those with a binary identity and diagnosis as opposed to a non-binary one, forcing those who seek aid to mold their story and sometimes even sense of self to be awarded the rights to the interventions they need. In her presentation, Siri Landgren shows how identity, despite its changing guises, has always been located outside our choice and agency.

Siri Landgren (she/they) (born 1983) is an artist and writer based in Göteborg, Sweden. Originally trained as a composer and sound artist, her work is now largely text-based, whether performed, printed or installed. Subjectivity and the self are recurring themes in Siri’s work, with an eye to the materiality of text and the fleshly origins of cognition.

Siri would like to share your experiences anonymously during their presentation at the Trans Health Conference. Siri will be talking about the role of the concept of identity in today’s trans politics, and how we are forced to act out of “correct” identities to get the treatment we need. Her presentation will be based on the essay “Identiteten har aldrig varit din” which Siri wrote in Social Politik earlier this year.

If you have any experiences you would like to share, we would be very happy to receive them, either as a private message to Siri’s Instagram @underlevare or through the Google Form (where you can be completely anonymous).

15:00 WORKSHOP: ANOTHER SWEDISH HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IS POSSIBLE (40+20 min)

A transformative workshop exploring pathways to collective liberation for trans and nonbinary people. Through embodied practices, storytelling, and collaborative exercises we will build connections between our personal experiences and the structural changes we see as necessary for creating the healthcare system we want, need, and deserve.

Steph Toro (they/them), participatory democracy expert and co-owner of the digital democracy lab Digidem Lab. Experienced facilitator with a passion for coalition building. Local community organiser and co-founder of Reclaim Pride, Trans Hälsoplattformen and Dubbelexponerat. Member of the LGBTQI- Council for the City of Gothenburg.

Sam Message (they/them) is an artist and community organiser based in Gothenburg. In their work they explore how art & culture can be used to weave new connections between people in order to build a more diverse, sustainable and supportive LGBTQ+ movement situated in a more inclusive society.

15:30 FIKA BREAK (15 min)

Fruit & cakes (+ gluten-free options)

15:45 WORKSHOP CONTINUED

16:15 Panel: SWEDEN’S NEXT STEPS AROUND SELF-DETERMINATION IN GENDER AFFIRMING CARE A conversation with organizations (55 min)

Transgender people face many obstacles in the struggle to access gender-affirming healthcare. But what if self-determination becomes a medical right? What are the possibilities and which obstacles do we face? Which ways can we take forward and where do we stand now?

Moderator

Jazz Munteanu (they/them/non-binary) has over ten years experience from the lgbtia organisations – RFSL, RFSL Ungdom, SFQ Uppsala and IGLYO. Jazz is currently working as a journalist and editor in chief for the student newspaper Spionen.

Photo credit Violetta Kovacka

Vice chairperson in RFSL Göteborg

Marion Englaborn is a licensed healthcare teacher at adult education and higher vocational training and has a healthcare background as a specialist in palliative care. She is currently studying a master’s program in pedagogy. She has over 30 years of experience in healthcare and social services and has spent 10 years lecturing on LGBTQI awareness, primarily within palliative care.

LHBTQ+ perspektiv – DöBra.se

Marion is also transgender and has had an extensive activist career within RFSL, where she is now the chairperson of the Gothenburg chapter. Marion is the author of a couple of anthologies and a teacher’s guide in geriatrics.

Counsellor in RFSL Göteborg

Lio Gustafsson (they/them) is a social worker and a supervisor in psychosocial work in training. They work at RFSL Göteborg as a counsellor offering social support individually as well as in groups. Earlier they’ve also worked with lgbtqi-migrants and -refugees coordinating a social platform, and they have voluntarily coordinated a social platform for lgbtqi-youth. They were also a part of organising the social workers metoo #orosanmälan.

RFSL Göteborg is an NGO funded in 1971 working for LGBTQI rights. In this brief presentation you will get to learn more about us, our work with trans health and what kind of support we offer.

Chair person of The Patient Association for Trans People

Frank Berglund (he/him) has a long running engagement in trans rights and children’s rights in Sweden. He has been chair person of RFSL Ungdom, vice chair of RFSL, and on the board of the Swedish youth council and Youth against racism. Currently he is the chair person of Patientförening för transpersoner (the patient organisation for trans people) and advocacy advisor at RFSU.

The Patient Association for Trans People is a non-profit organization working to improve the quality of and access to gender-affirming care. We advocate for change in collaboration with gender-affirming healthcare services and civil society organizations with similar goals and purposes. The Patient Association for Trans People works both structurally and at a group level. We consist of approximately 200 trans individuals and their relatives.

Chairwoman of Transammans

Signe Krantz (she/her) is the chairwoman of Transammans and works as a freelance opinion journalist. Transammans is the Swedish federation for trans people and close ones and works locally with social events and nationally with advocacy, mental health help, elder trans people, and many other things.

Photo credit Jakob Nyman

Member of RFSL Ungdom’s National Board

Max Sjöquist (they/them) 20 years old. Member of RFSL Ungdom´s national board. Starting 1st January 2025, they’ll be vice president of RFSL Ungdom.
They grew up in a small town outside of Jönköping and are currently studying chemistry and microbiology at Gothenburg University. As a transgender and nonbinary person, trans healthcare and rights have always been an issue close to their heart.

Project Coordinator in Queer Rights are Children´s Rights (QRCR)

Hanna Thessén (they/them) (born 2000) has been a child rights activist since they were 15 years old. They grew up in Eskilstuna but now based in Stockholm. Today they’re working for Save the Children Youth Sweden as a project coordinator in a project called Queer Rights are Children´s Rights.

QRCR: How does the age power structure affect trans children’s health and rights? Trans children face an oppression that is based on a destructive view of children. The Convention on the Rights of the Child gives trans children specific rights, but few have knowledge about them. Get an insight into how age and trans are linked as grounds for discrimination and how the Convention on the Rights of the Child can be an effective tool to ensure trans children’s rights.

Member of Trans Hälsoplattformen

Gabrielle Blockert (she/her), Swedish trans woman and activist who has worked together with THP and other groups in organizing, documenting and attending meetings with Socialstyrelsen on the topic of improving access to self-determination. Currently in the middle of the assessment process at ANOVA.

Vice Chairperson of FPES, Secretary of FPES West

Angelica Löwdin (she/her), board member of FPES since 2009. Member of the HBTQ Council of Gothenburg City since 2013. Member of the Västra Götaland HBTQ Consultative Council for approximately ten years.

Executive Director of Queerstion Media

Purity Tumukwasibwe (she/her) is a trans woman and trans activist originally from Uganda and living in Sweden, The Executive Director of Queerstion Media, a board member of Trans gender Europe and Transammans-Sweden.

Queerstion is a non-profit initiative founded by African Transdiverse activists in Sweden and Sub-Saharan Africa. Our mission is to empower and unite Transdiverse individuals of color, refugees, and asylum seekers through media and digital activism. Operating on five pillars—creative expression, Trans* entrepreneurship, leadership, wellbeing, and cultural integration—we provide inclusive platforms for storytelling, leadership development, community building and supporting our community to find support for their mental health.

Chairperson in SIB (Sveriges Ickebinära)

Helle Berglund (they/them) has played a leading role during the meetings that would later lead to the foundation of the organisation/association and have been active in the association since then. This year they have earned the trust of becoming the organisation’s/association’s spokesperson and they seek to maintain the member-led and transparent atmosphere of the organisation while it grows and takes on new challenges.

17:10 Lecture: HORMONAL GUIDELINES & BLOOD TESTS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW (45 min)

Specifics of medical monitoring: hormonal guidelines; reversible and irreversible physical changes; absolute contraindications; side effects and risks/benefits; analytical controls and expected values.

Lina Mulero Santoro (she/her), Transfeminist woman, activist for the rights of trans* and LGTBIQ+ people

Health Agent; Management and Services Representative; Citizen care and support for the coordination of the Trànsit Service (Care and Health Promotion for trans* people at the Catalan Health Institute).

Collaborating teacher in the optional subject “Training in Gender Diversity: trans* people”, in the fourth year of the Medicine Degree at the University of Barcelona.
Teacher of the “Master in Gender and Health” at the University of Barcelona https://www.il3.ub.edu/master-genero-salud

Health Agent of the Kasatrans Association and spokesperson for the Trans*forma la Salut Platform (for a new Health Care Model for trans* people)

17:55 Closing words from the hosts (5 min)

Theo Vasilopoulos (he/she), Theo is a masters student of Gender Studies at the University of Gothenburg. Along with her studies she’s been active in Gothenburg’s queer activist scene, co-organizing TDOR 2022, being involved in Reclaim Pride Gothenburg, as well as a performer for Status Queer’s drag collective CULT and a host for Trans Hälsoplattformen’s First Conference on Trans Health in 2023.

Merlin W. (they/he) Merlin is an actor and performer based in Gothenburg city. They are a part of the drag collective CULT, and active in a performance project called DOCTOR HEXY where they use their experiences as a trans person to shine a light on heavy themes such as transphobia, power dynamics within trans healthcare and medical malpractice against trans bodies.

This conference was made possible with the help of:

Logo for ABF, Arbetarnas Bildningsförbund.
Logo 'med stöd från Västra Götalandsregionen'.
Logo of Göteborgs Stad.