Janet Mock Speaking at This Year’s Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference


Mazzoni Center  just released details about its 13th annual Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference (PTHC), which kicks off on June 12. The three-day gathering will play host to no less than 250 workshops, speaking engagements and activities meant to promote “the health and well-being of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, as well as their families, friends, allies and providers.”

Organizers have attracted some big names this year, including Director of Policy at the National Center for Transgender Equality Harper Jean Tobin, Esq., who will lead a keynote address on Friday, June 13th, at 1 p.m., but one that will likely draw even more attention is Janet Mock. The fired-up activist and New York Times best-selling author of Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More made headlines recently when she sparred with Piers Morgan on his now-defunct talk show on CNN. She took the host to task for a litany of insensitive mentions he made about Mock’s identity on Twitter, proving that she is one cookie you don’t cross.

But besides that, Mock has all kinds of inspiring accomplishments under her belt. In 2012, she launched #GirlsLikeUs, a campaign empowering young women to open up and be proud about their transgender identity; she appeared in Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’s 2013 HBO documentary The Out List; and she is a contributor to countless magazines and online publications, including BuzzFeed, The Washington Post, Slate, and NPR.

You can — and should — catch her speaking engagement at PTHC on opening day, Thursday, June 12th, at 1 p.m.

PTHC takes place June 12-14 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Most events are free, and walk-ins are welcome, though Mazzoni says registration is strongly encouraged. You can do that here.

For a list of all the other programming being held at this year’s conference, including health and wellness workshops, film screenings, evening social events, and performances, go here.