‘Cultivating Intersex, Trans- and Gender-Diverse Inclusive Education in Healthcare. Feminist, Trans, and Queer Perspectives’
University College Cork, Ireland, September 13-14, 2024.
News piece on TransCare 2024
SWIP Ireland was honoured to co-host the first TransCare Conference in Ireland in September 2024. It was held in University College Cork, organised by Dr Valeria Venditti and funded by the Irish Research Council (Research Ireland).
TransCare set out to create an international network connecting humanities and healthcare professionals, all working toward the inclusion of trans, intersex, and gender-diverse people in medical education and practice.
Keynote speakers approached the issue from multiple perspectives. Prof. Sophie-Grace Chappell explored the experience of transitioning through a phenomenological and philosophical lens, addressing medicalization, cultural biases, and tensions with feminist theory. Dr. Fae Garland and Dr. Mitchell Travis focused on the legal and social challenges faced by intersex people, examining different legal frameworks to prevent marginalization and discussing their positioning within the broader LGBTQI+ category. Dr. Rodante van der Waal presented her research on trans and gender-diverse inclusion in midwifery, analysing resistance to gender-neutral language such as “pregnant person” through Wendy Brown’s concept of “wounded attachment.” Finally, Dr. Elizabeth McElrea emphasized the role of professional associations, drawing from her work with WPATH, EPATH, and the ongoing formation of Iceland’s professional network to illustrate how these organizations drive systemic change in healthcare. Her contribution preceeded the launch of the Professional Association for Trans Health Ireland (PATHI).
Over two days, nine panels explored themes around Midwifery, General Practice, Mental Health, Narratives, and Policies. Each session combined healthcare research with humanities insights, featuring four speakers per panel and expert moderation from UCC and SWIP Ireland. Attendees participated both online and in person.
The first day also included three interactive workshops, focusing on community building, gender-affirmative education, and the current state of trans healthcare in Ireland.
Keynote Speakers
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Professor Sophie Grace Chappell
Professor Sophie Grace Chappell is Professor of Philosophy at the Open University. Her last book Trans Figured. On being a Transgender Person in a Cisgender World came out in April 2024 for Polity Press.
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Dr. Fae Garland & Dr. Mitchell Travis
Dr. Fae Garland is Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Manchester. Dr. Mitchell Travis is Associate Professor in Law and Social Justice at the University of Leeds.
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Rodante van der Waal
Rodante van der Waal (she/they) is a PhD-candidate and lecturer in Care Ethics at the University of Humanistic Studies in Utrecht, and an independent midwife in Amsterdam.