A 4-day celebration of trans life and scholarship.

About the conference.

We are thrilled to announce the 2nd International Trans Studies Conference—the long-awaited sequel to the groundbreaking Trans*Studies: An International Transdisciplinary Conference on Gender, Embodiment, and Sexuality hosted at the University of Arizona in 2016. This 4-day academic conference will bring together scholars from across the arts, humanities, social sciences, and STEM, and from around the globe, all of whom are committed to research on transgender and gender-minority issues, broadly conceived.

Hosted by the Center for Applied Transgender Studies, the conference is proud to be jointly presented by the Bulletin of Applied Transgender Studies, the International Journal of Transgender Health, Transgender Health, and TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly.

The 2nd International Trans Studies Conference is a celebration of the remarkable strides made in the postdisciplinary field of trans studies since 2016 and an urgent intervention into the profound challenges facing trans communities worldwide. It stands as a testament to the power of scholarly exchange among different arenas of the academy to not only advance knowledge, but also imagine new futures.

This gathering of brilliant minds is not just an event; it is a movement towards a more expansive and more collaborative future for the post-discipline of trans studies. Our goal is simple but profound: to reinvigorate our scholarly community and foster the growth of trans studies for generations of scholars to come.

So, join us for this exciting hybrid event, which will be held both in-person at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, USA and virtually via our online conference platform September 4–7, 2024.

About the organizers.

  • TJ Billard

    CHIEF ORGANIZER + PROGRAM CHAIR

    USA

    TJ Billard is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication and, by courtesy, the Department of Sociology at Northwestern University. They are the founder and Executive Director of the Center for Applied Transgender Studies and Editor-in-Chief of the Bulletin of Applied Transgender Studies.

  • Avery Everhart

    FINANCE CHAIR

    CANADA

    Avery Everhart is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia. She is the Director of Finance of the Center for Applied Transgender Studies and Reviews Editor of the Bulletin of Applied Transgender Studies.

  • Walker Brewer

    SECRETARY

    USA

    Walker Brewer is a PhD student in the Media, Technology, and Society program at Northwestern University.

  • Francisco Fernández Romero

    INTERNATIONAL CHAIR

    ARGENTINA

    Francisco Fernández Romero teaches geography at the University of Buenos Aires and queer and trans studies at the National University of Tres de Febrero. He is a postdoctoral researcher at CONICET (National Scientific and Technical Research Council) working on trans and disabled geographies.

  • J. Logan Smilges

    ACCESSIBILITY CHAIR

    CANADA

    Logan Smilges is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English Language and Literatures at the University of British Columbia. Their research focuses on the nexus of queer/trans disability studies, the history of medicine, and rhetorical studies.

  • Erique Zhang

    SOCIAL EVENTS + OUTREACH CHAIR

    USA

    Erique Zhang is a PhD candidate in the Media, Technology, and Society program at Northwestern University. They are the Managing Director of the Center for Applied Transgender Studies and Assistant Editor of the Bulletin of Applied Transgender Studies.

Steering committee members.

Argentina

Marce Butierrez
Independent Scholar

Pato Laterra
University of Buenos Aires

Blas Radi
University of Buenos Aires

Martín De Mauro Rucovsky
Universidad Nacional de Córdoba

Australia

Madi Day
Macquarie University

Joanna McIntyre
Swinburne University of Technology

Damien Riggs
Flinders University
Editor, International Journal of Transgender Health

Noah Riseman
Australian Catholic University

Brazil

Maria Clara Araújo dos Passos
Universidade de São Paulo

Canada

Qui Alexander
University of Toronto

Cael Keegan
Carleton University

SA Smythe
University of Toronto

Finland

Julian Honkasalo
University of Helsinki

Hong Kong

Denise Tang
Lingnan University

Alvin K. Wong
University of Hong Kong

India

Sonya J Nair
All Saints College

Supriya Pal
Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University

Ruman Sutradhar Dey
Samuktala Sidhu Kanhu College

Japan

Yukari Ishii
Sophia University

Tricia Okada
Tamagawa University

Mexico

Siobhan Guerrero Mc Manus
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

The Netherlands

Eliza Steinbock
Maastricht University

New Zealand

Jaimie Veale
University of Waikato

South Africa

Johannes Buthelezi
Cape Peninsula University of Technology

B Camminga
University of the Witwatersrand

Busisiwe Deyi
University of Pretoria

Spain

Lucas Platero Méndez
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

Thailand

Joyee S. Chatterjee
Asian Institute of Technology

United Kingdom

Sally Hines
University of Sheffield

Adnan Hossain
University of Glasgow

Ruth Pearce
University of Glasgow

Alyosxa Tudor
SOAS University of London

USA

Chris Barcelos
University of Massachusetts, Boston

Marquis Bey
Northwestern University

V Varun Chaudhry
Brandeis University

Aniruddha Dutta
University of Iowa

Andrew Flores
American University

Robert Garofalo
Northwestern University
Editor, Transgender Health

Tara Gonsalves
Northwestern University

Justin A. Gutzwa
Michigan State University

Oliver Haimson
University of Michigan

Ricky Hill
Northwestern University

Mikee Inton-Campbell
California State University San Marcos

Austin H Johnson
Kenyon College

Hil Malatino
Pennsylvania State University

Zavier Nunn
Duke University

Kristina Olson
Princeton University

Arjee Restar
University of Washington

Kristen Schilt
University of Chicago

Susan Stryker
University of Arizona
Founding Editor, TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly

Abraham Weil
University of Kansas
Editor, TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly