Countdown To 2016 TTNS in Killeen, TX

We are now a month away from the eighth annual Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit, and this year the TTNS will be held on the Texas A&M-Central Texas campus in Killeen, TX.

The TTNS was started by its founding chair Josephine Tittsworth in 2009 with the mission of doing education geared toward initiating policy changes for transgender students, faculty and staff at Texas colleges and universities.

“The purpose of our organization is to not only educate people, but also to provide support and resources to people on school campuses all over Texas so they can engage professionally and respectfully with administration to get policies changed to be inclusive to transgender faculty, staff and students.”  Tittsworth said in an interview with the Killeen Daily News.

The initial TTNS was held on the University of Houston campus in 2009 and drew 25 attendees, and has been the only one I've missed because I was living in Louisville at the time.   The first one I attended was the second TTNS hosted by Rice University in 2010 mere weeks after I moved back home in May, followed by the 2011 TTNS at the University of Houston, the 2012 TTNS at the University of Houston-Clear Lake and UH again in 2013.

Texas State University in San Marcos was the first campus outside the Houston metro area to host the TTNS in 2014, followed by last year's TTNS on the UT Dallas campus in Richardson, TX.




The 2015 TTNS at UT Dallas holds the attendance record so far with 75 attendees, and they are anticipating breaking that record at Texas A&M-CT with 100 attendees.  

Some award winning blogger y'all know will not only be teaching a seminar during this year's event, but I get the honor of being one of the 2016 TTNS keynote speakers along with the legendary godmother of the trans rights movement in Judge Phyllis Frye.  We'll also have another outstanding lineup of presenters at this year's TTNS on the Texas A&M Central Texas campus.

As a result of the TTNS, the number of Texas colleges and universities with trans inclusive policies for students, faculty and staff has grown from just three to currently 38.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in the Killeen area in a few weeks on the Texas A&M- Central Texas, and hope the TTNS exceeds the expected attendance this year..