Trans H4CK Compilation Post

Still basking in the afterglow of that historic event that I was pleased to have had a ringside seat observing and deliriously happy I got the opportunity to be in Oakland's marvelous late summer weather for.

The peeps who were there making trans history along with our beaming allies are still talking about it.  The buzz generated by Trans*H4CK ended up in local media along with this Wall Street Journal article 

I'm looking forward to hearing about Trans*H4CK 2.0.  I'm sure if it does happen Kortney will be letting me and 'errbody' else know the dates for it so I can pass them along to you TransGriot readers.

Y'all know I wasn't just sitting in my Washington Inn Hotel room twiddling my thumbs, especially after I discovered they had a computer downstairs.  I went into reporter mode for this weekend while waiting for Sunday and the major reason for my trip to Oakland as a judge for this wildly successful inaugural Trans*H4CK.

Personally, I hope another one happens and Kortney gets much more support for it from the Bay Area trans community and elsewhere.  I also hope that other parts of the country replicate this model and use it in their own communities and start creating empowering apps and computer content that help advance our community and trans social justice issues.  

To make it easy on you, I'm consolidating those Trans* H4CK posts in one handy dandy one for your TransGriot reading pleasure and enjoy.

Trans H4CK-Day One

Trans H4CK-Day Two

Trans H4CK-Day Three 

Bye Oakland and Trans H4CK, Hello H-Town

   

What's Trans* H4CK?

One of the increasingly popular things happening is what's called a hackathon.  It's a community event in which programmers, developers, graphic designers, entrepreneurs and community members share ideas and skills to develop new software projects over a course of either 24 or 48 hours.

Hackathons are increasingly being used as a way to solve social problems, and Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler got the brilliant idea to do a hackathon called Trans* H4CK that combines the tech savvy talents of our trans community members with social justice activism

When asked why a trans centric hackathon needed to happen and be supported by LGBT organizations:

Hosting a hackathon can leverage the specific insights and talents of community members invested in LGBT equality by generating ideas that your organization normally wouldn’t. Think of potential participants as a temporary “think tank” comprised of dedicated volunteers of the cause. It is inevitable that the amount of passion each hacker brings to the table, will produce amazing tech based projects that can help make the lives of activists and the community that we serve a little easier. Plus, the bonus of working in a collaborative environment that values the input of each team member creates a sense of collective responsibility and comfort in which the learning of new tech skills is possible.

On the Trans* H4CK page it also made this salient point.

Research shows that transgender people are unemployed at 2x the national rate–4x for transgender people of color; have incomes of less than $10,00 a year; experience homelessness at 2x the rate of non-trans people; and suffer overwhelming discrimination when it comes to accessing adequate healthcare and legal services. This problem not only affects transgender adults but trans and gender nonconforming youth as well. A necessary step in addressing anti-transgender bias is to create technology that socially empowers transgender individuals. Imagine if there existed a mobile phone app that helps individuals find trans friendly doctors or an app that profiles safe space job opportunities for trans people across the country? Trans*H4CK is a space in which to turn these possibilities into reality.

After conceiving the idea and laying out the case for it, Dr Ziegler set out to make it happen with a GoFund Me campaign to raise funds to bring it to life.

On September 13-15 the inaugural Trans* H4CK will take place at the Betti Ono Gallery in Oakland and the New Parkway Theater.   This first trans hackaton will be limited to 50 people and will be a judged competition.

The judges and the speakers at the inaugural Trans* H4CK will be named later and I'd love to be there in the Bay Area just to satisfy my inner tech nerd and see what takes place at a hackathon.       

I'm down with any event that showcases the immense untapped talent and creativity of our community and hope it is as megasuccessful as I presume it will be. 

Dr Z's Hackathon For Trans Empowerment

Y'all know I have much love and respect for Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler and enjoyed the long chats I had with him during the 2013 BTMI conference in Dallas. 

Dr. Z's latest project is the first ever hackathon centered on uplifting the transgender community and we need your help and t-bills to ensure its success.   His May 1 blac(k)ademic essay  laid out the case why LGBT organizations need to embrace hackathons  

But here's Dr. Z to tell you what it's all about and the link to the GoFundMe page that is trying to raise $5,000 for this event.   I'm happy to put some of my own money to this cause and get it started.

WHY A HACKATHON CENTERED ON TRANSGENDER PEOPLE?

Research shows that transgender people are unemployed at 2x the national rate–4x for transgender people of color; have incomes of less than $10,000 a year; experience homelessness at 2x the rate of non-trans people; and suffer overwhelming discrimination when it comes to accessing adequate healthcare and legal services. This problem not only affects transgender adults but trans and gender nonconforming youth as well. A necessary step in addressing anti-transgender bias is to create technology that socially empowers transgender individuals. Imagine if there existed a mobile phone app that helps individuals find trans friendly doctors or an app that profiles safe space job opportunities for trans people across the country?

Trans*H4CK is a space in which to turn these possibilities into reality.

Over the course of 48-hours, developers, designers, activists, community members, youth and entrepreneurs invested in the betterment of the lives of trans and gender nonconforming people, will share ideas and create apps, websites and products that provide solutions in challenging anti-transgender discrimination.

Money raised will be used for space rental, travel sponsorships for out of town participants, payment for guest speakers and prizes.

Trans*H4CK is organized by Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler--an internationally recognized award-winning transgender advocate. More information on Dr. Ziegler can be found at: blackademic.com