Join us for a special expert presentation by author, historian, and filmmaker Morgan M Page, hosted by the Gender Health Training Institute. Open to parents and family members of trans, nonbinary, and gender-diverse people; LGBTQ+ community members; and mental health, medical, and other professionals seeking CE credit.
Trans and nonbinary people are often talked about as something brand new — a modern trend without roots or precedent. But that’s not what the historical record shows. When you know the real history, the fears people carry start to loosen their grip: this isn’t a story of isolation and tragedy on repeat. It’s a story of families, communities, and individuals who have navigated this ground before — and of trans people who have always been part of the human story, with a legacy of resilience worth knowing and claiming.
Trans History for Friends and Family is a live, virtual workshop hosted by the Gender Health Training Institute and facilitated by writer, filmmaker, and trans historian Morgan M Page. Originally developed as a continuing education training for clinicians and other practitioners, this session is also open to parents, family members, and any member of the LGBTQ+ community who wants a clear, accurate, and moving picture of where trans history actually comes from.
For parents and family members: understanding the history of the community your loved one is part of — and that you’re now part of too — can be one of the most grounding things you do. The history isn’t a lineage of ostracism and pain. It’s proof that trans people have always shown up, always mattered, and always found their people. As a parent, this might feel like brand-new territory. Historically, it isn’t. Families have been navigating this alongside their trans loved ones for a very long time.
For trans, nonbinary, and gender-diverse people: this is a chance to see where you come from — the people before you who fought for the space you now stand in, and the precedent of resilience they set. This is your community’s story, and it’s bigger, older, and more powerful than the narrow narratives you may have inherited. Knowing your history means knowing your options, your elders, and your own strength.
What We Will Cover
This workshop offers a sweeping, story-driven tour through transgender history — from priestesses in Ancient Mesopotamia, to formerly enslaved people who escaped bondage in Civil War-era America, to the birth of transgender medicine on the eve of a World War. Anchored by real people and real stories, we’ll trace how trans identities and communities have developed over centuries, alongside the medical and legal systems that have tried to define — and often control — them.
You’ll come away with a clearer, more accurate picture of how race, colonization, and class have shaped trans experience over time, and how today’s cultural climate connects to a much longer history than most of us were ever taught.
What You’ll Take Away
- A real, evidence-based understanding of where trans and nonbinary identities come from — replacing myths with history
- Context for the legal and medical systems that have shaped, and continue to shape, trans lives
- A grounded sense of the resilience, community, and precedent that trans people carry forward
- Language and context to talk about trans history with confidence, whether in your family, your community, or your work
- (Professionals: 3 CE credits are available — see FAQ below.)
Morgan M Page Writer,
filmmaker, historian
Morgan M Page is a writer, independent scholar, and filmmaker focused on trans history and culture. She is the co-writer of the award-winning trans history documentary Framing Agnes (Kino Lorber, 2022), and the trans history book Boys Don’t Cry (McGill-Queens University Press, 2022). She served as executive producer on the hit podcast series Harsh Reality: the Miriam Rivera Story, and has appeared as a historian in the documentaries Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate (Netflix) and Enigma (HBO). Since 2016, she has hosted the trans history podcast One From the Vaults. Her writing has been published in a wide variety of academic and non-academic publications, including TSQ, QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking, Dazed, and Harper’s Bazaar. She regularly guest lectures at universities and other organizations across the UK, Canada, and the United States. Originally Canadian, she is now based in London, UK.