Parents in Person: The Genspect Denver Conference

On chat boards, secret Facebook pages, WhatsApp chains, and other private messaging groups, parents are starting their final planning for meet-ups at the Genspect Denver conference this November. I attended the Genspect conference in Killarney last April as a parent, and while there were roughly two dozen of us there, it’s clear that Denver will have a much larger parent cohort attending. If this is your first Genspect conference, what can you expect?

• Thought-provoking presentations and panels that will share ideas you may strongly agree with and strongly disagree with - get ready to be challenged!

• Q&A opportunities that bring the parent voice into every discussion

• A first look at the new Gender Care Framework which came out of the Genspect Killarney Group

• A live Wider Lens podcast, and the Sunday night premiere of the first episode of Uncomfortable Truths: The Reality of Gender Identity Ideology

• Above all, camaraderie between parents from all over the world who have shared similar struggles. We are often very isolated at home, so being with others who understand can be hugely beneficial to our own mental health.

Beyond the official conference events, parents will be gathering together for meals, drinks, walks, and more. Some will be meeting in cohorts--for example, they may have previously connected at a parent retreat or regional meeting--but many will be open to all. If you are a first-time parent attendee who does not know anyone else who is going, please email PITT at pitt@genspect.org, and we’ll help you make connections. And if you are a parent organizer who is putting together a gathering that will be open to all parents, please email either PITT or Genspect so we can help you get the word out in Denver.

Registration and travel costs to Denver are not cheap, and many parents have family responsibilities that prevent us from attending the conference in person. I’m grateful that Genspect has a less expensive streaming ticket for those who can’t make it. But to paraphrase an old Mastercard ad, while there is a cost to the Genspect conference, airfare, and hotel, the relationships we build will be priceless. Thank you for welcoming parents, Genspect!