Oakland Community College Hosts Transgender Forum in Farmington Hills

Oakland Community College (OCC) Orchard Ridge Campus will host a Transgender Forum on Oct. 11, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Smith Theater, 27055 Orchard Lake Road in Farmington Hills. 

The event will include a clip of the documentary “Trans,” followed by a panel of community members who identify as transgender or are transgender allies. Panelists Arlene Kish, Rachel Crandall, Colt Stacer, Mykell Price and Judith Kovach will discuss issues facing the transgender community, including relationships, dating, transitioning at school and work, discrimination in various institutions of society, and how to be an ally.

They will also discuss implications for changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which last year eliminated the word disorder to describe transgender individuals. 

“The goal of this event is to make OCC and the local community more educated on the matter so we can be more inclusive,” said Michelle Fether-Samtouni, M.A., chair of the college’s Committee for Diversity and Inclusion, one of the event’s sponsors.