HBO Max Launches TRANSlation Summit

To kick off Transgender Awareness week and in honor of their latest documentary Transhood, HBO has launched the TRANSlation Summit, a three-day virtual event exploring transgender issues and offering candid conversations by and for the community, their families, and allies all to create more inclusivity and understanding about the trans experience. 

"To create an informed, safe space for education and conversation around what it means to raise transgender children in America today, HBO Max partnered with Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Family Equality, and PFLAG National to launch a 3-day virtual seminar that will bring people together for a series of informative, open-minded sessions and discussions," a press release reads. "Each day will feature a keynote speaker followed by three moderated panel conversations. The summit will also lean into a different theme for each day: transitioning, growing up trans, and advocacy."

Model and trans rights activist Laith Ashley will host the event alongside keynote speakers like athlete Schuyler Bailar and journalist Ashlee Marie Preston. Talent from the Transhood documentary will be featured as moderators and panelists throughout the summit.

The program was organized by Human By Orientation, HBO’s vertical dedicated to elevating and celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community. "Through HBO’s year-round programming, we create fearlessly queer spaces that aim to expand dialogue and uplift the community."

The film offers a powerful glimpse of the transgender experience. "Filmed over five years in Kansas City, this documentary follows four kids — beginning at ages 4, 7, 12, and 15 — as they redefine 'coming of age.' These kids and their families reveal intimate realities of how gender is re-shaping the family next door in a never-before-told chronicling of growing up transgender in the heartland. The film is a nuanced examination of how families tussle, transform, and sometimes find unexpected purpose in their identities as transgender families. Lighthearted and deeply moving, this story teaches us something new about being human."

The TRANSlation Summit kicks off on November 17 at 7pm ET on HBO's YouTube Channel. And Transhood is now streaming on HBO Max. Watch the trailer below!