On November 11-12, 2013 in Moscow took place the 'CIS Trans Health' professional conference. For the first time healthcare professionals and representatives of civil society organizations jointly discussed medical and administrative and legal problems faced by transgender people.

     The Conference, organized by the “FtM Phoenix" Group with the support of the Open Society Foundations and “menZDRAV” Foundation, was attended by over 40 guests from 8 countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), among whom was an Honored Doctor of Ukraine, Sexual pathologist General of Kiev, sexual pathologist of the highest category, Prof. Boris Vornik, Head of Sexual Pathology Center and Department of the Moscow Research Institute of Psychiatry under the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia, Prof. Nikolay Kibrik, representatives of the Inter-departmental  Commission for medico-psychological and social rehabilitation of individuals with a syndrome of gender refusal under the Ministry of Health of Republic of Belarus, Serbskiy State Scientific Center for Social and Forensic Psychiatry of the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia (Moscow, Russia), Ukrainian Institute for Social and Forensic Psychiatry and Narcology (Kiev, Ukraine) , NGO "Gender and Development" (Baku, Azerbaijan), the Public Association "Institute for Human Health" (Astana, Kazakhstan), the Public Organization "Labrys" (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan), the LGBT Organization "Rakurs" (Arkhangelsk, Russia), the Public LGBT movement "Avers" (Samara, Russia), the LGBT organization "Vykhod" (St. Petersburg, Russia), the Public Organization "Equal Opportunities" (Dushanbe, Tajikistan) and other.

     Despite considerable terminological variation in determining the definitions and conditions, the Conference gave participants the opportunity to present their experiences and discuss regional practices of the psycho-psychiatric and legal assistance to those seeking professional advice on sex reassignment. Participants also received a Russian-language Standards of Care for the Health of transsexual, transgender and gender-nonconforming people, version 7, of the World  Professional Association for Transgender Health and familiarized themselves with the U.S. experience in the field of institutionalization of healthcare for transgender people by listening for the first time in the CIS the Skype presentations of the Presidents of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health Dr Lin Fraser, EdD and Jamison Green, PhD.

     All attendees not only gained new contacts, were taken with new ideas but also very much enjoyed communicating with like-minded people.

     Conference organizers hope that large amount of positive energy taken away by participants from the 'CIS Trans Health 2013’, would help in realizing all the emerged ideas! We express our sincere gratitude to all partners, speakers, and participants and are looking forward to a new meeting and new contacts at the ‘CIS Trans Health 2014’!