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Equality Virginia held its third annual transgender summit in Richmond on Saturday.

The statewide LGBT advocacy group said in a press release that more than half of the nearly 500 people who attended the Transgender Information and Empowerment Summit at Virginia Commonwealth University were trans.

More than 25 people either spoke at the summit or facilitated workshops that focused on trans-specific issues and needs.

Equality Virginia said a separate “youth conference” for middle and high school-aged students took place alongside the summit. Trans attendees were also able to begin the process of changing their name and gender marker on identity documents.

“We are thrilled to see how much TIES has grown in just three short years,” said Equality Virginia Executive Director James Parrish. “Equality Virginia is happy to provide a space for so many Virginians to have an open dialogue and to learn and grow — not just from experts, but from each other.”

Andrew Wilson, a student at Virginia Commonwealth University who is a member of Equality Virginia’s Transgender Advocacy Speakers’ Bureau and GLSEN Richmond’s board of directors, is among those who attended the summit.

Wilson told the Washington Blade on Monday it was “incredible” to see parents of trans children attending workshops that focused on how they could become better allies.

“I checked in to one of the children’s workshops and walked out almost in tears after I witnessed every kid embrace each other’s identity and ask each other what their preferred pronouns were,” he said. “It was absolutely beautiful to watch so many people walking around with smiles from being themselves and feeling safe to do so, which is something not all transgender people get to experience on a day-to-day basis.”

Kasey Landrum, the community testing coordinator for the Thomas Jefferson Health District in Charlottesville, also attended the summit.

She described the gathering to the Blade as “stellar” and a “learning opportunity for” service providers and trans and gender non-conforming Virginians. Landrum, who has worked in the area of HIV/AIDS prevention for more than two decades, also described the summit as “unique.”

“It felt like a conversation, a true exchange, where trans*, non-binary and gender nonconforming folks were facilitators and educators sharing experience, expertise, fellowship and stories,” she told the Blade.

The summit took place against the backdrop of a national debate over trans people’s ability to access restrooms and other public facilities that are consistent with their gender identity.

Gavin Grimm, a trans student at Gloucester County High School, in 2015 filed a federal lawsuit against the Gloucester County School Board’s policy that bans him from using the boys bathroom or locker room.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond ruled in favor of Grimm in April.

The U.S. Supreme Court in August issued an injunction against the 4th Circuit’s decision that would have allowed Grimm to use the boys restroom during his senior year. The justices could announce this month whether they will accept his case.