Pretty. Powerful. Paid. The First Transgender and Women's Health Event During SF Tech Week

Lylac Health
3 days ago
4 min read

Updated: 3 hours ago

On October 9, 2025, Lylac Health, in collaboration with the Transgender District of San Francisco, Rainbow Chatman, and Carolina Osoria, hosted the first-ever transgender and women’s health event during SF Tech Week 2025, presented by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), at the Press Club. The event was monumental, bringing together over 100 guests to discuss the importance of equity and inclusion in health research. As part of the event, the Stanford Stigma Study in partnership with Oura Ring—a research initiative dedicated to increasing the inclusion of women of color in menstrual health research—provided free Oura Rings to attendees to help ensure more equitable representation in scientific studies.

The panel featured Umyeena Bashir, founder of Lylac Health; Rainbow Chatman, founder of Raiver Media; Naomi Hunter, a PhD candidate at Stanford University and lead of the Stanford Stigma Study with Oura Ring; Carolina Osoria, an expert in feminist, medieval, and Native American studies; Tess Holliday, model, founder, and bestselling author of Take Up Space, Y’all; and Briana McCree, Executive Director of the Transgender District. The discussion highlighted critical gaps in healthcare for women and transgender communities, underscoring the urgent need for more inclusive research and policy solutions.

Each panelist provided their insights onto why health inequities are occuring, bringing light to issues in the fitness industry, media, research and development, and how historically these issues have always been present. Tess Holiday and Rainbow Chatman, the founders of Eff Your Beauty Standards brought their insights onto how media and the beauty/fitness industry have massive influence over the healthcare industry. They highlighted how biases in the beauty sector are reflective to the biases seen in healthcare, pointing out examples of how body stigma, race and ethnicity can influence one's provided healthcare.

These points bring view to how these types of biases can ultimately create gaps in research and development. The Stanford Stigma Study is an example of a research project addressing a biases based gap in research. Naiomi hunter, a PhD candidate at Stanford leading the Stigma Study, discussed how her work is a addressing a gap in research where women of color were not originally included in the Oura Ring algorithm for menstrual prediction. Through her research under Barbara Engelhardt, PhD, a biomedical professor at Stanford, Naiomi and her colleagues are working with Oura Ring to study menstrual cycle prediction for women of color. In addition, at the event, the Engelhardt research group gave out Oura Rings through their study, giving an opportunity for attendees to participate in a research study aimed to filling a gap in women's health.

Carolina Osoria shared her expertise on how feminist history during the medieval period marked a pivotal shift toward a male-centered healthcare system, one that increasingly isolated and excluded women from medical discourse. During this era, female anatomy and health were labeled as “sinful,” “hysterical,” and “impure,” reinforcing stigma and legitimizing exclusion.

A critical example is the medical term hysteria, which became a catch-all diagnosis used to dismiss women’s pain and discomfort. It was not until 1980 that hysteria was removed from the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). By offering this historical context, Carolina helped the audience understand how the injustices faced by women and transgender communities in today’s healthcare system are deeply rooted in centuries-old practices. Her perspective provided a necessary framework for grasping the depth and longevity of these systemic inequities.

Umyeena Bashir, founder of Lylac Health, spoke about how her organization is working to address health disparities driven by the lack of research focused on women, queer, and transgender communities. At the event, she showcased technology that Lylac Health has developed and plans to launch in the future. Drawing from her background as a chemist, Umyeena explained how healthcare systems often overlook critical pathways of exposure and risk assessment.

Through Lylac Health, she aims to expand research and access to pH testing and monitoring for women, queer, and transgender populations. She emphasized that pH testing is a valuable tool for assessing health risks related to infections such as urinary tract infections (UTIs), bacterial vaginosis (BV), and yeast infections—conditions that are both common and significantly understudied. Umyeena concluded by stressing that as healthcare technology continues to advance, it is imperative that diversity, equity, and inclusion are embedded at every stage of innovation. Without inclusive design and research, the technology will ultimately fail to serve those who need it most.

The evening concluded with live performances and music, creating space for guests to dance, connect, and celebrate together. It was also announced that all ticket proceeds from the event were donated to the Riot Fund for the Transgender District, where the event exceeded it's goal of $1200 in funds to $2000.

Other event partners were present such as the SF LBGT Center and Ntiedo Hands & Bodyworks, offering discounts to guest attendees.

Overall, the event was a powerful testament to the strength, brilliance, and impact of women and transgender communities, affirming that they are pretty, powerful, and paid.