Creative LoafingParty people at the Transfaith in Color Conference 2012 Charlotte celebrates its transgender community in styleby Joanne Spataro | August 22, 2012
http://clclt.com/charlotte/party-people-at-the-transfaith-in-color-conference-2012/Content?oid=2828130
On Saturday, a woman in a black and lime tunic watched the hotel staff lay down flooring in an empty ballroom. It seems the floor is not big enough to hold even a small wedding reception, let alone the full-on dance party Charlene Archilla is describing in a soft voice. But for Archilla, 49, the space is more than enough room for Sweet-T: The Mini Ball, where she will don a red and white kimono and lip-synch to Whitney Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You," as the audience showers her in dollar bills and kisses.
Archilla is not a drag queen. She's a transgender African American.
The ball capped off a day of workshops at the annual Transfaith in Color Conference 2012, held in the Hilton Hotel at University Place from Friday, Aug. 17 through Sunday, Aug. 19. The event brought together members of the transgender community as well as LGBT allies from all over the country, including Charlotte's Mayor Anthony Foxx, who accepted the Ally Award at the Saturday luncheon for his support of LGBT rights.
