Southern Comfort Conference

[Deanna_Renee]

The 19th Annual Transgender Conference will take place in Atlanta, GA September 22-27 at the Crown Ravinia Hotel. Also celebrating the 3rd annual transgender career fair. Hope to meet a few new friends there. Not sure if I'm allowed to post the link (if not please remove): http://www.sccatl.org

Deanna

[Kate Thomas]

Deanna
we welcome event posts and hope that if you (or any other member in good standing) have any other events toss them up on the calender. but the link was not quite correct try
http://www.sccatl.org
I hope you share your experiences at Southern Comfort with us  when you get done with it.   

[Deanna_Renee]

Thank you Kate for the correction. I'm looking forward to attending this event (my first outing to the community - hopefully en femme). I will happily post a review of my experiences.

Deanna

[Tammy Hope]

It sounds like great fun! wish I could afford it....hope you have a great time.

[Vicky]

Hi Deanna --  I am going to SCC this year too.  People I know have been on me to go for several years, and at last I am going to make it.  For me its a cross country trip from ol' Smogville by the Beach Pollution here on the west coast.  I just started on HRT, and the whole last few months have been a celebration for me.  I'll keep my eyes out for you.  I can't really "afford" the thing, but its as good a "waste"  of my money as anything else I can think of.

OOPS add this now -- I have been told that its hard not to spend some time dressed.  One of their specialties is getting new girls or boys out and in the sunlight.  I do know a person who has been a "Big Sister" at the Conference and I know she would want you to connect up with one.  Its not too late to contact them about that.  The only male clothing I will have with me are my to and from travel clothes, and the only reason for them is my airplane times -- too early in the morning to femme up.

[Deanna_Renee]

Hi Vicky,

Well, I just heard that I was approved for a scholarship to SCC - wooohoo! I am planning to attend Friday and hope to meet you as well as make some new friends. I'm now nervous and should be downright terrified by Friday. But, I am planning to attend and will be taking my first steps out of the closet and into the sunlight, as you say, as Deanna.

Are there any other ladies (or gentlemen) in the house going to attend?

Take care,

Deanna

[Tammy Hope]

a scholarship to SCC

What's all this then?

[Deanna_Renee]

Hi Laura,

The folks at SCC were offering up scholarships to us poor folks who could not afford to attend, but wanted to be a part of it. Unfortunately the deadline for the applications has expired (though I don't know if there would be any chance of sweet talking them into a last minute generosity). The information is available here: http://www.sccatl.org/registration/scholarships.

Deanna

Okay, I think I've decided that I am going to make the plunge (a little too easy this week in Atlanta with all of the severe flooding and people actually dying in the flood waters ) and going to, probably, wear this outfit to the conference.

I just hope I don't look too foolish and at least a little bit passable.

Report pending,

Deanna

[Vicky]

The airplane landed back home at 0850pm Sunday night, but I am still at 35k feet and flying.  There were over 750 people at SCC this year and 40% were first timer's like me!!  I don't know if Deanna who wrote this was one of the people I did meet there, but if her picture in the last letter is her  then she definitely fit in with the crowd we had.  People who are men or women, even with the confusing trick birth played on us.  I know I met at least two girls by the name of Deanna, 6 other Vicky's, 5 Rikki's 3 Emily's, and --- 60 or so local accents from the US, England, South Africa, and a couple of other places.  My So. California rasp fit in to the bunch as well.  By and large as normal looking a bunch of human beings as you really could think of, but some of them were NAMES in the Transgender communities, and they were as warm and open to every "barely out of the closet" transwoman or transman as they were to their peers whose names also fill the headlines of activists, educators, etc.  Come to think of it, a couple of them even mentioned that we were all their peers, no matter how low on the food chain we felt. 

I haven't got this years bags empty yet, but I'd better get busy so I can pack up for next year.

[Deanna_Renee]

Vickey,

I'm glad you had as good a time (seemingly better ) than I did. I, too, am not sure if I met you among the others. I was only there on Friday, but I had the best time. Being my first time out, anywhere, as Deanna, I was a bit nervous (scared s&*%less actually) heading out the door, I really got to enjoy being me for a change. I felt the same reception from those whom I met who were, as you say, NAMES who treated me as though I was someone special. I was so deeply moved after Friday's dinner when the president of the SCC stood up and introduced those of us who had received scholarships in order that we could attend and we were very warmly welcomed by all. I don't know of many other communities that would applaud others who were there on scholarships, but here we were praised for making the effort. I was moved to tears. The love and the sense of family was so pervasive in that room at that time and I will never forget that feeling of being a part of it.

And, yes Vickey, my avatar is me at the conference (after my wonderful makeover). I have never gotten so many compliments from so many people in my whole life while pretending to be a guy as I got on Friday living as the woman I should have been all of these years. I'm also still floating high. I will most certainly be at SCC next year.

Deanna