We’re Back from Keystone!!

Hey folks,
We drove back from Pennsylvania today, we were at the Keystone Conference. 
Some trivia:
This is a new conference on the block, the TransCentralPA folks decided they’d put on on, and this was their first go-round, and a job well done.
"Keystone" has nothing to do with the cops from the old b & w movies.  For my Australian readers (I know there are at least 2 of you) – most, if not all, American states have some sort of nickname, and Pennsylvania calls themselves the "Keystone State", cause they feel they were crucial in founding America. 

We got up there Friday afternoon, and everybody went out to dinner on restaurant row – they’d made reservations for like 16 folks each at 5 different restaurants.  Yummy food, and they had a cool little jazz duo playing there, and we were all out on the dance floor and we had the place hopping. Then our friend said we should all go over to this ultra cool little tapas restaurant and bar, so we did, and it was barely 1 room big, we overwhelmed it, so we stood around and got thru one drink then Sweety and I caught the shuttle back to the hotel and crashed.

We were part of a panel discussion at the first session on Saturday morning, 9 am, so I wore one of my new pants suits (navy pinstripe), and we had a good time.  Hit another session, and had a great lunch with a wonderful talk by Mara Keisling (she’s head of NCTE ).  She is a very good leader in trans equal rights, and is very funny, one of the best dry senses of humor I’ve heard.  Very good talk.

Sweety and I actually skipped the early afternoon session and hit the exercise room, then cleaned up for the late afternoon session.  Then, back to the room for the fancy clothes, and we had a great reception, dinner, speech by Donna Rose (yes, the TransCentralPA folks got a couple of big hitters for their first time out of the gate, well done girls), and more party.  I brought this red dress that a friend gave me (when she had her top enhanced, she couldn’t fit in it anymore, and did I ever benefit).  Here’s a pic of Sweety and me at the Saturday nite party.

Oh, and yes, I did get a haircut Friday morning before we left town.  I do like it, it was kinda long and ratty at the ends, however, I’m not sure I can get it to stay in a ponytail for work tomorrow…    heh heh.  Ooops.

Okay, now here’s the amazing part:

Background:  Our local group helped host the IFGE conference here in town at the beginning of Feb.  (Oh, I just realized, I never posted a good summary of what happened at our local IFGE conference. Okay, will fix that later).  So, Sweety is helping with the conference on Sat, while I’m running the registration table.  So, she’s walking past the meeting rooms, hallway full of folks, and she looks up and sees someone, a guy she recognizes from work, dressed to the nines as a good looking woman, just as this person sees Sweety and recognizes her.  Well, other person goes into full panic, cause they’re not out and here they’ve run into someone from work – absolute death, right?  And Sweety instantaneously thinks of exactly the right thing to say "It’s okay – my husband’s trans", and everything is okay.  so, that’s the IFGE part.

Now, Sat. AM at the Keystone, we’re standing there, and this girl walks up, says, "well, it’s about time I said hi" and I don’t recognize her from any past group, and she holds out her name badge and the first name says "S—–".  Okay, so what?  Then I see the last name in small print, and go "Oh.  My. God."   It’s a co-worker from about 13 years ago. We were at the same company, just a few doors apart, from like ’93 to ’98 or so.  I went to teach at university for awhile, "he" left with a bunch of others guys and started his own company.  Now, "she" saw me Friday nite, I didn’t recognize her at all, so she came and really said hello on Saturday morning.  In my defense, a) I never knew she was trans, b) he was like 50 lbs heavier (wonderful slimming), and c) he always wore glasses.  She’s only recently been really dealing with trans-ness, and this was her first big trip out.  So, we spend most  of the rest of the conference hanging out and trading stories and such.    There were only about 60, 65 folks in this office of our company, so, if 2 of us were/are really trans, does that mean the actual percentage in the population is like over 2 % ?  or is it higher?  More on our new friend later as this new phase of the friendship grows.  Oh, and another aspect:  we actually played Fantasy Football together for like a decade, well after we both left the company.  Really outrageous and amazing. 

And,S, if you’re reading this, Hi Hon.  It was a pleasure and a real honor to make your acquaintance.  For real.  😉

So, IFGE was Sweety’s turn to be surprised, and Keystone was apparently my turn.  What can happen next? 

So, we’re back home.  It’s kinda odd how we’re meeting and becoming friends with all these folks who are apparently pretty high up in the trans-activist organizations.  One friend, who as far as I knew 3 months ago was just another trans woman, has since been elected to the chair of the IFGE board and is also on the NCTE board.  And we know Mara Keisling, and more importantly, she knows us.  And we know the leaders of at least 2 local/regional groups, and ..  and .. and…    the current pres of our local board is stepping down as Pres this June, and there’s no one willing to take up her spot. I’ve been asked.  I’m hesitant, cause I’m going full time in Aug/September, with facial feminization surgery in August (and recuperating the rest of Aug), but…  we were looking over the rest of the members, and I just don’t know who else can do it.  And Sweety has talked about taking on the Outreach position – responsible for making sure that someone appropriate shows up to talk to groups who want to learn more about transgender/transsexual stuff.  Just don’t know right now.

Ah, sigh.  I’ll welcome  comments and suggestions – should I throw my hat in the ring for the job?  Whacha’all think?
hugs all around
Jude