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| True Colors Conference, March 2009 |
For over a decade, I have regularly attended these events mixing it up with civilians and non-civilian attendees alike. Transgender Lives has more non-civilian attendees than True Colors and Hamvention. Whereas Hamvention has more civilian attendees than Transgender Lives and True Colors. True Colors falls somewhere in between.
True Colors' attendees are primarily LGBT youth and secondarily, their providers (teachers, social workers, etc.) and supporters. First time I attended True Colors in 2007, there was only a small handful of attendees trans-dressed... maybe only two or three who were brave enough to show up presenting in their transgender/true-gender.
Society has changed during the last dozen years and at last year's True Colors, there were many boys and girls in attendance happily presenting in their transgender/true-gender.
Transgender Lives' attendees are primarily transgenders, their providers, supporters and family members. Most transgenders attending Transgender Lives present as their transgender/true-gender although I have encountered some who attended in their birth gender like the husband and wife who attended one of my "how to femulate" workshops in order to learn how to crossdress (husband wanted to, wife was encouraging, but they did not know where to start).
Transgender Lives and True Colors conferences are very supportive, respective and sympathetic, so all transgenders will feel comfortable attending either event. Adults may feel a little out of place attending the youth-centric True Colors, but the kids are great and when I attend, I receive countless hugs and greetings from people who are young enough to be my grandchildren – it makes me feel great and so maternal that I forget about being an old lady !
Hamvention is completely different... 28,000 civilians and a handful of transgenders attending in their transgender/true-gender.
Ham radio operators are reputed to be on the conservative side of the political spectrum, so that gave me pause when I considered attending Hamvention for the first time in my transgender/true-gender. So the first time (2010), I did not stray from the booth I was staffing during the day and I played it safe in the evening attending my group's banquet one night and a larger banquet the next night accompanied by my supportive and protective female editor.
After eight trips to Hamvention en femme, I learned I had nothing to fear. Friends and acquaintances from the past who knew me en homme were very supportive and treated me like a lady. And civilians assumed I was just another middle-aged woman dragged to Hamvention by her ham radio husband. So I blended in and freely flitted about the convention taking it all in just as I do attending True Colors or Transgender Lives.
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| Wearing Bebe (Source: Bebe) |
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| Harry S. Franklyn, Roaring Twenties professional femulator |
The Keystone Conference in Harrisburg, PA overlaps with True Colors. It starts today and continues through Sunday morning. Unfortunate timing of an arm injury caused me to cancel my attendance. Clearly, both conferences cover valuable areas of importance to our community. It's too bad the organizers haven't communicated with each other to schedule their events on non-competing dates.
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