DIY Trans Conference

By Eve Taylor

My Southern Comfort Conference (SCC) experience last week wasn’t so comfortable. Maybe it's my age and experience (married and 60+), but I think I’ve outgrown the transgender conferences and meetings.

I have enjoyed the First Event in Boston the last few years; they’re well organized and attended. This year I thought it would be nice to be warm and tropical (Florida). That it was, but the hotel was just dismal and shoddy and in need of a refurb. I know it is the attendees that make the conference, but cigarette burns and mildew in the rooms… echh! The SCC people should re-think that venue location.

What was great was that that my wife and I skipped out of there ASAP, shot up to Vero Beach and had a fantastic time in the sun and surf on our own. Dressing for the beach, pool, dinner, breakfast, shopping!!! We made our own conference.

I, no, we, discovered how liberating it is to be on your own and out and about. Just a couple of gals out having fun. Everyone we met was so nice and friendly. We found out what many married CD’s have discovered… that two ladies out and about attract little attention other than the best wishes from all.

Next time you’re on vacation, pack femme, be free (and respectful of other people’s “sensitivities”) and enjoy yourself!!!

Wearing Ann Taylor.

Uku Suviste ready to femulate Beyonce on
Estonian television's Your Face Sound Familiar.

More Southern Southern Comfort Conference

Sheila's Southern Comfort Conference Selfie

Long-time Femulate reader and regular commenter, Sheila, also is a regular attendee of the Southern Comfort Conference (SCC). With the change of venues from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale, I was curious about this year's conference and out of the blue, Sheila sent me her impressions on this year's SCC.

I prefer the new venue in the Fort Lauderdale area. A logical reason for this is that since I live in Tampa, the drive is about half the drive time and much less stressful than driving north to Atlanta. The resort hotel and spa was originally a Grand Hyatt which is, I believe, the highest level of Hyatt hotels. So, it was quite nice. In fact, my room had a bidet as well as a toilet. When I first saw it, I was pretty sure it was not a drinking fountain.I had never actually seen one in person before. Although I did not use it, I did check out a couple of YouTube videos on how to use it.

The main building is quite large, although just one story tall. It has all of the restaurants, lounges, meeting rooms, banquet halls, the business center with desktop computers and printers, and other convention facilities. As you might guess, bring a Grand Hyatt, everything is very, very nice. There are two swimming pools. One is the main swimming pool and the other is a private swimming pool just for spa members. Apparently, the property is adjacent to a golf course. There are approximately eight or nine four-story buildings that contain all of the guestrooms. The rooms and suites are large and gorgeous.

The hotel property is approximately 10 to 15 miles west of Fort Lauderdale proper. It's close to the largest outlet mall in the United States. I did not go to the mall; it's name is Sawgrass Mills.

Jazz Jennings, a 15 year-old transgirl was there with her parents and older twin brothers. They are featured in the TLC television series "I am Jazz." She is adorable, gorgeous, and mature beyond her years. Her family is fantastic and supremely supportive.

Jazz spoke at one of the banquet meals. She sold 50 copies of her book (intended to teach children and teens about transgender people). They sold for a very reasonable $15 and she autographed each book and also took photos with each buyer. All proceeds from the sale of the book go towards Jazz's foundation to help transgender children.

The attendance was higher than last year's SCC in Atlanta. I don't know what the numbers are, though. A totally uninformed estimate on my part is somewhere between 600 and 800 attendees (at least for Friday and Saturday).

All in all, this year's SCC was excellent! I had a marvelous time. It was lovely being a woman full-time for three days.

∞ ∞ ∞

Don't forget, as Halloween approaches, show us what you wore for our favorite holiday recently. Send me your costume photo and I will feature it in the Femulator slot below.

Meanwhile, have a great weekend.

New York City street style, Fall 2015

Andee's showgirl 2002 Halloween costume

More Short Notes on a Busy Week

TJ informed me that photos (like the ones above and below) from the 2012 Southern Comfort Conference (SCC) are now available for viewing here on flickr. The set includes 1301 photos and 13 videos!

Meanwhile, in the When It Rains, It Pours Department, I just received an invitation to attend a "Masquerade Ball" in Hartford on October 19. The only problem is that I will be at Fantasia Fair in Provincetown the night of the ball!

A Week in Provincetown

Relaxing at my B&B during Fantasia Fair, October 2010

The Southern Comfort Conference takes place this week in Atlanta. I seriously considered attending, but after weighing all the costs, I decided not to go.

The transportation expenses broke the camel's back.

It is nearly 2000 miles roundtrip. Driving would be less expensive than flying, but driving would take a lot longer. Since this girl does not travel lightly, the expense of flying would be burdened with the added cost of whatever the airline charges for luggage. And if I wanted to get around Atlanta, a car rental would be an additional burden.

Also, as I wrote here last month, "my girl mode and boy mode must take separate vacations because my spouse does not want to vacation with my girl mode. I have no problem with that, but two vacations are not usually in the cards financially" especially if one is as expensive as the Atlanta trip likely would have been.

I was very disappointed about not going to Atlanta, but I accepted the financial realities and moved on.

Last week, my wife indicated that she does not want to go away on vacation this year because of some family health issues. She is ok with day trips, but does not want to take any extended trips away from home.

That freed up a lot of vacation funds, so I began thinking about how to spend it.

It was too late for Atlanta, but Fantasia Fair is a month away. A lot of my friends are going to Fantasia Fair this year, I need a vacation, and most importantly, I need to spend some extended time as a woman again, so I thought about attending Fantasia Fair this past weekend.

Traveling to Provincetown on Cape Cod (the site of Fantasia Fair) is a piece of cake. Pack the car, drive four hours and I am there. The only hitch might be getting a room at this late date, but when I contacted the Bed and Breakfast where I stayed last time, they had one room left, so I grabbed it.

I registered for the event yesterday and now I just have to count the days until I will be able live as the woman I am full-time for a full week.

I Have Something

Now, I have something and it is bad news.

Living part-time in girl mode and part-time in boy mode is an expensive proposition.

Maintaining two wardrobes is one expense. I admit that I pay much less attention to my male wardrobe than my female wardrobe, but it is an expense nonetheless.

Vacationing is another expense. My girl mode and boy mode must take separate vacations because my spouse does not want to vacation with my girl mode. I have no problem with that, but two vacations are not usually in the cards financially.

A dress bought here and a dress bought there is an expense, but it does not have the same credit card shock as a four or five-day trip away from home. Multiply that by two and I can smell plastic melting in the morning.

After doing the math, I have concluded that I cannot afford a trip to Atlanta to attend Southern Comfort Conference.

Sorry to disappoint you, but no one is as disappointed as I am.

Atlanta Bound

Atlanta is the site of  the Southern Comfort Conference and a ham radio conference on the same weekend next month. I plan to attend both.

If you are planning to attend Southern Comfort, I hope to see you there.

Maybe I can organize a Femulate reader get-together during the weekend if enough readers are interested. Let me know.