The first time that I went to the conference was back in 2002 when it was held at the University of Hartford and was called “Children from the Shadows”. I wrote in my diary (the grammar is “as written” with no correction and the name have been changed to just initials)…
March 24thThis year the conference is March 11 & 12.
The conference was excellent! I had a great time and enjoyed ever minute of it.
So a little after seven in the morning on Friday March 22, M A stopped by my house and we went off to the “Children from the Shadows.” I only had a vague idea what the conference would be like, but when we got to the University of Hartford where the conference was being held the parking lot was starting to fill up. There were a number of school buses and cars in the parking lot already, with lines forming at the registration desk.
We went in and set up the table and before we got settled in people were already stopping by the table. From then on it was none stop people. Some just walked by and glanced at our table, some took our flyers and other stopped and talked to us. They were interested in where to get support, not for themselves but for their students. Because most of the people who stopped and talked, were faculty advisor or guidance counselors. I would estimate that over all percentage of students to professionals to be about 85 percent students to around 15 percent faculty and professionals.
A little later M E came and joined us at the table, she was also going to be on the panel with us. From time to time B, A, J and A2 would stop by and see how we were doing as they were going to various seminars.
There were over two thousand people who attended the conference that day. They came from all over the Northeast United States and Connecticut, students, teachers, faculty advisor, guidance counselors and professional counselors.
All for one purpose to learn more about GLBT issues at the over a hundred workshops and seminars that were offered. After lunch, our replacements arrived, J2 and T M. Then M A, M E, myself and F from the Twenty Club went off to the seminar that we were going to give, “Bridging the Gender Gap”. The seminar was a little disappointing, there were more panel members then the audience, but it turned out all right. It made for a good group discussion and I think we all learned a lot, both young and old. We learned what it is like to be transgender now and they learned what it was like to be transgender back then in the thirty’s, fifties, sixties and the seventies.
When the seminar broke up we went over to the next seminar, this one was presented by M A, F and S G who is from the “Connecticut Women’s Educational and Legal Fund” and was called “The Politics of Peeing”. A catchy title about the legal and political issues of transgenderism. The room was packed and they were even sitting on the floor to listen to the presentation.
M E and myself, along with K from the Twenty Club and another transgender couple from the Boston area were among those in the audience. But all most all of the audience were professional people from the education field. One member was a mother whose son just came out and told her that he was a transsexual. Another member of the audience was a Guidance Counselor from Stratford who was working with a transsexual student who wanted to come out to his parents. The counselor was looking for help in how to prepare in telling the parents about their son. We were the first transgender people that they had meet and they were there to lean from us. They wanted to be able understand and help their students if the need arouse. The question that they asked showed that they were willing to listen and learn what they could.
What did I get out of it? When I waked out of the conference that night, I felt a little pride in that I had helped in some way. I had gained a little knowledge in what it’s liked to be GLBT now. That there are now people willing to listen, learn and help.
Thanks, Diana! I hadn't heard of this conference before. I hope it's OK to add this to my event list.
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