Tiffany Club’s First Event 2010 30th Anniversary, January 13 -17, 2010, to Be One of the Best Ever

Published on: January 9th, 2010 12:05am by: TCNE

First Event’s 30th anniversary promises to be one of the best ever. New England’s largest transgender conference will feature over 50 workshops, entertainment and special events.

Waltham, MA (OPENPRESS) January 9, 2010 -- The 30th anniversary of First Event promises to one of the best ever. The committee has done an outstanding job of putting together a full array of daytime and evening programming,” said Jamie Hailey, chairperson of FE 2010. .

Among the highlights of this year conference is an expanded transmasculine track.
Initiated and coordinated by Anderson Clark, a FTM activist seeking to increase resources for the transmasculine community, the FTM track features a lineup of speakers and workshops that will address many of the challenges that transmen face.

Matt Kailey, the "National Transgender and Transsexual Issue Examiner" for Examiner.com, author of "Just Add Hormones: An Insider's Guide to the Transsexual Experience" and managing editor of "Out Front Colorado" will talk about defining masculinity and also about how to talk to the press. Jennifer Levi, the director of the Transgender Rights Project at GLAD, will discuss transgender legal issues. Gunner Scott and Ruben Hopwood will present a workshop on transgender suicide prevention and intervention, the first time this topic will be presented at First Event.. Dr. Peter Raphael from the American Institute for Plastic Surgery in Plano, TX will talk about the FTM surgeries offered at his clinic, and he is also sponsoring a transmasculine luncheon in association with his workshop. Hawk Stone will discuss FTM sexuality, and Mycroft Holmes will present a workshop on transgender faith, spirituality and religion. Dr. Evan Eyler will talk about preventative health care and hormones for FTMs.

Says Anderson, “The great thing about First Event and the TransMasculine Track is that resource providers are in one place at one time. At the conference, the men can get first-hand information directly from the speakers with regard to legal, spiritual, social or medical issues and then have the opportunity to ask questions and enter discussions, all in a single venue.”

In addition to the transmasculine workshops, First Event offers a range of workshops from the fun to the serious that are interest to the transgender community. Says Roberta Hailey, FE 2010 programming chair, “As in past years, the workshops offer FE participants valuable, practical information on a variety of subjects. Once again, we feature a number of noted surgical experts. Workshops by Drs. Marcia Bowers, Joel Beck and Mark Zukowski, Douglas Ousterhout, Sherman Leis, Toby Meltzer and Jeffery Spiegel will cover that complete array of on surgical options available for male to female and female to male.”

Several workshops address the challenges of transitioning: Life After Transition, Transitioning on the Job, Thinking of Transitioning? Who do you include?, How to Transition Publicly. There are a number of workshops that tackle the difficult reality that many transgendered persons face such as divorce, financial ruin, abuse, and discrimination. On the more positive side, there are workshops addressing, spirituality, support groups, and developing gender identity.

Mona Mason, the project coordinator for the recently completed Transgender Project will present the findings of this landmark study..The Transgender Project was a longitudinal study from 2004 – 2009 of the male to female transgender population of the greater New York City metropolitan area. This research project was conduced by National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. and funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (R-01) from a grant proposal “HIV/STD’s In a High Risk Urban Population: Male to Female Transgender” To date, it is the most in depth and largest study of its kind.. Dr. Larry Nuttbrock (NDRI) was the Principal investigator. Dr’s. Walter Boctking, Andrew Rosenblum, and Sel Hwahng were the co-investigators: Jeffrey Becker, MPH, MSW and Monica Macri, MPH, were the research associates.

In addition to the workshops, FE 2010 will offer a several special events.

There will be an all day health clinic at First Event on Saturday January 16th 2010. Tiffany Club of New England and the North East Transwomen’s Alliance (NETA) present the Health Moves clinic. Health Moves is an outreach program of Northeastern University coordinated with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The program is equipped to provide health promotion, health education and basic screening and immunization services. Among the services being offered free of charge will be hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tetanus and pneumonia vaccinations. There will be Health Screenings for Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. Rapid HIV counseling & testing will also be available as well as blood pressure screenings. All services are free of charge and confidential.

“I am excited about this upcoming clinic at First Event. It’s a real life statement acknowledging the presence and value of the entire Trans community and its health and ongoing wellbeing.” says Lillith Ponticelli-founder and peer facilitator of NETA

For the second year in a row, FE 2010 will offer the Partners in Process program (PiP) lead by Andrea Ziff and Darlene Ginsburg. This year, PiP is holding a series of events - a regular support session and one on Transexuality - a forum for partners to bring up sexual issues and questions around the transgendered. In addition there are several informal events, two meet-and-greets on Thursday and Friday evenings, and an afternoon Tea on Saturday where people can share and connect in a more casual environment. PiP’s activities are open to any and all spouses/partners of the transgendered - either M to F or F to M - cross-dressers or transsexuals.

Evenings at First Event will offer topnotch entertainment and fun.
Karen Grenier, a favorite New England folk Singer performs on Wednesday and Thursday night.. Says Jamie Haley, chair of FE 2010, “We are excited that Karen will be appearing at First Event.. She is a favorite entertainer of the community” A polished performer as well as an excellent songwriter, Karen received a songwriting award from Nashville's Music City Search in 2002.

Says Karen,” I am looking forward to playing at the First Event 2010 for several reasons. First, I have admiration for people who have the courage to be honest and true to themselves. Secondly, I believe that this openness and honesty will, person by person, dispel the "fear of what is not understood," and will move our society forward toward fairness and compassion. And thirdly, it is important to validate and identify with people and to encourage them to live honestly and fully! My music has been described by a fan as "a hope-filled, honest reflection of emotions and experiences we all face."

On Thursday, January 14, 2010, milDRED Gerestant, internationally known Haitian-American performance artist brings her one woman play When She was King to the Boston Peabody Marriot. play When She was King is a blend of comedy, poetry, dance, music, activism, monologue, cultural history, Spirit, expression, and education.

Says milDRED, “I like roles that push people's boundaries, and makes them think about their own identities formed through society. Through my performances, I draw attention to how society domesticates us into our preconceived notions of gender, race, and sexuality. My life, humanity, and spirituality, brings us a bit closer to recognizing and unlearning constraints, prejudices and stereotypes.”

On Friday night, it’s lights, camera, strike a pose as FE annual fashion show takes the stage. This year’s show is divided into 4 segments - Casual, Business, Swimsuit & Lingerie, and Evening & Club wear. Fifteen fabulous models made even more so by the make up artistry of Jamie Austin, Britannya Grace Heavens, Makeup by Nadia and Natasha Savoy from My Changing Room. These gorgeous ladies will showcase clothes and accessories from Florence’s Fashions, Glamour Boutique and their own glamorous wardrobes. There is sure to be something for everyone’s tastes and budgets.

With each model strutting down the runway several times there will be plenty of opportunity to ooh and aah over these must have clothes.

Event organizer, Britannya Grace Heavens says “The fashion show is such a empowering and inspiring event, especially for those just beginning making their inner person public. The models, audience and everyone involved are living their dream. It is electrifying! I am so thrilled to be involved this year! Last year, I was beginning my transition that was given such a boost my attending FE 2009. I learned so much that has helped me become the person I want to be so much quicker. . Doing this show has been an incredible step in my journey.”

Supporting FE event will be a wide array of vendors and organizations offering a variety of services and products such as clothing, jewelry, wigs, laser treatments, wigs, and cosmetics as well as information on support and advocacy groups.

First Event will be capped of by the appearance of Dr. Jillian Weiss as the conference’s keynote speaker. Since 2000, she has been one of a handful of researchers focusing on the issue from a legal perspective. She has conducted research involving hundreds of companies and public agencies that have adopted "gender identity" policies. She publishes a popular blog on the subject of Transgender Workplace Diversity, and has numerous research publications on the subject of gender identity. Her work has been featured in news stories by the New York Times, Associated Press, Fortune Small Business Magazine, the Society for Human Resource Management, Workforce Management Magazine, and HR Executive Magazine. In addition, she is the author of Transgender Workplace Diversity: Policy Tools, Training Issues and Communication Strategies for HR and Legal Professionals, one of the few books currently available on the subject. She has a J.D. and a Ph.D. in Law, Policy & Society and is an Associate Professor of Law and Society at Ramapo College of New Jersey.

Jillian’s study of trangender workplace issues was prompted by her own job loss as a result of transitioning in 1998. “I knew many others who had the same experience. As a lawyer, I was interested in why the law allowed this, and how law might begin to address the issues faced by trans people in employment, “said Jillian.

Her message to First Event attendees will be that we must come together and rise up as a community to demand respect, especially in regard to respect from the law. The ability to get and keep a good job without fear of discrimination is essential for success in life. The federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would stop job discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression, requires our full participation in order to pass into law in 2010.

For the past 29 years Tiffany Clubs First Event has been one of the premier transgender conferences in the United States. FE 2010 will be held at the Boston Peabody Marriot in Peabody, MA from January 13-17.

Registration forms and information for Tiffany Club’s First Event 2010 Transgender Conference are located at the club’s web site at www.tcne.org or by calling the club’s First Event program office at 802-356-4582 or via email at firstevent@tcne.org.

Tiffany Club of New England, the sponsor of First Event 2010, is a 5013C non-profit corporation and an open resource and support organization for all parts of the transgender community from cross dressers to transsexuals, both Male-to-Female and Female-to-Male, allies and intersexed persons.

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