Philadelphia Trans Health Conference Day 3

Wow.  I can’t believe I’m back home.  The conference was a life changing event for me on many levels.  Day 3 was intense so I took a little breathing room before writing about it.  

I spent most of my time in sessions dealing with bottom surgery.  I met guys who’ve went to Serbia and were willing to share their story about a very difficult, vulnerable, and intimate part of this journey.  Thank you brothers.  I hope I can be as open and brave as you are when I come back to pay it forward to the ones who’ll go after me.

I also sat in on a session about privilege.  I’m just starting to be read as male consistently and it was interesting to hear other guys perspectives on how this impacts you psychologically when you’ve been socialized (and spent all of your pre-transition life) as female.  All the feminist studies I took in school didn’t prepare me to completely appreciate the advantages (and disadvantages) bestowed on men.  I listened to one guy talking about having to be more careful about hanging out in the park alone when kids were around so as not to be viewed as a predator.  It made me both sad and angry to take in that reality.

I feel like my experiences at the conference have sewn the seeds of more change to come.  It’s scary and exciting and I don’t know where it all will end.  But I do know I’ll be ok because I’m not as alone on this journey as I once thought.