In the company of ...

In a fairly recent post entitled I See Dressed People I reported faithfully to you dear friends, on a number of sightings of people like me. People who were moving too quickly in the opposite direction for me to be able to say:

“Hello. I think I understand you, and am very happy to see you here today”.

I would have like to have said those things, but circumstances did not allow. So it goes.

Just last week, Calie wrote beautifully about spending time achingly close to a transperson in a situation where neither of them could acknowledge the other. Read the post here please. If Old Yeller did not make you cry, this will.

Newish blogger Halle wrote recently on her wish for a secret handshake in Maintaining the Façade. Another good, thought provoking piece of work.

It is interesting to me that while “we” exist in good and perhaps increasing numbers, many of us, for many reasons lead fairly solitary lives. If you are not “out” to your spouse, if you live in a small town, if you have no local support organizations, if your career involves a public trust such as the care and education of young people, it can be difficult and dangerous to explore and display your full spectrum self.

I do not suffer from any of these inhibitors. Mrs. Bellejambes is entre-nous with all of me. I live in a city large enough to provide the cover of anonymity. The drums of the local TG tribe tap out welcoming messages here all the time. I have friends and acquaintances of my persuasion that I can meet with without too much bother involved. Some professional doors would be closed to me if I was more broadly out, but many would remain open, and I would know them to be more philosophically simpatico.

But with all of these inherited and earned advantages the life of “Petra” remains a largely solitary thing. This is more a matter of temperament for me than any other thing. Like Gazoo of Flintstone fame I wait patiently for the rescue mission from my home planet. I try to learn what I can while I am here, regardless of my gender presentation. Truly, I like Earthlings and get along well enough in rooms large and small, but I feel happiest when I am a slightly removed observer of things around me. My own company is usually satisfactory to the needs of the moment.

Not always though.

Being with birds of a feather, being immersed in the company of people with similar experiences and desires is healthy. It adds to what you know, it tops up your batteries, it gives you an opportunity to be helpful to people by your own example or actions. This is good stuff.

And so, with those objectives in mind, I must tell you here today that I am looking forward to attending the Southern Comfort Conference here in Atlanta, September 8-12. SCC will be celebrating its 20th year of comfort, joy and etc. to the TG community and their friends and families.

The full conference schedule will be posted in early June. In the meantime all the activities and registration information are available on the site. I have not attended SCC before, but having met with a few people who volunteer their time to making it work, I have a very good vibe about the event.

If you are looking to add to what you know, to top up your batteries, and to be a great example to people around you, won’t you consider attending too? I am going to keep a link open in the right column here to remind you from time to time.

If you are going to attend, please leave a comment or drop me a line. My contact information is in my Blogger profile. I look forward to being in the company of more of you.