From the desk of Alexis Dee — Southern Comfort Wrap Up
It’s time to put another Southern Comfort Conference into the history books.
Over 800 people enjoyed 4 days of education, enlightenment and entertainment. And a little sadness….
Our kickoff event was the “stuffing party“ where we put together the program guide packets — it was a great place to meet new friends and say hello to old ones. And help out the conference.
Wednesday morning, at 8:30 sharp our registration opened and the line was out the door. It also brought what has turned out to be one of our most popular events “Princess Day.” Over 35 guests were shuttled by our van to the mall across the street, where they shopped, got their nails done, and later went to lunch at Olive Garden. It was the first time out for many of them and it was an experience that I am sure they will remember for many years to come.
That evening we had our traditional trip to Agatha’s Dinner theater. SCC has been going there for over 10 years and the attendees were not disappointed.
Also Wednesday night was “SCC at the movies” and the first of three nights of Karaoke hosted by Jack Daddi.
The hotel bar was packed, and that was the first night of little or no sleep for many of us.
9 a.m. Thursday began our first of three days of over 90 seminars. They continued until 5 p.m. on Saturday, and they covered a very wide range of topics. Many of the top doctors and surgeons from around the world gave updates on new treatment and procedures for both MtF’s and FtM’s. Kathe Perez of Executional Voice Inc. introduced her new voice app for your iPhone or iPad.
The SCC Marketplace was opened for business with specialty vendors and make-up and hair piece studios.
Also on Thursday morning, the Robert Eads Health Partnership was taking place. This program provides medical check-ups at a local doctor for the FtM’s at no charge.
That evening, our dinner outing to the 57th Regiment restaurant was a huge success! Then it was back to the hotel for another SCC movie night, more Karaoke and socializing at the bar.
And no sleep!
Friday was destined to be the busiest day of the conference.
9 a.m. started the first Out & Equal day at SCC. O&E and SCC teamed up to bring a day of speakers and seminars dedicated to helping our community deal with work place issues, before, during, and after transitioning on the job. Masen Davis gave the opening remarks at the morning plenary, followed by Mehgan Stabler doing our keynote at lunch.
SCC was honored to have Kristin Beck give a short talk at 2:30. And she attended our Trans-Veterans reception in our suite. Kristen signed autographs and made many new friends.
Friday evening at 6 p.m. our cocktail party started in the per-function area prior to dinner at 7 p.m. After dinner, our SCC Casino opened with Blackjack, roulette, poker, and dice tables. Fortunes were won and lost! At the same time, SCC’s very own Christy held an auction of volunteer guys and gals, who would escort their buyer to the gala dinner Saturday night. Over six hundred dollars was raised for next year’s scholarship fund.
Karaoke was overflowing, and the hotel bar could not keep up with the demand — they even ran out of lemons!
At 9:30 our shuttle service to the Atlanta bar, The Jungle, started. The busses were packed taking our guest to party and have a great night dancing at one of Atlanta’s hottest night spots. Most didn’t return until 3 a.m.!
No sleep again!
Saturday morning arrived with hangovers, sore feet from our Jimmy Choo’s and some wishing Friday night hadn’t ended.
Our luncheon speaker for Saturday was Michael Silverman who gave us the history of the Coy Mathis case in Denver. Michael successfully argued the Denver school system could not prevent Coy (who was born male and identifies as female) from using the girl’s restroom. The case drew national attention.
3 p.m. saw Heather’s Pool party, complete with bar and steel drum band. The weather cooperated and all had a good time.
Another cocktail party just before the gala dinner, was packed with our guests dress to the “nines,” socializing and chatting about their SCC experiences. The final dinner, hosted by your truly, gave thanks to all our benefactors, sponsors, vendors, staff and volunteers, and the people of the Crowne Plaza who welcome us every year. Our treasurer Stephanie Schumacher pulled the lucky 50/50 number, worth $800.00. The winner said that it would cover half of her bar bill.
Our final event was the “Progressive Prom.” Brynn Taylor, voted number one DJ in Hollywood, California, spun records from the ‘50s through the 2000s to keep all our attendees dancing until the hotel pulled the plug!
Earlier I mentioned sadness. The sadness was because nobody wanted SCC 2013 to end! Saying good bye brought many a misty eye. Mine included.
Sunday morning arrive much too quickly. The hotel was running at full speed, getting everyone on their way. Goodbyes were exchanges, phone numbers scribbled on pieces of paper and hugs abounded. All of these people were now part of the Southern Comfort family!
Don’t fret. If you were not lucky enough to attend SCC 2013, planning for SCC 2014 is well underway. The dates for 2014 are September 2- 7. Hope to see you there. Registration opens April 1, 2014!
Category: Transgender Community News
About the Author (Author Profile)
I have been very involved in our community for many years. I have worked with the Southern Comfort Conference for the last ten years and have had the honor to chair the conference three times. I am also on the Board of Directors for SCC and am currently on the Out&Equal Transgender Advisory Committee.Subscribe
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