PCL Offers Something for Everyone

On Saturday, July 10, 2010 the first annual Pacific Cost Living Conference was held at the South San Francisco Convention Center.  This was the first major transgender conference in Northern California since California Dreaming in 2008.  It was my very first transgender conference and I loved every second of it!
 
As with any conference, what happens during the formal sessions is only a small part of the entire experience.  As good as the workshops were, getting to spend the entire weekend en femme in San Francisco with good friends was worth the price of admission alone.

We arrived at our hotel in South San Francisco mid-afternoon on Friday, the day before the conference.  After a little time to freshen up, we were out the door on our way to San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf.  First stop was Ghirardelli Square to see all those cute shops.  When we got there we were surprised to learn, however, that many of the stores had closed and their old locations were now hotel rooms!  With that we left Ghirardelli and spent our time before dinner perusing the Salvador Dali collection in a local art gallery and walking around Aquatic Park.

Dinner was at the world-famous Fog City Diner (near Pier 39), and since we were not rushed after dinner (and since yours truly is a native San Francisco girl who loves to show people around) we did a little sightseeing.  The highlight was our visit to Coit Tower, high atop Telegraph Hill.

Come Saturday morning it was time for conference business.  Fifteen different workshops offered enough variety to appeal to the different interests of everyone in attendance:  six workshops were oriented towards those in transition, while nine workshops were intended for a general transgender audience.

For my first session, I had the pleasure of attending a Facial Feminization Surgery workshop by the famous Dr. Ousterhout (who, despite rumors, is NOT retiring).  After his very interesting talk, he offered to conduct on-site consultations so I skipped the second workshop session to meet Dr. O in person.  I was second in line only because I was unable to trip the girl who got there first!  Dr. O is warm, friendly and put me completely at ease.  He measured, we talked for about 15 minutes, and then he turned me over to Mira, his office manager.  It hurts too much to think about my quote (I’ll discuss it individually with anyone who is interested) but there is no doubt in my mind that FFS is in my future, one way or another.

We had a nice buffet lunch, and while we ate, various workshop presenters answered questions submitted by the participants.  Following lunch I attended two different workshops on hormones and hormone therapy.  The workshop by Dr. Deborah Meltzer was really outstanding and has prompted lots of questions I’ll have for my doctor.

The last workshop I went to was a presentation by Denae Doyle of FemImage.  Some of you may have copies of her DVDs on feminine movement and feminine gestures.  Her workshop was packed and I can say that I learned more in that hour than I could have learned in a week sitting in a mall and trying (very casually!) to observe women.  I understand that Denae is expensive to hire for one-on-one coaching but her workshop was well worth the time invested.  And, as often happens at conferences, Denae offered her instructional DVDs at a discount conference price, so I am now enjoying them at home.

After the last workshop we had a break before dinner, so most of the ladies (the conference was designed for Transgender women) changed into dinner attire.  During the buffet dinner we all had a chance to finally relax and compare notes about the day’s events.  After we ate, the Keynote speakers were introduced:  Theresa Sparks, former President of the San Francisco Police Commission and now candidate for the Board of Supervisors, and Cecilia Chung, President of the SF Human Rights Commission.

They both spoke about their personal journeys but they really focused on the need for all of us to be involved in our communities and to take every opportunity available to educate the public about all aspects of our transgender lives.  They are both powerful spokeswomen and we’re lucky to have them working on our behalf.

 The speakers were followed by music, dancing and conversation, but the crowd thinned out quickly; after a long day, sleep was sounding like a good idea.
 
Our group wrapped up the weekend on Sunday by going to lunch at a nice Dim Sum restaurant followed by a little shopping.  Okay, it was shopping at a Goodwill store, but it still counts.  Actually I ended up getting a very nice long, green coat for a whopping $8.99 so I judged the shopping to be a success.
 
Then it was over.  As we drove home I remarked that it felt like we had left a year ago, not just two days earlier.  It was a full weekend and a fun weekend.  The second annual Pacific Coast Living Conference is being scheduled for the same venue next summer.  This year seven Gems attended: myself, Pauline, Freddie, Jodie, Theresa, Leann, and Niya.  I hope to see many more of you there next year!

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