Thursday, May 25, 2006

Southeast Regional Time Out Youth Conference

May 12th and 13th, I had the opportunity to attend the Time Out Youth Conference held in Charlotte, NC. A group of four from my church took part in a workshop led by our pastor. I also was able to attend the various workshops as they took place both days.

A couple things struck me very quickly. Young people these days seem so much more intelligent than I remember us being in our teens. Perhaps it's this group and the sense of focus they possessed. I don't know, but if they are indicative of the mainstream, our future will be in good hands.

The number of teens who identified as being transgendered was relatively small, which I believe reflects the overall percentage we think of in society as a whole. What did surprise me was that the majority of the young people who identified as transgendered were F2M. I only recall one young person who identified as M2F, although there were perhaps others.

Again, whether this is indicative of this particuar conference, or reflects the norm, I do not know. What I do know is these young people have the same challenges and issues to over come that each of us did, irrespective or our age or place on the transgender continuum.

As I have said so often, all each of us is seeking is to 'find our way' in life. It was gratifying to see people at such a young age who are well on the way to finding their way.

The keynote speaker for Saturday was Kate Bornstein, well known author, lecturer, and performance artist. It was a pleasure to meet her in person.