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Frequently Asked
Questions
and we've even provided
some answers!
How do I register?
General: Registration
opens on December 15, 2009. However, by
Pre-registering now you
enter to win a free night stay at the Sheraton Harrisburg-Hershey
Hotel during the conference.
Website
Registration: Click on the Registration button above to visit our
Registration Page. Once you complete the online form,
you will be directed to the PayPal site to complete your
registration. No registration will be honored without payment.
Registration and/or payment received after March 8, 2010 will be
subject to availability. If you do not receive a confirmation email
within 4 days of registering, please contact us at
info@TransCentralPA.org.
Mail-in Registration: Download
the
Keystone
Mail-in Attendee Registration Form from the website (available after
January 1st) fill it out
and send a check or money order (no cash or credit card for mail-in
registration) to
TransCentralPA
c/o MCC of the Spirit
2973 Jefferson Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110
All mail-in
registration and payment must be received by March 8, 2010. TransCentralPA and the Keystone Conference do not accept
responsibility for lost or delayed payment. No registration will be
honored without pre-payment. Once we receive payment, you will be
sent a confirmation email. If you do not receive an email within 14
days of mailing, please contact us
info@TransCentralPA.org.
At-the-Door Registration: Because
we are required to notify the hotel several days in advance
concerning the number of meals/seats needed, we may not be able to
honor those desiring to purchase anything other than the “Saturday
Conference Only” option. Additional fees and restrictions may apply
to the ‘At-the-Door’ Registration.
Privacy Policy
For those attendees who are concerned about their identity and
anonymity, Keystone Conference and TransCentralPA are committed to
protecting our members' and guests' personal information, identity and
privacy. Your full 'payment' name is needed to ensure your payment has
been received. Once your registration and payment have been processed,
all records of your full 'payment' name will be deleted and your
registration information will be kept under your ‘preferred’ name.
Confirmation Policy
No registration will be honored without pre-payment. Registration and/or
payment received after March 8, 2010 will be subject to availability.
You will receive a confirmation email once your registration and payment
have been processed. If you do not receive an email within 4 days (or 14
days if mailing), please contact us at
info@TransCentralPA.org.
Cancellation Policy
No cancellations will be accepted after March 7, 2010. All cancellations
are subject to a 20% handling charge. To cancel, please email us at
info@TransCentralPA.org.
Payment Policy
Online payment via PayPal's safe and secure website is the preferred
method of payment. You may mail a check or money order (no cash will be
accepted) to:
TransCentralPA
c/o MCC of the Spirit
2973 Jefferson Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110
TransCentralPA and the Keystone Conference
do not accept responsibility for lost or delayed payment. Payment must
be received by March 8, 2010 or your registration may not be honored.
Once we receive payment, you will be sent a confirmation email. If you
do not receive an email within 4 days (or 14 days if mailing), please
contact us at
info@TransCentralPA.org.
What will show up on my credit card?
When using PayPal, a charge from “PAYPAL *TCPA ONLINE" will be placed on your
credit card. "TCPA Online" is intentionally discrete.
If anyone was to Google "TCPA Online," they would get thousands of
references to "Trusted Computing Platform Associates"...which, of
course, has nothing to do with the Keystone Conference or TransCentralPA.
This is for those who need both
privacy and
discretion.
What is included in the Keystone
Conference registration?
Your conference package determines which meals, events and activities
you will be able to partake of. When you visit the Keystone Conference
registration desk at the hotel, you will be given your registration
packet which includes the conference program booklet, the conference badge
which is your passport to the seminars/workshops/presentations, and various other material.
How do I register as a presenter?
If you would like to present at the Keystone Conference, please send us
an email with your name, bio and course title & description to
info@transcentralpa.org and we will
consider your proposal. We have limited slots available for presentations
and workshops and our goal is to provide a diverse program for our
attendees. Slots fill up fast, so send your proposal quickly.
How do I register as a vendor?
If you would like to be a vendor at the Keystone Conference, please
visit our Vendor
Registration Page. Vendors
must register to participate at the Keystone Conference.
What if I have a special need?
If you require any special needs such as dietary arrangements,
coordination, etc. please let us know in advance so provisions can be
made at
info@transcentralpa.org. The
Sheraton Harrisburg-Hershey Hotel
and Keystone Conference want to meet your needs and exceed your
expectations.
What are the Keystone Conference
seminars?
A seminar schedule will be included in your conference booklet and
available when you check-in at the Keystone Conference Registration
Desk. The seminar schedule also will be posted on the website and
updated as additional presentations/seminars/workshops are added.
Who operates this conference?
Keystone Conference is hosted by TransCentralPA, a Pennsylvania
non-profit 501c3 corporation that has been serving the Transgender
community of Central Pennsylvania since 1989. We decided to host last
year's Keystone Conference on our 20th anniversary to highlight and
celebrate the wonderful community we are all part of. TransCentralPA
received so much positive feedback from the 2009 Conference that we
immediately began planning to expand the event for 2010. The organizers are
all volunteers and our goal is to make this special event affordable for
everyone, so please come join us!
What is TransCentralPA’s mission?
TransCentralPA is committed to providing education and caring support
for transgendered individuals, their spouses, significant others,
families, friends & allies. We are also actively involved in maintaining
an outreach program to provide gender education to businesses,
organizations, educational institutions and governmental agencies.
TransCentralPA - formerly known as the Lower Susquehanna Valley Chapter
of Renaissance- has been serving the Central Pennsylvania Transgender
community since 1989.
What do I wear?
As an
attendee you are representing the Transgender community and hope you
take pride and dress appropriately to impress a positive image. You may
either dress in your birth gender, preferred gender or both, whatever
you feel most comfortable in. Most people dress in business casual
during the day. At the Saturday night gala, the dress is business,
semi-formal, or formal, please. We even have attendees who change once,
twice or three times a day! Whatever you are most comfortable with!
Finally, note that the average temperature for Harrisburg at that time
of the year is 42 degrees with a high of 50 and a low of 32.
Which bathroom do I use?
While at the hotel, we abide by the general rule to use the bathroom
that best aligns with the gender you are presenting. Please remember if
you are using the ladies room, to sit rather than stand. Use common
sense and respect.
Can someone who is not Transgendered
attend?
Absolutely! We welcome not only Transgendered individuals, but also
their spouses, significant others, families, friends & allies. In fact,
many of our seminars and workshops were specifically included to meet
the needs of those that are not Transgendered, but know and care for
someone who is.
Can I take photos or videotape at the
conference?
Trans-CentralPA is committed to protecting our members' and guests'
personal information, identity and privacy. Therefore, we ask that
everyone follow basic rules of respect and courtesy, so that each of us
can feel free to be our true selves. No photos may be taken without the
consent of the person(s) photographed. No photos may be posted or
otherwise made public in any forum without the consent of the person or
all the persons who are in the photos. Please be considerate of others’
privacy during the conference. No videotaping will be permitted at the
conference.
Can someone under 18 attend the
conference?
Yes! The Keystone Conference is
intended as an educational event. We welcome all attendees interested in
the social, medical, and legal aspects of gender diversity. We encourage
the parents and/or legal guardians of individuals under the age of 18 to
accompany these individuals in their quest for knowledge and
understanding of this subject matter. Because of the nature of some of
the topics discussed, we require that attendees under the age of 18
obtain the consent of a parent or legal guardian before they are
admitted to any Conference presentation. Please submit the "Parental
Release For Attendees Under The Age Of 18" form upon
registration if you are under the age of 18. TransCentralPA as
Conference sponsor reserves the right to verify the age of any
prospective guests and/or attendees, and to restrict admission to
Conference events accordingly.
What about the
hotel?
The
Sheraton Harrisburg-Hershey Hotel
is holding a reserved block of rooms at the low price of $99/night for
conference attendees until February 11th, 2010. Be advised that the
block of hotel rooms fill up early so you should reserve your rooms as
soon as possible. This special rate is only available to Keystone
Conference attendees, so please do not share the “2010 Keystone
Conference”
rate code with others at the hotel. Visit their website or call (717)
564-5511 to reserve a room.
Room amenities include a Coffee Maker, Hairdryer,
Free High Speed Internet Access in All Guest Rooms, Iron/Ironing Board,
In-Room Safe, Television with Remote
Control, In-Room Movies, and Radio/Alarm Clock. Additional
amenities as well as connecting rooms may be available. See the hotel website for details.
The hotel is ideally located within minutes
of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the Harrisburg International Airport.
Right next to the hotel is a shopping mall with several other malls
within 5 minutes driving distance. The
Sheraton Harrisburg-Hershey Hotel has been very cooperative and eager
to host our event again and have extended us the same low room rates of the
2009 Keystone Conference which allows us to
make this the one of the more affordable Transgender conferences in the country.
How Trans-friendly is Harrisburg?
Downtown Harrisburg is less than ten minutes from the hotel conference
site. Harrisburg is only one of 91 cities in the United States that have
formally adopted Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination Laws to protect
their transgendered residents. In 1983, Harrisburg adopted such
discrimination laws along with sexual identity laws. These protections
include, but are not limited to, public accommodation, housing,
employment, education and the right to sue. In December 2002, the State
of Pennsylvania added gender identity among other categories to their
Hate Crime Law. Currently there are several bills pending in the state
legislature to further extend rights and protections to Transgendered
individuals. Nevertheless, it is always prudent to use common sense when
being out in public.
What public transportation is available?
Amtrak services
Harrisburg at their downtown station which is located downtown about
10 minutes from the hotel. Harrisburg’s
Capital Area
Transit (CAT) Bus Route 20 departs
Target/JC Penny’s, which is right behind the hotel to Transfer
Center at 2nd & Market downtown. Cost is $1.65 each way.
Nervous?
Are you just emerging from the proverbial closet and feeling nervous or
self-conscious? Well, our goal is to provide a meaningful and enjoyable
opportunity to feel comfortable with yourself. If this is your first
time, being nervous is expected and we promise to do all we can to help alleviate
your anxiety. The number of people, information and activities can be
overwhelming and you may find yourself wanting to slink away to your
room to hide quietly especially when you don’t know anyone. But
remember, the Keystone Conference is what you make it. Please make an
effort to reach out and introduce yourself. Once you do, you’ll quickly
find that the people you meet are real and that you’ll share common
history and experiences. We guarantee you’ll develop honest and true
friendships faster than you every have in your life. We all have
known at one point the anxiety of keeping this ‘secret.’ Share yours and
let go of that toxic shame and guilt!
We recommend bringing a
pad of paper to keep a journal, take notes during the conference and jot
down your daily thoughts. Being immersed in a conference like this can
be exhilarating, but will also lead to a number of profound emotions,
feelings, thoughts and questions that you’ll want to remember and
reflect upon when you have more time. There will be a lot to digest both
educationally and emotionally!
If you are staying at the hotel, you’ll need
to register at the hotel’s registration desk. Since you may have the
room reserved under a name other than your ‘preferred name’, we suggest
that you leave your preferred name with the hotel in the event a friend
tries to call you during the conference. Rest assured the hotel staff is
friendly and accepting and understands our need for privacy and
discretion.
The Keystone Conference
Registration Desk will be located near the lobby, just look for the
marquee or ask a hotel staff member. The registration desk operational
hours will be prominently displayed. This is where you check in for the
conference and receive your registration package including your nametag
and meal tickets (if part of your conference package). Please safeguard
these items and wear your nametag to all conference events. Email
us your questions and concerns prior to the conference and don’t be
afraid to ask questions while you are there.
A word of caution about heels and nails
Bring a pair of comfortable shoes. If you aren’t used to wearing heels
for several days in a row, you will want to bring a pair of comfortable
shoes. There is a Payless, Famous Footwear, JC Penny’s and Target right
next to the hotel if you need a pair of flats. Also, if you’re breaking
in a new pair of shoes while at the conference, we recommend that you
buy some mole skin at your local pharmacy store. It will help prevent
blisters. Planning
on getting your nails done? Right next to the hotel is Lee’s Nails, a
very Transgender friendly nail salon. They will be happy to have your
business and are open on Sundays if you need your nails removed. Let the
nail technicians know that you’ll be removing them at the end of the
weekend and they can make it a little easier to remove.
What should I pack?
This often is the greatest cause of anxiety for First Timers, so please
take some time to organize what you’d like to bring. As a general
rule of thumb, we recommend packing one or two outfits per day; incase
you want to change from daytime attire to something more evening appropriate. Keep in mind the average temperatures for Harrisburg in mid-March are a
high of 50 and a low of 32. A suggested packing list is below. It is
neither all-inclusive nor required, but should give you an idea of what
to think about packing. Please tailor the list to your own needs.
Keystone Conference (MTF) Packing List
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Spouses &
Significant Others |
Welcome!
Spouses and Significant Others are not only invited to attend the
Keystone Conference, but play an integral part in the success of the
conference! Several of our seminars and workshops are specifically
designed to help develop your relationship into one that is open, honest
and healthy with your Transgender partner. We make every effort to
provide a safe place to share your feelings, ask those tough questions
and discover that you are not alone.
We realize and
acknowledge the difficulties in coping with the issues of a Transgendered
loved one. We hope to not only help you understand your partner
better, but also just as important, to help them to understand and
respect your concerns and feelings.
Attending your first Transgendered
conference as a Spouse or Significant Other can be quite unnerving. You
may feel awkward and overwhelmed, but please do not shy away and slink
back to your room. We want to hear your thoughts and questions. There is
no doubt you will see and hear stories of wrecked lives and
relationships, but there are positive stories, too. And our goal is to
learn and relay those positive stories in hopes of building a better
relationship for you. We encourage you to participate in as many of the
seminars and workshops as you can.
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