Lady Ellen

Friday Conference Luncheon "Portraying a Positive Image"

9:00 am

There is no doubt that the current economic crisis is challenging and being transgender can add to those challenges when looking for work, applying for college, or even volunteering.  This course will explore various ways to keep a positive outlook while charting your path through this difficult time. Attendees will be asked to share share their stories and exchange ideas on how to maintain a positive outlook and better prepare themselves for the job interview and work place so that you can take one step closer to achieving your goals.  

James MacGregor Halleman has held various offices including Executive Vice-Chair of Renaissance National Board, NTAC National Transgender Advocacy,  Coalition National Activist Chair, Pride At Work National Diversity Chair, Lehigh Valley Renaissance Vice-Chair, and  featured presenter at various universities and colleges. He is proud of his grassroots outreach activities, and is currently planning to continue his work in post-education studies.

In this workshop, we will discuss the daily use of products to minimize and reverse the effects of aging as well as laser hair removal applications and advantages.  We will also open the floor to questions from the audience  regarding skin care, hair removal, and facial rejuvenation/liquid face lifts.

Greg S. Forsyth, PA-C is a graduate of the University of Nebraska Medical School with Bachelors and Masters degrees in Physician Assistant Studies.  As a Nationally Certified Physician Assistant, Greg utilized his skills in the United States Air Force's Dermatology, Internal Medicine, and Family Practice clinics.  Prior to joining the Center for Cosmetic Dermatology, he worked within a solo Dermatology practice for over three years, where he performed cosmetic enhancements and treated general dermatology conditions.  His expertise and passion for incorporating the latest lasers, fillers, and techniques enable him to correct and minimize the effects of aging, acne, and sun damage.  He is a cosmetic and dermatology certified Physician Assistant (PA-C) with over 14 years of experience.  Greg is the sole PA-C within the Center for Cosmetic Dermatology, York PA providing chemical peels, laser rejuvenation of all lesions, Botox/Dysport, and all facial fillers (Restylane, Juvederm, Radiesse).

The transgendered community is often the target of violent hate crimes. This workshop will give you some ideas of how to handle yourself in the event that you or your loved ones are targeted for brutality. There are simple moves and states of awareness that can help you stack the deck in your favor in the threat of immanent violence. A little bit of knowledge can mean the difference between life and death.

Nathaniel Wolfe is a black belt instructor of Bai Lung Kung Fu and Tai Chi at the Carlisle Kung Fu Center. He is also a certified yoga teacher in the Himalayan Tradition and the owner of the Carlisle Hatha Yoga Center. He has spent the better part of the last decade studying martial arts, martial strategy, movement, self-awareness, and yoga, as well as the meditative techniques and philosophical aspects of eastern traditions.

Mr. Wolfe graduated with a Bachelor's degree, double majoring in English/Writing, and History, with a minor in philosophy from Messiah College in 1994. He has lived in the mountains of Perry County with his wife since 1997.

Mr. Wolfe was involved in Renaissance LSV chapter in the late 90's and early 2000's, where he also served on the board and edited the monthly newsletter. In the recent past, he has served on the Board of Directors of Common Roads.

The joy and the burden, the shame and the guilt. Who do we tell? Why? When? In what order? How? What? How do we deal with the aftermath, knowing that we can never un-ring that bell? Do we over-think this process?

This interactive workshop will examine the process of telling our friends and loved ones what we are dealing with. Is it different for those who will someday totally transform themselves than it is for those who don’t want to or are unable to live full time? We will look at the power of secrets and when you should, and when you should not let that power out of your control.

Alexis Lake is a Licensed Social Worker specializing in individual, couples, partners, and family therapy She works in private practice in Malvern and in Lititz, PA. As a graduate of Bryn Mawr College's School of Social Work and Social Research specializing in Clinical Social Work she is currently working with a broad spectrum of clients. Among her areas of expertise are loss, grief, depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, sexual orientation and sexual identity as they relate to the individual, as well as his or her friends and loved ones. She has had experience working with acute mental illness in a hospital setting and has interned as a therapist for a center city Philadelphia clinic that specialized in serving the LGBTQ population.

Coming out to your children can be one of the most difficult things any parent can imagine doing. How can you best approach your children, and help them through their own understanding of what it means for you to be transgender? The four primary things to consider are psychosocial stage of development, resiliency, timing and support network. All of these will be discussed in much greater detail during the talk. Please come prepared to share your positive outcomes with children, as well as things you wish you had done differently so that we all can learn more effective methods of helping our kids!

Dr. Michele Angello works with gender variant youth and adults. She offers individual, group and family therapy, as well as corporate education and training on a variety of issues of sexuality and has presented internationally on her work with trans-youth and working with children of transitioning parents. She facilitates several monthly support groups for transgender adults, youth and parents. Dr. Angello is often called on to speak as an expert on transgender issues to universities, corporations and the media. She has appeared on Larry King Live, the Tyra Banks Show, and various documentaries. She base her practice in Paoli, PA.

No one is born a "lady" it is something that must be learned. In this workshop on deportment you will learn what your mother should have taught you if you were raised as a girl. Following these lady rules will cause you to appear more feminine and beautiful. Topics include beauty tips, dressing appropriately, good manners, gracefulness and being gracious.

Lady Ellen is the Owner and Operator of Le Femme Finishing School, the only fully service Male to Female Transformation Studio and Charm School in New Jersey. Lady Ellen has been a teacher for 17 years and has been using her skills to teach feminine arts to the cross-dressing and transgendered community since 2005.  She has presented workshops to transgendered groups in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia.

Transition requires physical and emotional support from a team of healthcare providers focused on your needs.  This presentation will give you insight into the importance of choosing providers who not only know you, the client, but each other as part of your team.  This workshop is an opportunity for you to ask questions of importance to you in organizing your transition team.

Ms. Keisling is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years experience working with individuals, couples and families. She has been in practice with Riegler • Shienvold and Associates since 1993.  Ms. Keisling earned a Bachelor's Degree from Dickinson College, and received a Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania.  Ms. Keisling's professional focus is on adolescent and adult populations. She works with individuals, couples, parents and teens to address areas of concern such as depression, anxiety or adjustment. In addition to her experience with women's health issues, pregnancy-related concerns, and postpartum depression, she is also interested in gender identity and the many factors that lead to healthy and satisfying relationships.

Lorraine Bock is a Family Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care s. She is a 1994 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and has a Masters Degree in Nursing. She is currently working on her doctorate at Waynesburg University in Pittsburgh. Her practice, Bock Family Healthcare, is located in Carlisle, PA. She treats patients of all ages with a holistic focus. Additionally, she provides acute and primary healthcare at Roxbury Treatment Center - a private hospital specializing in psychiatric and substance abuse care. She also works part-time in the Emergency Department at York Hospital. She has spoken nationally on issues related to health care in the transgendered population and has been caring for transgendered individuals in the Harrisburg area since 2002.

To be transgender, I believe, is neither a medical phenomena nor a psychological problem but is a spiritual awakening.  In this seminar-workshop we will explore the differences and similarities between "being religious" and "being spiritual" and the often overlooked role spirituality plays in coming to terms with being transgender.  We will include references to Native American traditions, early matiarchal and some Asian traditions.

Ken Dollarhide was born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and grew up on the reservation and surrounding towns in South Dakota and Nebraska.  He holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and is currently Dean and Professor of Philosophy at Kean University in New Jersey.

Lunch Presentation (12:00 pm)

Transgender Individuals know that their cross identity is fixed at a very early age. What is the medical evidence to date for gender variance being associated with the prenatal formation of our brains? There is strong evidence that the numbers of hormonal receptors are different in male and female brains. There is evidence for prenatal endocrine disruptors affecting the formative brain. What has been shown to cause these differences? Intersex conditions have been shown to be caused by single chromosomal gene location changes resulting in ambiguous or cross sex genitalia. How do they identify despite their cross hormonal milieu? Research has shown chromosomal differences in gender variant individuals. Is the “feminized, masculinized or transgender brain” determined by differences in brain hormonal receptors before the powerful sex hormones are released prenatally? While significant male-female behavioral differences can be noted at birth, what is responsible for the “continuous spectrum “ of gender identity that we experience postnatally?

Brain gender identity is determined very early in fetal development, but gender expression, expressed as behaviors requires hormonal, environmental, social and cultural interactions, which evolve with time. One cannot deny the profound effects of Testosterone, Estradiol and other steroids on genital and brain differentiation in-utero or their effects on behavior from birth or the physical and mental cross gender changes caused by exogenous hormones, but gender identity is determined before and persists in spite of these effects. Is it important for you to understand why gender variance is not a “choice”?

Dr. Cerise Richards is a retired Urological Surgeon with a fifty-year understanding of Transgenderism. She was a former Clinical Professor of Urology and Chief of Urology at the DC VA Medical Center, where she has cared for Transgendered patients. She is the former Medical Writer for Transgender Forum, Renaissance Community News and Transgender Education Association, where she has written over 50 medical articles. In 2009 she chaired a Symposium at the American Psychiatric Association's Annual Meeting entitled "The Neurobiological Evidence for Transgenderism". Twenty years of Scientific Research in humans has lead to the inescapable conclusion that Brain Gender Identity is determined in the womb and fixed at birth. She showed in multiple studies how Transgender Brains think, smell, and hear like the opposite sex. Internationally accepted guidelines were presented and subsequently published by the Endocrine Society as a Clinical Practice Guideline for the Endocrine Treatment of Transsexuals. Her presentation will continue with the accumulating genetic evidence for her conclusion that "Transgenders are Born to Think as Male and Female, so they are neither Male nor Female solely, but Both."

Utilizing power point, Dr. Leis will demonstrate and explain classic prototypes of masculine and feminine facial features. He will discuss a variety of options for feminizing facial features and demonstrate that in the majority of cases, excellent results can be obtained without extensive, expensive, and high risk cranio-facial surgery. Several cases are shown demonstrating excellent natural results from selective and customized facial feminization procedures.

Sherman N. Leis, D.O., F.A.C.O.S. is Professor and Chairman of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Residency Program Director in Plastic Surgery at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is also Director and Chief Surgeon of the Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery. The Center represents a team of more than thirty professionals who have expertise in servicing the surgical and non-surgical needs of transgender individuals. It is one of the few comprehensive centers of its type in the United States. He is a founding member and Past President of the ACOS Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and a member of the Board of Governors of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons.

This participatory workshop explores the philosophical, historical and spiritual reality of those of us who are neither men, nor women…but both. While we usually refer to ourselves as Transgender, and while we conform to the gender binary in our need to survive financially and socially, we truly are both/and, not either/or.

Jeanine Ruhsam has struggled relentlessly for many years as s/he’s sought to find peace living life as a dual gendered person S/he's suffered the pain that so many have from being out as a trans person, and yet s/he's been lifted to her highest at the same time. A parent, a divorcee, a successful business person of a few careers, s/he lives happily with hir spouse Julia in Central PA. Not all man and not all woman, she strives daily to balance the gift of being BOTH/AND, living hir life in both genders. S/he is the '06-'10 President of TransCentralPA and the co-chair of the Keystone Conference.

When contemplating a gender transition, the prospect of losing family, friends, jobs, and social status can be overwhelming. In the words of the fiery Irish political activist, “To gain that worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else”. Are massive personal losses a necessary outcome of transition? This interactive workshop will focus on strategic preparation for minimizing loss as you begin the gender journey. What worked for you? What didn't? Come and share your stories.

Dr. Maureen Osborne is a licensed psychologist with over 25 years experience as a therapist, specializing in gender identity issues for the last 16 years. She earned her Ph.D. degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1984, and is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Philadelphia Society of Clinical Psychologists, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), and Division 44 of the APA, which deals with GLBT issues.
Dr. Osborne’s theoretical orientation and training in Contextual Therapy has led to an interest in relational ethics and justice dynamics as they apply to the transgender journey. She has presented talks and workshops at many different national and international gender conferences, and appeared in the MSNBC documentary, "A Change of Gender." She has contributed a monthly column for the online publication TG Forum called “Checking in with Osbo’s Bridge Club. Dr. Osborne maintains a private practice in Malvern, PA, and is an adjunct therapist with the Papillon Gender Wellness Center in New Hope, PA.

Alexis Lake is a Licensed Social Worker specializing in individual, couples, partners, and family therapy She works in private practice in Malvern and in Lititz, PA. As a graduate of Bryn Mawr College's School of Social Work and Social Research specializing in Clinical Social Work she is currently working with a broad spectrum of clients. Among her areas of expertise are loss, grief, depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, sexual orientation and sexual identity as they relate to the individual, as well as his or her friends and loved ones. She has had experience working with acute mental illness in a hospital setting and has interned as a therapist for a center city Philadelphia clinic that specialized in serving the LGBTQ population.

"Meet our Family"
Susan Andrea Collins, MA - TransFM.org

Come take a tour and meet so many of your family worldwide. Join Susan as she introduces you to the people she has gotten to know doing research for the news show she broadcasts on TransFM.org. ""It has been such an honor to get to know so many beautiful people all over the world. People you never hear about here in the states. and I would like my trans family to know them also.

Since obtaining her clinical degree in Counseling Psychology at Boston College in 1986, Sue Collins has worked in a wide variety of settings with a great diversity of people and life issues.

Within the past six years in Philadelphia, Sue has served as coordinator of Mazzoni Center’s Trans Health Program, on the Mayor’s Task Force on Homeless Services and Sexual / Gender Minorities and the Task force on Sexual Abuse, The Planning Committee for the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference for three years, one as in-coming Executive Chair Person, as well as other committees and advocacy positions.

Sue continues her work as a gender identity specialist, does extensive educational and advocacy work in mainstream venues and currently produces a weekly news show for Transfm.org. Sue herself is a transexual woman, cherishing the majik of who she is. The concepts and issues explored in her work reflect the needs of both her and those she has met, loved and come to know, professionally and personally, during her own journey.

Workplace gender transitions are as unique as the people who transition, and the organizations in which they do so. For that reason each workplace gender transition must have a unique transition plan which reflects the needs of the individual transitioning, and culture of the organization n which they will do so.
That being said, there are elements which are common to all workplace transitions. This workshop attempts to provide a model, a structure of these common elements which can be tailored to the unique needs of a given transition. Any workplace gender transition has at least four phases; Assessment, Coming Out, Preparation, and Go Live. The workshop will define which transition components should be addressed in each phase. Additionally, tips, and actions to be avoided will also be presented The workshop will present transition planning from the point of view of the tranisitoning employee AND the employer.  Time will be provided for questions and comments.

Jackie Marchwinski is recently retired after 28+ years with Johnson and Johnson. Jackie began her career at J&J in internal audit. There she conducted and supervised information systems audits, data center audits as well as traditional audits of financial procedures and records. She also participated in acquisition and divestiture audits. She eventually became Director of Auditing for the Consumer Products division of J&J Jackie has a B.S. degree in accounting. Prior to J&J she worked for Haskins and Sells ( now Deloitte Touche).Desiring to return to IT Jackie joined an internal consulting group and provided broad based consulting for J&J Consumer companies in Europe and Africa. She then became support staff for the VP & CIO of the Consumer Sector. More recently Jackie has been performing project management for large scale IT projects in the Finance Division at J&J world headquarters in NJ.
Jackie was involved with several Quality Improvement initiatives at J&J including Six Sigma efforts. Jackie has also been involved in many community outreach and charitable activities sponsored by Johnson & Johnson.
She began going to work as Jackie in August 2006, and had Sexual Reassignment Surgery in April 2008. By all accounts her workplace transition was flawless. Jackie resides in Bucks county, Pennsylvania with Eileen, her spouse of 31 years, who has been very supportive of her transition

How we feel about ourselves affects virtually everything we think, say and do. Our society attempts to tell us that we are not good enough, pretty enough, skinny enough, rich enough or smart enough. Sometimes we feel like we just don’t fit in because we lack the confidence to live a passionate life.

The good news is that confidence is a skill that anyone can learn no matter what their background is. The SELF CONFIDENCE ROCKS!!! program is specifically designed around four time-tested principles that when implemented, will bring about dramatic, exciting results.

Please join us for this dynamic program and learn the secrets to improved SELF CONFIDENCE now!!!

Do you ever wonder?
• Are some people born with more confidence than others?
• Why do I lack confidence now?
• What strategies can I implement immediately that will help me with my lack of confidence?
• How can I practice being more confident?
• Should I have confidence goals?
• Who can help me with my confidence when the going gets rough?

Are you ready to ROCK on?

Casey Sheehe serves as the District Sales Manager for Avon in the Central Pa area and is responsible for over 400 independent sales representatives. Her role as a leader, trainer and visionary has helped women all over the world understand their unique potential and take the first step toward living a passionate life.

As the company for women, Avon’s mission is to empower women and men from all walks of life and help them create better lives for themselves and their families. Avon, founded in 1886, is the world largest direct seller with more than 5 million independent representatives in 100 countries, delivering world class beauty products to customers all over the globe. Avon success is measured by their leadership in the global marketplace and in the human spirit; how many lives they change and how many doors they open up.

Casey, in cooperation with Avon, has delivered her one-of-a-kind nationally recognized program titled "SELF CONFIDENCE ROCKS!!!" Her passion and enthusiasm are unparallel as she inspires and educates men and women on how to develop effective sales and self confidence skills. Consequently, they can live life on their own terms and create financial freedom with unlimited earnings potential.

Casey will challenge you to be the very best you can be, to live life to the fullest and dare to make your dreams a reality.

In “Young and Trans”, we will address the following aspects and struggles unique to those transitioning at a young age:

--Adjusting to school/college during transition
--Coming out to parents
--Starting hormones, gaining consent from Parents/Guardians
--Sexuality as it relates to transition
--Any other issue that may be brought to attention

This is an open forum style workshop, where these issues and more can be talked about and shared by the facilitator and participants. Sharing our experiences with others helps BOTH people. Sharing is NOT mandatory, however is encouraged.

LOOK WHO'S COMING!

Mara Keisling
 Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality

Saturday Keynote Luncheon Speaker

Read Mara Keisling's Bio

Burning House

Saturday Gala Musical Entertainment

Visit their website