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SEPTEMBER 2009 Meeting Report

By Tammyrae Michaels

The annual GPC barbeque went off smoothly thanks to a lot of prep work by Kristen. Ample food and beverage were on hand and the crowd was rather light. We suspect that Pride Day in Rehoboth drew a good portion of the membership south but its only speculation. The cooler weather is upon us and the day grows dark earlier, nonetheless we will maintain our schedule and continue meeting monthly as we have in the past.
 
The meeting fell to a social gathering as the program event was canceled, we did however see some faces that have been missing for awhile. Overall the atmosphere was calm and casual.  Announcements reflected that our October meeting will have a Halloween theme, so wear your costume. In November we will have vendor night with a handful of outside vendors mixed with those of our membership that are willing to partake in selling or swapping items amongst each other. For December we will be having a holiday party, which was slated to be at Shangrilla but since the meeting concluded some issues have come up and the location is subject to change. We will hear more about it at the next GPC meeting.


August 2009 Meeting Report

By Tammyrae Michaels
Tammyrae

Hey all – the August 2009 Renaissance meeting went relatively smooth with 36 people in attendance. The program feature was Doctor Michele Angello who spoke on “Fear” and “What has you Stuck.”  As usual, Doctor Angello pulls a crowd and the meeting was larger than expected given the beautiful summer weather and numerous family commitments some of us have.
 
Chapter Leader Rebecca announced that Katie Wannabe, former national chapter director has stepped in to help reformulate Renaissance, which has lost its non-profit status but will re-file and re-open with hopes of creating a a larger national presence be introducing at least one new chapter in the northern Florida area (close to Georgia but in Florida). Katie’s help will be temporary and many things need to be worked out as the thoughts of the National Board seem focused on full spectrum support and hopefully a single base for all organizations to be listed, at least by way of web address and link, thus making Renaissance a starting point for any and all transgendered people in the country.
 
With regard to upcoming events, we have our Picnic coming in September with October being our Halloween Party, November being our Vendor Night (bring your goods and sell/barter what you can) and our annual Holiday Party in December.  It has been decided that the holiday party will be at Shangrilla and details will be announced shortly but the intent is to have individual bills and a full selection of their menu.
 
We will also need help with the monthly newsletter. Rebecca announced she can assist with content and proofing but needs someone to handle reproduction. That said we also need you nominations for next year officers. The roles on which we will be voting are Chapter Leader, Chapter Treasurer, Chapter Secretary, Chapter Program Director and Chapter Outreach Director.  It has been a long time since we have had competition for any role, so please feel free to create a ruckus and nominate your preferred candidate. The nomination period will consist of September and October with votes occurring in November. December will be our transition month and January will begin the new one-year term.
 
Speaking of terms, our annual memberships expire on December 31 so in November or December, please be sure to fill out your renewal or if you have not paid for a membership previously keep in mind that a membership helps Renaissance operate and reduces your annual fee if you attend on a regular basis.


July 2009 Meeting Report

TammyraeThe July meeting, like most, started with a social hour followed by announcements and the program event, which featured cosmetics by two talented ladies, Katie Paldino and another, whose name was not given to the Chapter Secretary, although I did hear it announced, I just missed writing it down – sorry.
 
About 40 people were in attendance at the meeting and we continue to have several attendees that fail to offer the standard meeting fee, which helps cover rental of the space and snacks provided for consumption at the meetings.
 
The group has announced that it lost its Tax Exempt Status and that the National Board is being reformulated as Jenna Meyers left the group some time back. Former National Director Katie Wannabe is assisting the Board with its reformulation but no further official statements could be made at the time of the meeting.  However the reformulation will be linked to website updates as well.
 
We are all reminded that generally meetings will happen every month, however if the local news by you or the meeting location place an advisory that it is unsafe or some restrictions are placed on travel, the meeting may very well be cancelled. We understand that for some the meeting is their venue and they “need it.” In such an occasion remember the Lehigh Valley and Delaware Chapters are not that far away, and they meet on 2nd Saturdays, not the 3rd Saturdays as the Greater Philadelphia Chapter does.
 
Also mentioned during the meeting, Chapter Secretary Tammyrae, along with former Renaissance member Dionne Stallworth led a discussion on Women’s Rights from the transgendered perspective at the 2009 International Women's Day Philadelphia Coalition. The discussion focused on inclusion of transwomen in women’s space.  Members Jennifer Aston and Nancy were also in attendance and provided commentary during the discussion.
 
Other issues of important note brought up during the announcement portion of the meeting including the verdict of manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime for the murder of Lateshia Green by Dwight DeLee who was originally charged with murder in the second degree as a hate crime. 
 

Coming Up


Upcoming GPC Chapter events include a presentation by Dr. Michelle Angelo at the August meeting, a talk given by trans-rights activist Denise LeClair coupled with our annual BBQ in September, and our Chapter Holiday Party which is slated for December 19, our normal meeting night. The event will cost about $50 per attendee and must be prepaid to secure the event date.  Venues are being reviewed by Program Director Cyndi with help of others and will feature dining in a moderate to upscale environment. Management of the places have been contacted about our group and our desires, and have thus far been quite amenable to providing top-notch service as they do for any, and all, other groups/organizations.
 
As far as our upcoming presenters go it is doubtful that you all don’t already know Dr. Michele but just in case, Dr. Angello specializes in issues around gender and sexual orientation and sees people of all ages. Dr. Angello also runs several groups for young people and adults who struggle with gender identity or who are gender variant, and also serves as a member at large on the Renaissance National Board of Directors.
 
Denise Leclair is currently serving as the Executive Director of IFGE and has been active in TG-rights for years. In 2006 she represented the community at the Nonprofit Congress National Meeting in Washington, DC has debated with State Senators, been back to Washington, DC and continues the fight for equality on all fronts to this day.
 
The Delaware chapter announced that Lady Ellen made a presentation on feminine deportment/transformation services offered by her LaFemme Finishing School at their July meeting. This presentation will be given again that the Lehigh chapter meeting in September. Both Delaware and Lehigh Chapters will have their annual BBQ in August with the Lehigh chapter rolling a baby shower for MtF and FtM couple, Emily & Cai, during their BBQ.

Outside of Renaissance we can look forward to:

August 16 which is Pride Day in Allentown, and November 20, 2009 has been set aside as a Transgender Day of Remembrance to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.  This event caries forward the energy of the 1999 kickoff entitled “Remembering our Dead” which started in San Francisco with a candle light vigil to remember Rita Hester’s murder on November 28, 1998. Her murder like most anti-transgender murder cases has yet to be solved. Unlike the original vigil, the Philadelphia version will have panel boards and presentations throughout the day. For those that can attend, please do and show your support for those that can no longer join us in our journey toward full acceptance.
 
We also have a photographic art display focusing on transgendered images by Kalina Isato starting on November 13 at the William Way Center in Center City Philadelphia; twice monthly gatherings of Angela’s Laptop Lounge(1st & 3rd Saturdays), weekly gatherings of Monday Night Tgirls (every Monday), and the latest monthly event Albert’s 2nd Story Tgirl Party (2nd Saturdays).
 
It is with some regret that chapter secretary Tammyrae has postponed the once a month TransDazzle Philadelphia Club Crawl until further notice due to economic conditions but acknowledges that she is attending as many weekly TransWay meetings as she can. The meeting are held at the William Way Center in Center City Philadelphia. Meetings are held the first through fourth Thursday of each month at 7 PM and are geared toward transsexual support issues. The group is informal and has been meeting for about a year at this time.


May 2009 Meeting Report

TammyraeThe Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the Renaissance Transgender Association gathered once again on the 2nd Saturday of the Month at the Wayne Counseling Center. We had a few newcomers attend to check out the meeting and as usual we had a social hour/gathering time with munchies provided by the Chapter. Attendance was strong with about 36 people and announcements moved quickly. Dr. Michele Angelo gave a brief announcement about a GID Rally she was helping organize in California. The American Psychiatric Board continues to maintain the term Gender Identity Disorder (GID) as the diagnosis for transgendered people and the new Diagnostic Standards Manual (DSM) is being written to make it more of a pathological disorder. Every member is urged to write to the congressmen and representative on both the state and local level make them away that we are real people and that we are responsible caring individual that are productive members of society and that we want protection rights.
 
Please look back into history: The DSM once listed a disobedient woman as having a mental illness as she must have been ill not to listen and obey her husband; The DSM once listed a runaway slave as being mentally as why would a slave wish to run away from the plantation – he must be ill.  Do you consider yourself mentally ill? If not then your voice needs to be heard. Fight through any depression or oppression you may have facing you and join us in supporting our community for fair and equal treatment.  The Pennsylvania Equality Advocates maintain a listing of state level senators and representative but more easily they have a pre-written petition that you can simply sign and submit. If any of you are old enough to recall, or have read about, the Stonewall riots that erupted on June 28, 1969 in the Greenwich Village section of New York City then you know that it took a good thirty-plus years for the world to start accepting gays and lesbians, all the while our community has remained sheltered in place with the exception of a few.
 
After announcements, the group broke into three components, newcomers meeting, transsexual discussion group and primary program meeting.

The newcomers learn basic meeting rules and discuss who they are and why there are in attendance. The meeting is meant to be a light way of breaking down barriers and showing acceptance of all that respect those around them. 

The transsexual meeting is often filled with heavy topics with a bit of light-hearted banter and humor tossed in but the discussions vary from month to month and generally gives those in attendance a sense of community and the fact that we are not alone in our struggles. 

The primary program meeting scheduled by our Program Director Cyndi was Dr. Lee Ann Etscovitz who is a psychotherapist for individuals, couples, and families.
 
Dr. Etscovits has left us a stack of business cards and pamphlets that describe her practice and office location so anyone wishing to follow up on her discussion of relationship — are they real or not — can simply reach out to her for further information.  For those of you that do not know, Dr. Etscovits is a long time member of Renaissance and has formerly served as Librarian. We as a Chapter thank her for the presentation and her service to our community.


April 2009 Meeting Report

TammyraeAs spring set in we had beautiful weather for our April meeting. Some of our members attended Gay Day at the Philadelphia Zoo, which was a pleasurable experience. We lost our winter jackets, pulled out our short sleeves and enjoyed the day as well as the evening. Our records reflect 23 paid attendees with 5 also renewing or joining us for the 2009 calendar year.
 
Just a reminder our meeting dues go toward paying the rent on the space in which we meet, as well as our telephone which is answered during meeting times and the food we enjoy at the meetings.  Please be sure to stop by the front desk and pay your monthly attendance fee each month.
 
Our program was expanded to add Dr. Paul Sedacca to the expected presentation by Chloe Handler.  Chloe Handler is a Board Certified Electrologist with 35 years of experience.  Dr. Sedacca is a trained internist with 28 years of clinical experience who has been working with laser hair removal for 6 years.  The tag team effort presented pros and cons of both techniques and suggested that there is benefit to utilizing both techniques and that we should not be fooled by 100% guarantees, as all aspects of medicine is a blending of art and science. 
 
The combination of both techniques can prove more effective than either technique alone but every person is different and skin tone, hair density, hormone levels and other personal factors must be considered. The duo also talked about skin care and the importance of understanding the difference between moisturizing and hydrating. Hydrating creams do not block pores whereas moisturizers can cause problems such as pimples, blackheads, whiteheads enlarged pores and etc.
 
In May we will be honored with a presentation by Dr. Lee Ann Etscovitz who is a psychotherapist for individuals, couples, and families. After graduating from Brown University with Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and American Literature, including work in creative writing and religious studies, she then earned her Master and Doctor's degrees from Boston University. Her studies there incorporated Educational Philosophy, Applied Psychology, and Human Relations. As part of he doctoral residency she was awarded a two-year fellowship in Human Relations at the Boston University Human Relations Center where she interned as a Human Relations Consultant and studied Small Group Processes and Organizational Behavior. She then completed a post-doctoral internship for further training as a Human Relations Consultant at the National Training Laboratories (NTL) of Washington, DC.For twenty years she was a teacher, primarily as a Professor of Educational Philosophy and Human Relations at such places as Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pa. and Beaver College in Glenside, Pa. (recently renamed Arcadia University).She has also published articles and presented papers on Education, Human Relations, and the Development of the Whole Person, all emphasizing the need for practical intelligence and the importance of the human spirit in the face of life's difficulties. Dr. Etscovitz is also a past Board member of Renaissance National.
 
Local Conferences
8th Annual Trans Health Conference sponsored by the Mazzoni Center June 11, 12, and 13. Thursday is for health care providers, while Friday and Saturday are open Pubic Events. Details can be found at on their website.
 
Local Parties
Angela’s Laptop Lounge — 1st & 3rd Saturdays each month.
Kalina's Monday Night Tgirls — Every Monday.
Tammyrae's Philadelphia Club Crawl — 2nd Fridays (Next event is June 12).  


March 2009 Meeting Report

TammyraeHey there gang, the March 2009 meeting was rather quiet with only a handful of people remembering the months theme event “baby shower”; nonetheless we collected three bags of items and $82 for donation to the woman’s shelter. The meeting was attended by 21 paid attendees and in general the meeting ran smoothly with announcements including discussion on Pennsylvania House Bill 300 which will provide statewide anti-discrimination that includes gender identity. Members were urged to contact their State representatives to share their personal beliefs about the bill.  More information on this bill can be found on the Equality Advocates webpage

Announcements also included mention of local venues where trans-people receive a warm welcome every time: Angela’s Laptop Lounge held at Shangrila, which is reportedly the longest running monthly events in the country with the possible exception of Ina’s Silver Swan in NYC (Note from Angela: Yes, Ina's has been going longer.) ; Kalina Isato’s Monday Night Tgirls which is the longest running weekly party in the world; and Tammyrae’s TransDazzle Philly Club Crawl (formerly known as SheDazzle). 
 
Also note that The Equality Forum is hosting its annual week-long rally/festival from April 23 through May 3.  Check out their webpage for more details about what is going on when and where – and yes trans topics are included.
 
In addition to the Equality Forum, Philadelphia is home to the upcoming Liberty Conference, Transgender 2009 which is headed up by Kristine James and a crew of locals including our very own Program Director, Cyndi. The conference will run from April 30 through May 2.
 
In June we have the 8th Annual Trans-Health Conference whose theme is “Different Paths… One-Journey.” This conference runs from June 11 through 13 with the 12th and 13th being open days from everyone.
 
See you all in April,
 
Tammyrae
Secretary


January 2009 Meeting Report

TammyraeHey there gang, the January 2009 meeting was a well attended low-key event with some yummy snacks and a birthday cake for Michelle; Happy Birthday girl.  Annual membership dues were collected from 12 people and 30 out of 34 people paid the monthly fee which helps pay for the Chapter's use of the meeting facility, telephone service – yes we still have a phone where people can leave messages and it is answered live on meeting nights. Monies also go toward the snacks, newsletters and Chapter Web Page so there is a real need to pay your annual dues and monthly fees.  The annual fee remains at $20 for what I understand is the 7th year of no increase and monthly meeting fees of $5 for members puts us at $80 per year if you attend every event. Most children pay that much for 4 or 5 weeks of playing sports so it’s a worthy price and allows the chapter to promote educational concerns and provide caring support in a safe environment.  Paid members will receive membership cards in February and anyone paying at the February meeting will get their card the following month. 

Meeting announcements included a reminder of the following upcoming events:
 
Feb. 4 - 8
23rd Annual IFGE Conference which will be in the Alexandria, Virginia.
 
March 12 - 14
Keystone Conference 2009 hosted by TransCentralPA in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
 
March 21 - 22
16th Annual GBLT Expo produced by the RDP Group at the Javits Center in New York City.
 
April 24 - May 2
Liberty Conference produced by TransEvents, USA in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

June 11 - 13
Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference which will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
 
Sept. 22 - 27
Southern Comfort Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

Volunteer Opportunities:

It is important that we plan to staff our table at the Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference so anyone interested in helping out should see Tammyrae Lynn Michaels, our Secretary to get on the volunteer list. You can sign up to help on Thursday, or Friday, or Saturday or any combination of the three days. Volunteers will be expected to represent the group and as such will need to maintain a positive attitude while presenting our mission of to provide caring support and education to transgendered individual and those that care about them.  You can sign up to help by seeing Tammyrae or sending her an email. (All email addresses received will be kept private and confidential – your volunteer status will however be posted on our list and worked into our master schedule.)

Meeting Programs:

Due to possible nasty winter weather there are no formal programs scheduled for January or February. The group will meet each month but for safety sake if the roads seem dangerous, stay home or in whatever safe place you call yours. Our Chapter Leader lives close to the meeting location and will make sure to unlock the door for those that brave any foul weather we have. If the weather is good, by all means make the trek as things will be in full swing and good things will reveal themselves as the meeting unfolds, and late winter and spring programs are planned and being confirmed.

Hugs and wishes always,
Tammyrae Lynn Michaels,
Greater Philadelphia Renaissance Chapter Secretary


Meeting Reports 2006 to December 2009

Meeting Reports Till December 2005