BE-ALL CONFERENCE 2008
SEMINAR SCHEDULE

Thursday: May 29, 2008
10:30 AM to 11:50 AM

Discovering Our Voices Through Writing
Dale Heath – MSLS –Poet – Forest Park, IL
Emma~George Vosicky – JD – Writer – Sleepy Hollow, IL
Through the medium of writing, this workshop encourages the exploration of the unique voices and perspectives of transgender people. Participants are invited to bring and read their own poetry, journaling, short stories, or essays. The workshop will also offer other opportunities to express ourselves through writing. The only prerequisite is an interest in sharing your voice and listening to others.

Thursday: May 29, 2008
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM

SIMPLE Electrolysis
Suzanne Anderer, LE, CPE - Illinois School of Electrology – Frankfort, IL
General Guidelines and Principles in Electrolysis, including treatment of the entire dermis. Introduction of the Sequential Inverted Micro Pulse Led Energy (SIMPLE) Technique. Advantages of the SIMPLE Technique versus waxing, tweezing, and laser. Demonstration of the SIMPLE Technique.

Louise Lawrence and her secret list of transgender people.
Dr. Richard Docter, Ph.D.
Postal regulations made it risky for the earliest transgender organizers to compile mailing lists, but Louise Lawrence managed to do so. Here is the story of how cross dressers and transsexuals communicated through secret correspondence prior to World War II. One of the early groups, in Long Beach, California, included Virginia Prince and the creation of Transvestia Magazine. Louise Lawrence became a key interface person with Alfred Kinsey but her contributions are seldom recognized today.

Curl Up With Us and We’ll Set You Straight on Hair
Rachel Galan – Rachel’s Wigs, Chicago, IL
Rachel will help you determine your hairstyle according to your facial shape be it be square, rectangular, diamond shaped, or heart shaped. She will create a style to soften the angles of your cheekbones and your jaw line. Come try on some wigs or just ask questions. Don’t miss this seminar because it is important to look your best and as feminine as possible. We will even have a selection of wigs and supplies for sale. If you want to know about wigs but were afraid to ask, this is the class for you. All who attend will get a special surprise gift.

What makes you so special? Finding balance on the tightrope of gender variance
Deb Wilke, L.C.P.C. – Compassionate Counseling, Bolingbrook, Illinois
Come and enjoy an interactive discussion on the topic of what it means to be "Special." Learn ways to celebrate your uniqueness without impinging upon the rights of those closest to you. Understand how significant others need to feel special too and how you can make that happen. Explore how decisional balance is achieved for you as an individual in terms of emotional, physical, financial, relationship, career and spirituality mastery. Draw more peace, play, passion and creativity into your life. Find your place in in the world using the Integral Theory model. Be your best YOU.

Thursday: May 29, 2008
3:30 PM to 4:50 PM

Finding Your Inner Beauty
Kennidi Monroe
When we as trans people decide this is our journey, we tend to go into fast forward mode. We rush to get the surgeries, take the hormones, wear the clothes and make-up. But if your outer beauty is not going the same pace as your inner beauty, you won’t find happiness in the end! In my workshop I will teach these steps: STEP ONE: Letting go of doubt. STEP TWO: Putting others worries aside. STEP THREE: Loving thy self. Exercises will be practiced that can be done
at home. It’s not a miracle overnight but it’s a start to becoming a better you.

Life Style Reorientation: Listening to Your Soul
Dr. Edwin Miller - Healthy Alternatives - Chicago, IL
Listen to your soul as a guide to understanding yourself. Be appreciative of the life you were meant to live so you may come to terms with who you are. Life is about balancing how you live a joyful life.

Making Make-Up Easy and Fun
Chris Grost - Mary Kay Cosmetics - Grayslake, IL
Learn easy to apply looks from our Color 101 collections or create your own. Take your daytime look into a dramatic night time face. Learn how to minimize flaws, and create a natural look without the need for heavy foundation. Learn the four fast steps to healthy skin. Experience how skin care can transform your face and make your foundation a snap to apply. Hundreds of samples to try.

Current Litigation To Secure The Freedom Of Gender Expression
Jim Madigan, JD - Lambda Legal, Chicago, IL
This seminar will address pending cases where transgender persons are pressing for the right to express their gender. We will use the case of a feminine male student excluded from an Indiana high school prom to explore First Amendment protection for students subjected to sex-specific dress codes. We will use the case of a trans woman fired when a Texas employer saw credit reports listing her as male to explore the state of federal employment law protections. The seminar will conclude with a question-and-answer session about state and federal protections for gender non-conforming expression.

Friday: May 30, 2008
9:00 AM to 10:20 AM

Facial Feminization Surgery: Maximizing Results
Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel, MD, FACS - Boston School of Medicine - Boston, MA
Dr. Spiegel will review the goals and methods of facial feminization surgery. Post-operative photos will be shown. There will be a discussion of what procedures are available, how to maximize results, risks, and how new technologies and advances have allowed for improving structural changes to bone. Dr. Spiegel will address any questions from the audience following his presentation.

Passing and the construction of feminine identity.
Dr Richard Docter, Ph.D.
Passing by has been defined in many different ways and has often been said to be a highly valued objective of the cross dresser. Several meanings of passing will be described and your evaluation will be invited. Various rewards associated with passing will be discussed. Do you believe that passing leads toward a strengthening of your feminine identity? What are some of the other important rewards of passing?

Male to Female Hormone Therapy
Dr. Fred Ettner, MD - Chicago Gender Group - Evanston, IL
A seminar on the true to life application of feminizing hormone therapy. What to expect, what not to expect. The effects of combining hormone therapies. The possible tragedies of non medically supervised therapies.

Created in God's Image
Rev Kimberly Wood, Pastor, Immanuel United Church of Christ, Streamwood, IL
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? The Book of Genesis tells us that humankind is created in God’s image. All people are created in the image and likeness of God – all people. If this is the case, despite what some people may say, persons who are transgender are created in God’s image, just like everyone else. What does it mean to look in the mirror and see an image of God? To have someone look at you and know that they are seeing a likeness of the Creator? How does such a reality affect living and worshiping as a person who is transgender? Come explore this radical concept of wholeness that affirms all of God’s creation and invites an awareness of the holy in all people.

Friday: May 30, 2008
10:30 AM to 11:50 AM

Is GOD Against Us?
Julie Johnson
Lee Frances Heller, 81, died May 19, 2000, devoted the last fifteen years of her life to sharing God's love with persons who, like herself, had been scorned and rejected by the religious leadership. She began a newsletter, The Grace and Lace Letter, with the question, "Is God Against Us?". Her Passion, sincerity, and wit left the reader certain that God is indeed not against persons like Lee Frances Heller - persons who happened to be transgendered. Julie Johnson editor and publisher of her writings, will be reading some of her letters from the recently released second printing of By the Grace Of God.

Naturalizing Your Voice
Kathe Perez – Exceptional Voice – Denver, CO
Even if your pitch and resonance are superbly feminine, you will still be read as male if you continue to use some of your old speech and voice patterns. This workshop will show you how to change the rhythm and flow of your speech in order to naturalize your voice.

Body and Mind Conformation
Dr. Loren Schechter, MD, FACS; Dr. Frederic Ettner, MD; Dr. Randi Ettner, PhD
The Chicago Gender Group’s multi-disciplinary approach to surgery (genital confirmation, feminizing facial, breast augmentation, body contouring) for the transgendered patient. We consists of a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, a family physician, and a clinical psychologist. We are committed to providing the highest quality care of care to the transgendered individual and adher to the standards of care set forth by the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association. We strive to provide patient-centered care in a private and welcoming environment. Inquiries can be made by contacting Dr. Schechter at 847-967-5122.

Religious Traditions and Spiritual Traditions
Dr Kennneth Dollarhide, Ph.D.
Explore the "Religious Traditions" and "Spiritual Traditions" in the context of Patriarchal (Religious) and Matriarchal (Spiritual) world views. The seminar will include a discussion of ‘soul' and concepts of 'spirit' in both a linguistic context and by examinating various sacred texts including Torah, early Christian and Jewish Gnostic texts, the New Testament, including Mother Goddess texts, South Asian texts. Context for this discussion is that to be gender diverse is not a medical or psychological problem or phenomenon but a spiritual awakening. What needs to be 'treated' is not the head and mind. Rather, what needs to be understood is the heart and spirit.


Friday: May 30, 2008
2:00 PM to 3:20 PM

Marketing To The Transgender Community
Jerry McHugh -Community Marketing, Inc
Lori Fox – Mosaic Identity
In a recent survey, 64% of transgender respondents reported the buying power of the LGBT community has worked to the community’s advantage in terms of recognition and social acceptance. Impressive, but low compared to the 77% response for gay men, who have impressive spending habits. No research is available to demonstrate the value of marketing to the transgender community. This seminar will be in a focus group format allowing participants to give feedback into the construction of a new survey that will include transgender issues. Results from this study will help businesses and organizations better understand the motivations and buying power of the transgender community

One Thousand Cross Dressers Describe Themselves.
Dr Richard Docter, Ph.D.
The typical survey respondent was a heterosexual male who had been married and fathered children, enjoyed middle-class socio-economic status, and did not envision transsexuality in their future. Most said they had not come from a distressed family and that they had been raised entirely as a boy. Two-thirds began cross dressing before the age of 10, and only four percent were currently using estrogenic hormones. Seventeen percent, however, said they definitely planned to live full-time as a woman in the future.

Hormone Therapy Pre and Post Operative
Dr. Edwin Miller, MD - Healthy Alternatives - Chicago, IL
Dr. Miller will host an interactive seminar on hormone chemistry and physiology. The psychological impact of feminizing hormones, the physiology of hormone therapy in the terms of male verse female as well as the hazards of using street hormone drugs.

Transgenders and the Health Care Professions: A Troubled Relationship
Meredith Bacon, Ph.D., Political Science, University of Nebraska at Omaha
The interaction between transgender people and the health care professions is problematic at best. In many ways transsexuals, a reltively small proportion of the transgender population, are dependent on medical professionals for diagnosis, however valid pathologizing transgenderism may be, for therapy, for prescriptions of hormones, for gatekeeping in keeping with WPATH's Standards of Care, and for surgeries. The problem is that many health care professionals know little about transgenderism, are reluctant to take on transgender people as clients or patients, and can be incompetent in their "treatment" of transgenders. How do we avoid these problems and how do we effectively communicate with health care professionals?

Friday: May 30, 2008
3:30 PM to 4:50 PM

Discover GRS Montreal:
Dr. Pierre Brassard MD, FRCSC
Dr Pierre Brassard, a world leader in Gender Reassignment Surgery, will speak on the latest GRS "One Step" process, initially pioneered by GRS Montreal. Through video presentation, he will show the plan and advantages of the Montreal experience. Dr Brassard has created the most comprehensive GRS recovery center in the world, achieving the only private hospital accreditation in Canada. "Asclepiade", the newly opened onsite recovery center, provides 24/7 medical support during your GRS experience: "1" Plan to meet your GRS dreams. Meet Dr Brassard in Chicago by calling Suzanne today @ 514-288-2097, # 272. Ask about his beautiful Metamorphosis DVD!

The Fast-Track to Surgery: Is it for you?
Kerri Bradley-Rönne, Ph.D., L.C. Psy., - The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Many people seeking gender confirmation surgery want the process to go as quickly as possible. How do you know if the fast-track to surgery is right for you? Risks and benefits of a speeded-up timeline are discussed, as well as some guidelines to help you decide if a faster or a slower process will be best for you. There will be time for questions and discussion.

Skin Care: Latest Practices in Age-Proofing and Beautifying your Skin with Rina
Rina Schroeder - LMT, CLT – Body Contour Spa Wilmette, IL
Healthy skin is the single greatest factor to increasing an attractive feminine appearance. Yet, sadly it is the most neglected beauty regimen in the transgender community. Learn from one of our most passionate experts in the community, how to achieve beautiful and radiant skin with the essentials of good skin care, and how to protect your skin from the signs of aging. Also learn about the latest advances in non-invasive face therapies that can erase years and stress from your face and neck, and how these technologies can help you heal faster and better after FFS and BFS. It’s never too late to look your best

Transgender Victories and Challenges: The Legislative Arena
Mara Keisling, Ex Dir – National Center for Transgender Equality
Meredith Bacon, PhD, Political Science, Univ of Nebraska
Our civil rights movement has really taken off in the last few years, with local and state anti-discrimination laws passing all over the country. We will cover why there has been a dramatic rise in pro-transgender legislation, what future victories are anticipated, and give you ideas on how you can pass a law in your city or state.

Saturday: May 31, 2008
9:00 AM to 10:20 AM

Gender Reassignment Surgery
Dr. Toby Meltzer, MD - Scottsdale, AZ
Dr. Meltzer will discuss his background and current surgical techniques for GRS surgery and ancillary procedures. He will offer a PowerPoint presentation of pre and post operative photos presentation. He will leave time at the end of the presentation for questions and answers.

Kaizen – Managing the process of YOUR transition
Eden Lane, Denver, CO
Applying the Kaizen process management principles to the management of Your Transition. Daily, Incremental, Improvement. We discuss learning to use what works and discarding the rest. Exercises reinforce the concepts. Kaizen principles can be a tool used to take control of your transition, and help you to embrace the True You.

Facial Feminizition
Dr Douglas Ousterhout, MD – San Francisco, CA
Mira Coluccio will discuss Dr. Ousterhout’s philosophy about facial feminization surgery based on anatomical differences between male and female skulls. There will also be discussions about soft tissue differences between male and female face. Photographic examples will be shown of these differences, before and after pictures of surgical results. Dr Ousterhout will be holding clinic after his presentation for those who desire a consultation in private.

Sex, Intimacy, and Relationship Issues for Trans Individuals and their Partners.
Kerri Bradley-Rönne, Ph.D., L.C. Psy., - The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
When one partner is transgendered, couples often struggle with issues related to sex and intimacy. The difficulties faced may differ depending on whether the partner identifies as a cross-dresser, transgendered or gender-queer, or transsexual. Couples and individuals are welcomed to an open discussion of sex and intimacy issues that often come up in relationships when one partner is transgendered.

Saturday: May 31, 2008
10:30 AM to 11:50 AM

Facial Feminization Surgery
Dr Toby Meltzer, M.D. – Scottsdale AZ
Dr Meltzer will discuss his approach to feminizing facial procedures which includes both bone contouring and soft tissue techniques. The final operative procedure is customized to the individual patient’s needs and desires to provide a natural feminine appearance. He will give a PowerPoint presentation to discuss the techniques that he uses and will include before and after photos. He will leave time at the end and of the talk for questions and answers.

Relationships
Barbra McCoy Getz, L.C.S.W. – Allied Counseling, Sleepy Hollow, IL
Dr Edwin Miller, M.D. – Healthy Alternatives, Chicago, IL
We all come to relationships with our good and bad qualities. With our own baggage from previous relationships. We each must be prepared to resolve or diminish our bad qualities, or at least be honest regarding the issues involved. Relationships should be founded on open, honest discussions between each party in the relationship. If either party is not willing to compromise, the relationship is progressing towards failure. If the couple is not able to resolve issues by themselves, they may need to seek counseling. This seminar will present some of the presenters’ experiences and ways of resolving issues. That will be followed by an open discussion of issues with those present.

Coming Out to Friends and Family: It’s Not About You
Mara Keisling - Exe Dir - National Center for Transgender Equality, Washington, DC
Coming out to your friends, family and co-workers probably seems like the hardest thing you’ll ever do. Whether it is or isn’t, there are strategies and tactics you can employ to maximize your chances of acceptance. Using professional marketing communications as a basis, Mara shows why and how to focus on others, instead of yourself, while telling your story.

Travels along the Gender Frontier:
Images and stories from Mainland USA to Burma, Thailand, and Beyond.
Mariette Pathy Allen – Photographer, Lecturer, Writer
This slide presentation offers an exploration of attitudes and customs in different cultures regarding gender variance. I will also show photographs of some of our community leaders, including Naomi Owens.


Saturday: May 31, 2008
2:00 PM to 3:20 PM

Facial Femininization and Body Contouring
Dr. Mark Zukowski, M.D., F.A.C.S. Wilmette, IL
Dr. Zukowski will present state-of-the-art 21st century surgical options for one-step face, breast and body feminization including advanced endoscopic techniques of forehead feminization, ultrasonic body sculpting with fat augmentation to the buttocks, as well as micrograft hair restoration to create the perfectly feminine hairline. They perform complimentary postoperative lymphatic massage and has an aggressive face and body skin care protocol and cosmeceutical line of skin products to further enhance your surgical results. For consultation call 847-853-8869.

Electrolysis Through Transition
Kelly Morrissey – Electrolysis by Kelly, Oak Park, IL
Use full information on how to approach treatment planning during transition. Main points I will cover are options in pain control, working with laser, surgeries like GRS,FFS, breast enhancement and genital electrolysis.

Transgender Awakening : Our Vital Role
Renee Baker
Each and every person on the planet has a gift, though many never discover it. But when they do, they are able to share their love and joy in their own special way. And in that special way, they are able to awaken others more, to raise consciousness just a bit, or perhaps in revolutionary ways. Gender variant people have the potential to raise the consciousness of the planet. But to do so, we must first find our own humility and heal ourselves first. And as we change, so too will the world. This talk addresses how transgender people as individuals play a vital role in awakening our planet. A sharing – my own personal story

LGBT- How does the "T" really fit?
Eden Lane – Denver, CO
LGBT - why is the "t" often a lower case or even a silent 't" - does it belong in that movement and what can we do to change that. This question can produce heated discussion but this workshop seeks to provide a positive place to express ideas, exchange experience, and learn from examples of success as well as opportunities for improved results.



Saturday: May 31, 2008
3:30 PM to 4:50 PM


Strategic Talk - Transgender Lives: Changing Hearts and Minds
Mara Keisling – Ex Dir - National Center for Transgender Equality, Washington, DC
Join us as we explore messaging about transgender lives. How should we present transgender lives and experiences to the media? To legislators and potential allies? We will explore principles on how best to communicate and apply them to communicating about our lives as transgender people and allies.