Countdown To Bryn Mawr and TDOR Speeches

I'm writing and rewriting my speech, updating a Power Point presentation, packing, getting divafied and eagerly anticipating my upcoming trip to the Philadelphia metro area and the Bryn Mawr College campus.

I'm heading there to do a 4 PM speech in the M. Carey Thomas Library's Room 224 on Tuesday October 20.

These trips never get old for me because I've always liked public speaking, traveling to different areas of the country and I enjoy doing these events.

It also gives me another opportunity to pick up another college coffee mug and a sweatshirt.

I was blessed last year to speak at CU-Boulder for a gender conference they held on their beautiful campus in the shadow of the Flatiron Mountains. I've already been on the U of L campus this academic year, and I'm looking forward to another trip that I'll be taking in March to SUNY-Oneonta.

I have an upcoming trip next month I'm taking to Long Island in which I'll be the keynote speaker for a November 22 TDOR event being hosted at the UCC Church in Centerport, NY.

Just like the Bryn Mawr and any speaking event I participate in, I want to be on my 'A' speaking game. It's just something about being on a college campus around our future leaders that energizes me.

Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of long time African descended trans activists getting these speaking opportunities at college campuses. Some of that you can attribute to many of us not being as public.

Some of us are doing work locally that doesn't give them a high enough national profile so that academia will seek us out and include our perspectives in these gender conferences and speeches that occur on these campuses.

I'm cognizant of that fact and consider it an honor when they choose me. It's a major reason why I want to give 150% effort in putting together an event that's not only informative but enjoyable as well. I'm keenly aware that I'm not just representing myself, I represent an entire community. I want to make it easier for the next African descended transperson to get that same opportunity I was blessed to get.

I'm also hoping that one day, I and my African descended trans brothers and sisters will begin to get opportunities and invitations to do these speeches and participate in gender conferences on HBCU campuses.

As for the upcoming LI TDOR event, this particular one has had some previous speakers that are a Who's Who of the trans community such as Diego Sanchez, Pauline Park, and Melissa Sklarz.

They are people that I respect and admire, so yeah, I'm honored that this group wanted me to speak at their event.

So if you want me peeps for 2010, start early with your requests.

I had the honor in 2002 and 2003 of speaking at my local TDOR sponsored by the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. I was even more thrilled by the fact the 2002 one was their first annual one.

Time to wrap this post up and get back to work polishing the speech.

For those of you in Philly or on the Bryn Mawr campus, looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday.