I love trans events and have been involved with launching a few of them, but I’m especially proud of my association with Fantasia Fair. If you come you will see me there, every year, for as long as I’m able.

Twenty-nine linear feet! If you’re a book geek, if you’ve spent a lot of time in libraries and archives, you’re already excited. If not, let me the space a collection takes on a library’s shelves is described in linear feet. In this case it’s the cumulative length of the pamphlets, flyers, and correspondence of The National Transgender Library & Archive materials at the Labadie Collection at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Thousands of books and hundreds of journal titles are housed elsewhere in the archive and aren’t counted in those twenty-nine linear feet.

Just as it is impossible to imagine the study of Black history without the contributions of Black scholars, or the study of homosexuality devoid of the writings of gay men and lesbians, it has become impossible for there to be meaningful study of transsexualism or crossdressing without input from those who have been directly affected.

HBIGDA’s initial membership included no transsexual or transgendered members. They were simply not allowed. However, the organization, now called The World Professional Association for Transgender Health, has moved from a medical model of transsexualism to a transgender wellness model and transgendered and transsexual people are now fully integrated into membership and leadership positions.

Allowing admission to several people as representatives of the community will be a gesture of good will that will go a long way to improving relations with transgender populations at future symposia locations, will help educate those local populations about WPATH and the Standards of Care, and will hopefully prevent disruption of the symposia by protestors like the one at the 1997 symposium in Vancouver.