A while ago I made a poster for the Pacific and Asia Regional Trans and Intersex hui as part of the Wellington Outgames Human Rights conference. I volunteered to help out a bit getting international participants to the conference – and it was soo awesome to meet all the faces I’d been emailing, and pestering for details. It was such an overwhelming, incredible experience to share stories and ideas with a room full of 90 or more gender diverse people and allies.
I really don’t think I can describe the feeling. I spent most of the time pretending to find jobs, because I felt like if I stopped and thought about how many cool activists, who did incredibly important things, I’d probably start crying or something. And that would ruin my *manly* reputation.
No, but seriously, it was incredible.
For the three days after that there was the official human rights conference for the outgames – and I got to participate in some incredibly powerful workshops. It’s given me a lot to think about, in terms of my own privilege, and in terms of what sorts of things I could be involved in, and I feel empowered to put on my activist cape and walking alongside the incredible change-makers I met.
Plus! I got to see Joe too!! It was great. I think I would have spent the whole time freaking out if he wasn’t there to squeeze my hand every now and then, and to check in with him after each day. He’s cool. Really, really cool. I miss him. Saying goodbye again was a little heartbreaking.
Oh yeh, and I got to see roller derby too!! (as noted in the above comic) As part of the Outgames they had a special Trans Tasman match. The Wellington Richter City All Stars vs. The Sydney City Assassins. Holy.Crap.it.was.so.awesome. Wait for fan art. My world has been officially changed.
Wow. This has been a super long post.
