Gathering to share stories of transition

"Susan," as the 66-year-old engineer likes to be called when he's in women's attire, said there's a "don't ask, don't tell" policy in his South Jersey home.

"My kids suspect something, but they don't know the extent of" his cross-dressing, he said Saturday at the Convention Center for the 14th annual Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference. Susan wore an auburn wig, full makeup, panty hose, jewelry, and a peach-colored, crocheted dress that hugged his 40D silicone breasts.

The three-day gathering, which organizers said is the largest such conference with free registration, focused on issues affecting the transgender community - from legal and medical to parental and employer concerns. This year's conference, organizers said, had the most registered attendees ever - 5,000, substantially more than last year's 3,300.

"We generally go up by about 500 each year," said Jaymie Campbell, professional development manager at the Mazzoni Center, a Center City nonprofit that provides medical and behavioral services support to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. "We were not anticipating it this year," he said of the attendance increase. "The world is changing."

Cable TV shows now depict transgender people, and the story of Bruce Jenner, who has made public her transition into Caitlyn Jenner, may have boosted attendance, organizers said.

"Although most registered for the conference before [Jenner] came out, it's brought a new level of awareness," Campbell said.

The titles of the panel topics, including "Medical Myth Busting for Trans Folks" and "Real Talk: Teens' Guide to Transitioning," reflected the medical, financial, and societal difficulties many in the transgender community face.

Sherman Leis, a Bala Cynwyd surgeon who specializes in sexual-reassignment surgery, talked about what such surgery entails in a panel titled "A Positive Image With Female to Male Top and Bottom Surgery."

"The larger the breasts, the more incisions we need to make to have it look like a male chest," he told a packed room.

Other panels dealt with nonphysical issues, such as medical costs.

Rory Schonning, 23, of Philadelphia, who teaches preschool and identifies himself as a "queer transman," asked about insurance coverage to cover sexual-reassignment surgery during the panel "Know Your Rights: Healthcare and Insurance."

He said he felt as if his insurance company had stalled over the last year in giving him the approval to move forward.

Panelist Asaf Orr, a staff attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, told Schonning about various legal avenues he could pursue. The panel also touched on eligibility for Medicaid, Medicare, and Veterans Affairs coverage for transgender surgeries and treatment.

Afterward, Orr said insurance companies have to address the medical needs of the transgender community.

"You have more kids coming out earlier," he said. "These insurance companies either deal with it early on with treatments like testosterone, which is relatively cheap, or they can deal with the more expensive treatment for trauma or suicide attempts by these kids."

Laurie Sieve, a college professor from Minneapolis and the mother of a 17-year-old transgender boy, Elliott, came to learn and share her own insights.

"I've been on this journey the last four years," Sieve said. "My kid came out at 13.

"Forty percent of trans kids think about suicide because of gender dysphoria," she said. "Everyone at this conference understands, but out there, the general public is clueless."

At 6-foot-3, Makayli Nuttier, of Carlisle, Ill., or "Kayli" for short, was hard to miss at the conference as she perused the various tables for pamphlets. She came to the gathering with four other friends from the St. Louis area.

Nuttier, 24, who is transitioning to a woman, said she came out her freshman year in high school as gay, but two years later "it clicked."

"It all came together and made sense," Nuttier said.

She is about to begin hormone replacement therapy, which will enlarge her breasts, reduce body and facial hair, and soften her skin.

The range of attendees showcased the diversity of the transgender community.

Susan, who wouldn't give his male name, the town he lives in with his wife, or the company he works for, said he's "reached a plateau on his presentation as a woman."

He was unsure if he wanted to begin hormonal treatments to transition physically into a woman.

The father of three adult children, Susan said: "I'm really anxious when it comes to changing body chemistry. That's why I'm here. It's a safe haven, I get to see some old friends, and I get information."