What does Debra talk about when she visits a campus?

       The most popular college presentation we do is a “exploring gender 101” where we talk about what being differently gendered is all about. We explore the concept of sexuality and it’s many different facets that are not always the same for each one of us. With the use of power point we journey through those different parts of our sexuality and put them together in various, non traditional ways.

       We talk about what life is like for transgender people and than what my life was like as a transgender person. We talk about family, friends and the work place and how these relationships change when our gender changes. We talk about what it is like to transition in the workplace. In my case, as a Librarian in a large city High School, to successfully transition from a man to a woman, over a weekend. And how the extreme right has struggled with the fact that people like me exist and that we are successful in our jobs and daily life. We talk about bring true to ourselves and the empowerment of living our lives as out and proud people.

       When we share our life experiences with each other, we can all gain strength and hope. A large portion of time is always devoted to questions & answers and interaction with the audience where we explore such topics as:

Self-worth and the power of self-esteem.
Building self-esteem through sharing.
Finding our inner strength.
The importance of being comfortable with who we are.
Learning ways of honoring who we are.
Workplace transitions that succeed
The politics of gender
Power and privilege
Activism and making change
The laws and courts
Religion and spirituality
Feminism and gender rigidity
Allies, how we build communities and coalitions
Expanding our definitions of diversity and gender
What it’s like living as a woman vs. living as a man
The experience of working in the workplace as a woman and as a man
How family, loved ones, friends, neighbors, and work associates reacted to me in each gender role
My experience working in a small mortgage company in two different gender roles and coming to work in the gender role of the person who happened to have clients that day
Life transition from male to female:
       Family and grandchildren
       Employment and transitioning
       Neighborhood and friends
The gender continuum - crossdressers to transsexuals (and others)
The concepts of cross living, hormones and surgery
Gender Reassignment Surgery - what it’s all about
Being a public target for extreme right wing politics
Making schools safe and excepting places for GLBT students, staff and parents