Ashley Brundage had never been to the Southern Comfort Conference (SCC), but she heard so much about the annual gathering of the transgender community that she decided to research it.
What the 33-year-old banker learned convinced her she would not only attend in 2013, but teach a class to share her experiences and assist others with gender identity issues.
“People always told me about SCC and said it would be an eye-opening experience,” Brundage said. “Once I found out what it offered, I decided I wanted to be one of those people who told others ‘you are not alone out there.'”
The conference, in its 23rd year, will be Sept. 4-8 in Atlanta. The SCC website says it’s for anyone interested whether you are “a transsexual, a cross dresser or in between; a spouse, a partner or a family member; straight, gay, bi or omni-sexual; post-op, pre-op or non-op; young or old; married or single; FTM or MTF.”
The five day event brings together vendors, authors, entertainers and leaders from the transgender community for a symposium, seminars, interactive activities and field trips.
“The whole conference is about comfort and open-mindedness and getting people to a place where they can be themselves,” Brundage said. “I learned about it two years ago when I decided I was going to start to transition myself.”
Brundage, a financial sales consultant for PNC Bank in Tampa, submitted a proposal to the program manager to teach a class on resume writing and job interviews. She was pleased to hear her seminar was accepted as part of the 2013 conference and will speak on Friday.
In 2008, Brundage, who was born a man, was married with two children. She knew she needed to live as a woman. With the support of her wife of 11 years Whitney, 31, Brundage quit her job to stay home with their two children.
A little more than 2 years ago, Brundage decided to rejoin the workforce. She went on 40 interviews before she found a place that was thrilled to have a person with her experience on its team, regardless of her gender identity.
“I would interview and get to the decision-maker and then I showed up and I knew they would think this is probably going to be difficult,” Brundage said. “I developed a lot of really good practices for conducting an interview, ways to make the person doing the interview feel a lot more comfortable.”
Brundage said she wants to guide others in her shoes to find companies that are trans-friendly. Her 90-minute presentation is titled “Being Transgender in the Workplace.” She will also offer financial advice.
The theme for this year’s conference is “Blazing New Trails.” It highlights legal, medical and political presentations.
There will be voice training, makeup sessions and tips on fashion. “Princess Day” is scheduled for first-timers. The Big Brother/Big Sister Program was started in 1998 to help newbies overcome their fears. The Nest is for partners, spouses and families who feel left out of the conversation. For registration information, go to SCCAtl.org.
“I have obviously been very lucky,” Brundage said. “When I get up in the morning and look in the mirror, I am happy. So, I’m going to go and give back some of the things I’ve learned.”
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