Significant Others Program

(Note: the information below describes the content of the 2011 SO Program)

"The Year of I am Who I am"

Born This Way

Rejoice and love yourself today
'Cause baby, you were born this way
(Lady Gaga)

At Esprit we realize the difficulty our Significant Others face in coping with a transgender partner in a committed relationship. How many young girls do you know of with a burning desire to spend their lives with a partner who wears their clothes? We also realize that the health of the relationship, as well as the mental health of the partners in many cases, depends upon the ability to smoothly assimilate this unusual behavior into the relationship. For this reason, Esprit demonstrates a fundamental commitment to our wonderful Significant Others and to couples. At Esprit the Significant Other Program is a fundamental part of the conference and educational program and this program is recognized as the best program of its kind in the country, if not the world.

We are pleased to announce that Dotti Berry returns again to facilitate and teach during this year's SO Program classes. Sharon Slagle returns again as the SO Program Coordinator with her personal insights on what it's like to be in a relationship with a transgender spouse.

Many of the scheduled classes are restricted to only genetic female partners of TG attendees. These classes are designed to ensure your privacy and comfort. We make every effort to provide a safe place to share feelings, ask questions and discover that you are not alone. These classes are "closed door" and are conducted with the understanding that what is said in the room, stays in the room! It is important to note that 5 minutes after the class starts, the door will be LOCKED. This insures that the group process is not interrupted. Please arrive on time and ready to join in the discussions. Our classes are led by professionals with many years of experience.

Room 248 is a large and comfortable room reserved for the SO Program. This room is where all the classes will take place and is reserved before and after classes for SO's to rest, relax, and regroup. You can scan the schedule for the retreats and classes you are interested in and read the detailed class descriptions in the presenter's biography. The SO Program Coordinator at SOCoord@EspritConf.com will be glad to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

A special event this year is a group outing to Karen Sistek's scarf painting class on Wednesday afternoon. This is a chance to retreat into an artistic space and create something beautiful.

A message from the Esprit Chairwoman

Esprit works with the transgender at many levels, and one of the most important elements of the conference is in reaching out to you, our lifetime partners and friends. We welcome you and hope to provide you with presentations and events to meet your needs. Over the course of the week, our intent is to provide a comfortable and trusting environment that will allow you to raise questions and share your experiences with others. Although our hope is to provide you with some answers to these questions, we also want you to enjoy the week. We have events planned where you will be able to leave the seminar setting, have fun and relax while meeting new friends. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to enhance your experience. Welcome, and thank you for sharing your time with us at Esprit.

Suzanne Adams
Chairwoman
Esprit Committee

Comments from Significant Others attending Esprit in previous years:

I had a great time. I am so glad to have other SO support.

D. Knudson, Clackamas, Oregon

I had an excellent time. I learned a lot. I made many new friends. I want to come back next year!! Thank you for making me feel very welcome. It was nice meeting other wives in the same boat. The immediate connection was like meeting members of your family you didn't know you had.

N. Coleman, Aldergrove, British Columbia, Canada

I had a wonderful time. This was one of the most important experiences of my life. It deeply affected me. It also had a profound and positive impact on my marriage and the marriage was very good already!! Thank you for setting up the SO options.

S. Nelson, Spokane, Washington

ESPRIT, ESPRIT GALA and ESPRIT 2011 relate only to the yearly transgender conference
held in Port Angeles, WA. The conference and organization is not associated or connected
with the global apparel company Esprit or its marks.

(c) 2001-2011 CNE Transventions All rights reserved.