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Sadly Keystone 2023 is officially over and during my drive home I had the time to reflect on my experience this year. When I did I found myself tearing up, and it wasn’t because the conference was over, it was deeper than that.
I think this event can be whatever you make of it, you can dive into the workshops, or simply dress for few days in a friendly atmosphere but personally I enjoyed meeting people above all else.
I met so many wonderful people, and saw friends from cdh I had met before but the one common thread from every encounter was the acceptance I felt. The spouses were especially memorable to me, the love I sensed from them towards their husbands was palpable, and frankly emotional to me. I found myself have difficulty keeping myself from crying simply talking to them, in a good way of course. Such an absolute pleasure meeting you all and I’m looking forward to next year more than I can express. I’d love to hear about your experience and what you enjoyed about the conference.I got home early yesterday. For me this event which was my first was truly cathartic for me. I was smiling and happy every second there.
I enjoyed the seminars but the social aspect was by far the best thing for me. I arrived there late Monday but come Tuesday morning I was up and out the door as Susan. Got my nails done, went shopping and sight seeing. Then everywhere I looked I ran into CDH girls. It was so much fun to just sit and talk with everyone. I never felt alone or uncomfortable because my CDH sisters were everywhere.
I truly can’t wait to go next year. I also hope to go the Lake Erie gala this November.
Susan
Susan,
Are you the Susan who was sitting next to Jane Holst of the Vanity Club at the Italian restaurant Wednesday night?
Fiona
Yes that was a fun night. I had so much fun. There are some photos of that night. I think we numbered near 25 or more ladies that evening.
Susan
I may not have attended this year, but I thought that I would answer based on previous experiences. However, I was sadden to learn that I could only select one response, and there was not an all of the above option.
MacKenzie Alexandra
Meeting the Crossdresser Heaven people that I converse with on the chat line. It was wonderful to finally converse face to face with the members and have in depth conversations about our crossdressing journeys.
It was nice to meet new people in a secure friendly setting.
I also like the ability to pick and choose which seminars were pertinent for me.
I’d say it was about meeting people, but at different levels.
I met the beautiful and talented Diane Crow at dinner, attended her session about posing for the camera, and went for a photo shoot where I got some absolutely gorgeous photos. When things settle down, I’ll post a few.
I got to meet and talk with Savannah Hauk. I’m an avid listener of her podcast and it was nice to meet her in person.
I got to meet with other CDH friends. It’s nice to be able to put faces to the names and share stories in real time.
I got to meet with some friends from south (New) Jersey. I used to see them at parties thrown by a friend, and since she moved away, I haven’t seen them in a few years.
This was my first Keystone and I had a wonderful time. It was great to meet face-to-face with gals I had known only virtually but for me the best thing about Keystone was when I was able to sit and have a nice conversation with someone instead of just saying a quick hello. Having extended interactions with people allowed me to really get to know them. I was lucky to chat for a while with Marie Chandler, Roberta Broussard, Barbara Heller and the irrepressible Janice, all from CDH along with Cristy Garcia, Kandi Robbins and Amy Pond from the Vanity Club and with the lovely LynneLee, a super nice lady I met.
Is it too soon to sign up for next year?
Fiona
Mel
I was so happy to see your post andI too wanted to choose more than one answer ! My problem was there was not enough time. Seeing old friends, old friends that I had met from CDH, new ones, new ones from Facebook etc… If that’s my problem then I think it’s a good one to have.
My regret was not spending more time with some of the new CDH people I met. It’s almost like we need a CDH conference. Looking at the numbers I bet we were close to 8% of the girls there which is very impressive.
If you have not gone to a Keystone before do what you can to get to one. It’s a life changer ! Love you all!
I would love to attend a Keystone conference but it is in March and as Snowbirds we are in Florida; OK theoretically I could fly up attend and fly back but that is beyond my means. Another thing is that I live only 80 miles from Harrisburg so it would be an easy drive. Move it to June or have another one in the Fall! Best, an envious, Marlene.
I also wanted to choose all of the answers but did settle on simply meeting others. It was great to see and spend time with everyone. Each day seemed better than the rest. I especially enjoyed meeting other intersex folks and hearing their stories. I hope to attend again next year. Now, on to Atlanta Comfort Conference. Marg
I am still processing the experience. And I want all of you to know it totally messed up my golf game yesterday. Instead of concentrating on golf I was reliving Keystone and wishing you were my golf partners, and we were all in skorts and sleeveless polo tops. LOL
It was my first conference and my first time interacting with other dressers. It was wonderful beyond description. We all struggle with this part of our life I am sure, and it is comforting to know that their are others out there. I also now know that when I am down on myself I can message anyone of you and say “please help me” and you will be there for me.
Elaine
This was my first time at Keystone and the experience of meeting some many new people was amazing! Both my partner, Cindy, and I had such a great time making new friends and attending as many workshops and presentations as possible. The night we arrived, we attended the Pink Party and the welcoming we received was fantastic!
As the Conference moved through Friday and Saturday, we reveled in the new friends we met, the discussions we had with others, and the over all love we felt from everyone at the Conference.
The biggest takeaway that I found was that so many were here on CDH, and yet I had never joined because I was on the sister site TGH (cause, well, I’m transitioning). I’m so glad that I joined up at CDH and have got in contact with friends that we met at the Conference.
Sadly, yesterday was a hard day for me because I missed the wonderful experience of the Conference and the wonderful people I met. Knowing that Cindy and I will be back next year, and that I will be farther along in my transition journey, has me already looking forward to 2024!
Thank you to each and every one of you, whether I was able to met and talk with you or not. You made my first Conference a very memorable one!
Hugs and Love🤗😘💖
Gwenn
I just loved meeting everyone! I thought the seminars were good but I might skip most of them next year. The most fun I had was going to the bar or lobby and just seeing who passed thru. Or even just popping in to the restaurant across the street for lunch just to see if I’d run into anyone. Everywhere I went there was always a cdh girl there to talk to. So nice just walking down the stairs and oh there’s Elaine, oh wait there’s kris in the lobby, walk into the bar and there’s kelly and mel at a table. It was a wonderful time, I still almost can’t believe it happened. Sad i have to wait a whole year to do it again.
I would go with “All of the above” but since I can only pick 1 I had to go with meet other people.
This was not only my first keystone but it was the first time ever I been to any kind of rainbow people event. Before this I met 3 people from CDH and that’s it. I haven’t found anything around ottawa that I can go to.Now if anyone is interested in a meetup here around I’m in.
/kelly
This was my first year and it’s safe to say it exceeded my expectations. My favorite moments were talking with my CDH sisters and meeting new people. I didn’t attend any workshops or venture to any outside locations. I was perfectly content wandering from lunch to social mixer to dinner and the bar (with some picture taking throughout) for 2 1/2 days.
There was plenty of light and bubbly conversations with new friends and deep and introspective conversations with older ones. They were all wonderful and those connections are really at the heart of what a social gathering like this is at it’s best. I certainly hope I can make it next year and I encourage anyone who is on the fence, but able to attend, to do so one day. It’s totally worth it!
Sadly at the last moment, I had to cancel… I was so excited to attend and even picked out my Gala evening dress! I want to take this opportunity to thank the lovely ladies who shared their experiences at Keystone 2023… the consensus of their experience is to meet friends from CDH and new friends… hopefully next year I can thank you all personally for your friendship and support… thank you again ladies for taking the time to write “Your Favorite Thing About Keystone”. Warmest regards, Leonara
First meeting so many and those from Cdh and the other reasons mention too. My wife and I had a wonderful time, she actually spoke to many more than I and couldn’t stop by laugh how popular some of the significant others were there chatting up a storm. Certainly no hiding of me to her socializing with all. Lol.. I just behaved and carried our purses.. 👛
The conference was as I expected a truly positive experience and a great confinance booster for anyone. Attend it if you can, you won’t be disappointed.. oh by the way you just might meet my partner she make you feel right.
Stephanie 🌷
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