Trans Celebration Weekend 2023
The goal was to bring our trans+ community together to celebrate, educate and entertain with a schedule of events and activities, so that everyone could find something that interested them. From nature walks to mainstage shows, the participation was more than we ever expected and so much trans joy was created.
Our first annual Trans Celebration Weekend Sept 15-17, 2023 was an amazing success and we are happy to announce that we will be coming back again in 2024.
The Artist Tea Party with Francesca Galliani and Sawyer DeVuyst was a great way to kickoff the weekend, with a selection of gourmet teas and discussions with the artists' about their work.
We also launched the New York Transgender Film Festival on friday night, with a stellar selection of queer cinema, with guest directors and actors.
Saturday afternoon was all about communicating with community.
While some TCW attendees started their day early with DJ Rock for a morning workout class, others chose to mingle at the Queer Cafe and ease into the day of activities.
The historic Cherry Grove Community House & Theater was busy all day with presentations from The New York Trans Oral History Project, providers from Gerald J. Friedman Transgender Program, talks about trans inclusion in sports and a panel discussion with queer writers.
Dan Lieberman (they/them), Director of Policy and Programs at Athlete Ally, and Shane Diamond (he/him), Principal Consultant at Very Good Consulting and Impact Campaign Producer, “Changing the Game”, led the discussion on trans inclusion in sports and why its important, to an audience that was eager to tackle the seemingly difficult conversation.
The Writer's Circle welcomed author and editor Denne Michele Norris to chat about the difficulties of publishing as a trans+ writer, Harron Walker discussed working as a journalist for various LGBTQ publications and her upcoming novel, Barb Morrison read an excerpt from their newly published memoir "Bottoming For God", and Laura A. Jacobs shared the first copies of her new book "Surviving Transphobia", fresh out of the box from the publisher.
Meanwhile, Shabbat on the beach, tours of the CG Fire Department, a guided nature walk with former Fire Island National Park Ranger Kelsey Jordan and a poolshow at the Ice Palace, allowed attendees to gather outdoors and enjoy the gorgeous weather we had all weekend.
The T4T Party at the Belvedere was outrageous 😉
The Cabaret Mixer at the Cherry Grove Theater featured a group of amazing queer performers. Lisa Stephen Friday opened the show with an inspiring acoustic set, Tripping Jupiter took was a rainbow of joyous music and Miss Jae W.B. slinked onto the stage, bringing us a set of classic standards that had the audience on their feet.
We ended the evening with a concert from pop sensation Mila Jam, and an incredible opening set by the ultra-talented Mariyea Jackson.
Sunday was another gorgeous day, so it was perfect that most of our scheduled events were outdoors.
Many folks started their day with a jolt of expresso at the Queer Cafe and browsed the selection of work featured at the second annual CG Zine Fair presented by STEPH PRESS.
Whether enjoying the pool show at the Ice Palace, brunch at Cherrys on the Bay or The Unlimited Love Tea Dance with DJ Ana Mataronic or strolling The TCW Art Walk posted around the Grove- the vibes of celebration and inclusion were felt by attendees and locals alike.
And it was because of support from the Cherry Grove community that we could make this outrageously awesome weekend happen. For instance, it was because of our partnership with organizations like FIAR (Fire Island Artist Residency), that we were able to feature such talented trans+ artists for the Art Walk.
We want to thank you to all our sponsors and supporters: Ice Palace, Red Eye Guys, The Belvedere, The Grove Hotel, FIAR, Cherrys on the Bay and Sandcastle, Cherry Grove Archives Collection, Coastal Roots, Goodies, F.I.G.Sayville Ferry, APCG, and OutBox.
A special thank you to the Cherry Grove DEI Project, because of their sponsorship we were able to make all our events free of charge.
We'e already planning for 2024 and hope to bring even more of our community together to celebrate our works, loves and lives.
