On the evening of Saturday, April 12, 60+ people came together for our Developing Trans*Competence Guide launch party at the Village Zendo in New York City. The crowd was a beautiful mixture of folks from Buddhist sanghas from around the city, volunteers, trans*Buddhists, meditators, and other supporters.
We had guides available for folks who wanted a printed copy.
We featured art on display by our awesome guide illustrator, Alma Sheppard-Matsuo.
We opened the evening with an introduction to the project–where the idea came from, how the three of us and the guide contributors connected, and what our next steps will be (keep watching this blog to see what we’ve got in the works!). We (Audrey Renson, Finn Schubert, and Chance Krempasky) were filled with joy and honor to celebrate the release of the guide in a space packed with kind supporters.
Then, we gathered our attention and hearts together as Chance led a 15-minute guided meditation.
Our first performer, poet Ely Shipley read selected pieces from his body of work.
Pete Sturman wooed the room with a few numbers on the ukelele.
Lastly, Trouble With Kittens brought their toy-kitten adorned extravaganza to the space, putting a brassy exclamation point on the entertainment for the evening.
Finn closed the night with a dedication of merit and reading of an excerpt from the Metta Sutta, the same excerpt that we include at the end of the guide.
Many thanks to everyone who showed up, folks who promoted the event, everyone who contributed to the guide, the Village Zendo for graciously hosting us, volunteers and performers.