This conference is for woman-identified individuals living their lives as women: transgendered, nontransgendered ("biological"), transsexual (preoperative and postoperative), and intersex people living as women. It has particular relevance for women who are thinking about gender as a concept or as a personal issue and those who want to broaden their vision of womanhood or understand the range of transgender experience more fully.
Writers, therapists, educators, friends and partners of transgendered women, political activists, and leaders in the gender community have found this conference inspiring. Participants at previous Full Circle weekends called it "an amazing experience," "an incredible gift," and "a major turning point."
It is time for a new vision, one that embraces all women--not just those who are politically correct, not just those with a certain sexual orientation, not just "genetic" women, not just those with vaginas, but all who identify as women. Full Circle of Women is an opportunity to leave genderphobia behind and take a step toward expanding our concept of who women are and enlarging the possibilities for our lives.
We will examine the varied terrain our paths to womanhood have led us through. We will ask on what common ground those paths converge. What do we share in our souls that leads us to experience our lives as women? Can we free ourselves from patriarchal doctrine enough to encompass our tremendous variety? What power can we tap with diversity that can't be touched with uniformity? What unique gifts can we bring to feminism?
For those who have been excluded from women's events, Full Circle of Women is a chance to include ourselves in women's space. For those who have taken womanhood for granted, it challenges all our assumptions about gender.
We come together as experts on our own lives, to teach and learn from each other. Participants are invited to facilitate workshops, ceremonies, and other events. Many forms can be employed: discussion, movement, art, demonstration, ritual, music, theater, readings, slides, massage, etc. Some possible topics are:
...our imagination is the limit.
If you like more detailed information, please read our article about a previous conference.
East Coast Conference: May 15-18, 2008 at Nine Mountain Retreat Center in Plainfield, Massachusetts, in the western part of the state. Due to popular demand, this conference has been extended an extra day and will go from Thursday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. Registrations will also be accepted for Friday through Sunday.
West Coast Conference: None scheduled.
The conference centers we use are in natural settings, away from the distractions of everyday life. They feature modest accommodations in dorm-style rooms, with some double rooms available for an additional charge. Our hosts offer us home-cooked meals, the use of an outdoor hot tub and a fire circle, and access to extensive hiking trails through beautiful woods. Space is provided for workshops of all kinds, performances, etc.
The schedule of events will be set before the conference based on the workshops participants offer to facilitate. Time without scheduled activities will be included to accommodate those who wish to meditate, hike in the woods, take a nap, dilate, exchange back rubs, or whatever without missing workshops. Check-in takes place from 4:00 to 5:00 PM on the first day (earlier arrival is encouraged), and the conference ends about 3:00 Sunday afternoon.
Space is limited to 30. The cost of the conference is $360, and for the weekend only is $260. The price includes dorm-style accommodations, all meals from supper on the first day through lunch on Sunday, the use of the hot tub and other amenities, and all workshops. A few double rooms (usually for couples) are available for $25 additional per person. We will have some scholarship money available--contact us early if you need financial assistance. On the other hand, if you are able to contribute a little extra to help keep this from being a classist event, your donation will be greatly appreciated.
To register for Full Circle of Women, print the Registration Form and send it with your deposit to: Center for Gender Sanity, PO Box 30313, Bellingham, WA 98228. Or you can copy the form into email, fill it out, and send it to . Your deposit can be made with a credit card through PayPal. If you have never attended a Full Circle of Women conference, please call Janis at 360-398-2878 or email her at before registering so we can get acquainted and make sure this conference is right for you.
Return to the Center for Gender Sanity
Home Page.
This page last updated June 14, 2004.
www.gendersanity.com/fcow.html