Fantasia Fair doesn’t have just one or two keynotes– we have six!

Keynotes are held Monday through Saturday at 1:30 pm in the Cabaret Room at the Crown & Anchor at 257 Commercial Street in Provincetown. They are heavily attended by Fairgoers and are free to townspeople and visitors.

We are proud to announce 2019’s great keynote speakers:

 

Monday, October 21st
Professor Miqqi Alicia Gilbert
Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, York University in Toronto.

The Philosophy of Crossdressing and Gender through the years!

Miqqi is an author and a long-time contributor to Fantasia Fair and a former director. Come and hear Miqqi describe the evolution of being an activitst in the international transgender community and the revolution of gender expression though the years. 

 

Tuesday, October 22nd
Marisa Richmond, Ph.D.
Professor of History and Women’s and Gender Studies, Middle Tennessee State University

Building Community Over the Years

Marisa has seen the transgender community evolve in the past 30 years. She has worked with many people while wearing different hats over the years. Since 1992, she has taken on leadership roles to help this evolution and build communities along the way. Marisa will recount how she did this from the beginning when she became the first Board Chair of the Tennessee Vals, and then in 1996, becoming Board Chair of AEGIS (American Educational Gender Information Service) her first position in national leadership. Marisa will inspire us to continue to build this community as we move forward despite the many continuing obstacles.
 

 

Wednesday, October 23rd
Sandra Mesics, RN, MSN, CNM, HonDSc
Director of St. Luke’s School of Nursing

Fantasia Fair: A 45-Year Walk from the Shadows of Misunderstanding to the Warm Sunlight of Liberation

Fantasia Fair Number One in 1975 fundamentally changed the direction of the fledgling transgender community. Ariadne Kane blazed a new path that changed the language we used, the way we interacted and became an inclusive community, the way we viewed ourselves and the way society at large viewed us. This pivotal week in October, 1975 not only changed the community, it transformed my personal journey. We will take a look back at where we came from as we look toward the future.

 

Thursday, October 24th
Ariadne Kane, Sandra Mesics, Dallas Denny, Niela Miller, Mariette Pathy Allen
Panel Discussion

The Legacy of the First Fantasia Fair

Join our panel for a lively conversation about the birth of THE longest running transgender event currently in the world today! The panel will share anecdotes and stories from the Fair’s early days–plus they will share how their Fantasia Fair experience influenced their lives of being activists in the community. There will be ample time at the end for questions. The panel will be moderated by Miqqi Alicia Gilbert.

 

Friday, October 25th
Ariadne Kane
Founder of Fantasia Fair and Transgender Activist

The Birth of Fantasia Fair!

It’s hard to believe Fantasia Fair has endured for forty-five years. The first Fair, held in 1975 here in Provincetown, was an experimental gathering which almost collapsed before it started. It was an attempt to make something out of nothing. So many things went wrong—with the site, with events, with participants—but it turned out to be the funkiest of Fairs. Having said that, it’s also fair to say the first Fantasia Fair was the grandest of all. From a Nor’easter roaring through P’Town to a film festival that bombed, from great meals to schedules that ran far behind schedule or were aborted due to nonappearance of the speaker, it was a hot mess. In a way, nothing worked—and everything worked better than anyone could have imagined.

 

Saturday, October 26th
Niela Miller, M.S. Ed/Communications
Retired Counselor in Private Practice

Transgender Partnerships; Then and Now at Fanfair and beyond!

Niela Miller is a retired counselor who in private practice worked with numerous people, spouses and families touched by the trans-experience. Come and hear Niela share stores and writings from her book, COUNSELING IN GENDERLAND, the first book published that helped train professionals to prepare for working with transpeople and their families. Niela pioneered working with spouses, something that had never been done before. Come and hear her describe this work and her work with couples and those wanting to be one half of a couple. Niela will interact with the audience and describe the importance of good communication in partnerships that work and what that actually means. There will be plenty of time left at the end for questions from the audience.

 

Getting Started at the Fair

Sunday

Fair check in (@Boatslip 1-5 pm)
Review your welcome packet and Fair schedule for the week
Stroll around town and get your bearings
Attend the Welcome Reception

Monday

Check the day's schedule
Kick Off Brunch
Attend the Welcome Dinner/Dance

Tuesday

Check the day's schedule
Attend the Newcomers Lunch

You've settled in. You've got the hang of it.
Enjoy the Fair!

Daily

Afternoon Key Note and Workshops
Mingle in the courtyard at the Crown