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August 2006
 The second ever national lesbian conference in South Africa was hosted at the legendary Constitutional Hill after a 10 year laps from the first one. It was a very welcoming space and such positive energy flowed during those 4 days! Another first for the South African transgender community was the openness the conference embraced trans issues with. There was two trans related topic discussions during the conference, facilitated by Gender DynamiX. One discussion was in specific to share with the group all the various reasons why to include the “T” in lesbian spaces, as not only the  SOFFA’s or more specific the partners of FTM’s many times comes from the lesbian community, but to also create awareness as a whole. The second presentation was made by one of the Gender DynamiX MTF volunteers who identify as lesbian. She addressed the audience with her life experience and closed with an overwhelming applaud from everyone.
Excerpt from the Speech of Liesl Theron, CEO of Gender DynamiX
 One would ask why we need to include an organisation such as Gender DynamiX in a Lesbian Conference. There are actually a lot of spaces and times when lesbian issues become transgender issues and transgender issues become lesbian issues. Let me explain: I will start with my own story. Being a lesbian and involved in a relationship with a FTM person, a person who is busy transitioning from female to male creates an area of need of understanding. It is not easy for the person who transition if the couple were previously accepted in lesbian circles. It is surely also not easy for the couple in that situation. But the “most easily-forgotten” person in that situation is the partner of the person who transitions. If she decides to stay in the relationship, and want to support her partner, she is the one who needs to deal with her own set of issues. And surely she didn’t ask to be in this position. She loves her partner, and wants to be there in support. She has not always the answers to her partner, how to deal in situations, how to address friends. She is in the same process as her partner where they as a couple and as individuals stand risk of loosing some friends, who do not understand, “approve” or accept. But what are most commonly ignored are her own struggles she has: In this whole process – what does it make her? Her partner who was “previously” her “lesbian lover” or so she thought at the time is transitioning to become a man, a heterosexual man. It leaves a question of: “what am I know?” Where does she turn to for support? Often times, her partner who is busy transitioning has already many issues to deal with, their couple/ relationship dynamics change drastically and they spend a lot of energy on that. There is not really support and understanding for lesbians whose partner is transitioning from female to male. Both the two individuals in a relationship like that was “previously” fully accepted in lesbian circles – what changed when the one partner comes out as transsexual and transitions to male? That’s why I want to advocate for understanding within the lesbian communities.
Another friend of mine is another way in a situation that she not necessarily chose, but nevertheless are dealing with dynamics regarding their relationship. They were married as a heterosexual couple and after many years the husband came out as transsexual, wanting to transition to female. Not in all cases a partner of a MTF or male to female person wants to divorce or end the relationship. This leads to a set of “problems” of its own. As I mentioned with my own story as well, there is the same type of risks the couple experience as a couple and as individuals regarding friends and “status” if I may call it that. Although I don’t refer here to financial status, but rather ‘where” they are placed or boxed in society. Previously they were seen as a heterosexual couple, and all of a sudden not maybe defined by hem selves as that, but society see them all of a sudden as a lesbian couple. Although the partner of the MTF, still view and define herself as a heterosexual women. Even if they as a couple in an experimental phase wants to try and ‘blend in” they by no means are used to the lesbian culture. They don’t necessary feel comfortable in lesbian circles – but where do they fit in?
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