PORT ANGELES — Esprit 2015, a weeklong conference for transgender people at and around the Red Lion Hotel, wraps up this weekend with a graduation, a talent show, a dance and a keynote speech by transgender Navy SEAL veteran Kristin Beck.
The Esprit Talent Show — with singers, dancers and comedy acts — is open to the public tonight at the Elks Naval Lodge, 131 E. First St.
Admission is $5 to the event, which will start at around 8 p.m.
A no-host bar will be open, and DJ Icy Aly will play dance music after the show.
Esprit’s keynote luncheon will begin at noon Saturday at the Red Lion Hotel, 221 N. Lincoln St.
Keynote speaker
Visitors are welcome to purchase a meal — by contacting the Red Lion’s Esprit registration desk by noon today — or join the group for free after Saturday’s lunch to hear the keynote address.
Beck, the featured speaker, served as a Navy SEAL for two decades — as Christopher Beck — and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart during combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On retiring from the Navy in 2011, Beck began transitioning to life as a woman.
Today, she is a nationally known transgender spokeswoman; she has written Warrior Princess, an autobiography on her military experiences, and starred in a movie, “Lady Valor,” based on her book.
Beck lives in Maryland and is running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Saturday evening brings Esprit’s graduation and formal dinner, followed by the Esprit Gala dance at the Red Lion Hotel.
The 8 p.m. dance, featuring music by the Fabulous Boomers, is open to the public with a $5 cover charge.
The proceeds will benefit Esprit’s chosen charity, Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County.
This event has a no-host bar, so it’s open to the 21-and-older crowd.
More live music and dancing will fill the Metta Room, 132 E. Front St., both tonight and Saturday as the Nasty Habits band arrives.
The group, an Esprit tradition, will dish up their glam-punk-classic rock at 9 both nights with a $12 cover charge.
The Esprit conference, which also includes classes, parties and excursions for some 150 attendees, is one of the largest events for transgender people in the United States.
For a full schedule and more information, go to www.espritconf.com.
