Stretching the boundaries of who we are as people and how to deal with gays, lesbians and bisexuals in the real world were some of the themes Saturday at a conference organized by the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Student Alliance.

A highlight of the conference was a discussion led by a woman who had sex reassignment surgery and a man in the process of changing from his former identity as a woman. The two spoke about the surgery and the importance of the change in their lives as well as how unhappy they were as the opposite sex.

Another popular discussion was led by a sado-masochistic couple who spoke to a crowd about how their relationship was like any other, as it involved trust, love and communication.

Through it all, the theme of the 12th Annual Pride Week -- "We Are Family" -- prevailed.

Thirteen discussions and speeches were held on topics ranging from suicide in the gay, lesbian and bisexual community to homophobia in sports.

One of the most interesting workshops was "Transgender Talk," said Sarah Towne, treasurer of Free Spirit, the lesbian, gay and bisexual organization at Bloomsburg University. In the discussion, "Rebecca" and "Evan" spoke about the circumstances surrounding their sex reassignment surgery.

"The transgender talk was fabulous," Towne said. "I was really interested in the idea of a female becoming a male. It was really, really interesting to get that perspective. ('Rebecca') was great and they were both very candid."

One of the most attended workshops was called "Leather Community." Two partners, Jim Gigliello and Neil Bonavita of Philadelphia, spoke about their relationship with Gigliello as the "master" and Bonavita as the "boy." The men, in their forties, explained "playtime," fetishes and toys in the leather community.

Bonavita wore a metal chain to signify that he was a boy and submissive to Gigliello. There are more boys than masters in the community, they said, which is relatively small.

Partners must agree on the limits of their sexual relationship, Gigliello said. He also emphasized the importance of condoms.

There are many misconceptions about the leather lifestyle, he said.

"We're probably looked down upon more than any other group, even in the gay community," he said.