A Girl Named Dick Z

Mikki tells this true story that could have come right off the pages of Fictionmania.

I was in the fourth grade, when a boy named Richard started school in our third grade. On Halloween, our school had a parade through the neighborhood on. This was in 1950 and a high percentage of the locals were stay-at-home moms and they always were generous with goodies for us kids. My Mom modified one of Dad’s Navy uniforms for me so I could be in the parade. Richard came to school dressed as a girl. Not just any girl – he was prettier than any of the girls in our class and we had a few who were very pretty. 

I made sure I walked beside Richard in the parade and I even walked “her” home (it was on the way to my house). I didn't let on that I had found some of Mom’s lingerie in the clothes basket and wore my find whenever I could get away with it. But here was a boy who went all the way and looked like the real thing. I’ll admit it: I had a crush on “her.” 

Richard had twin sisters, who were one year older than him. They went to a Catholic girl’s school and were already home when we got to Richard’s house. He asked me to wait outside while he talked to his sisters. He was asking them about inviting me in and they said, “OK.” Here is where the BIG surprise comes in: Richard got out of his nice Halloween party dress and changed into a “play” dress!

Richard’s mother (let‘s call her “Miss Z”) had him wear girl’s clothing except “when he needed to be a boy” outside the house. I didn’t know what to say, but I was fascinated and maybe more than a little jealous. 

Turns out that Miss Z had been raped by a young man. A private marriage was performed and her spouse raped her again shortly after the birth of the twins and that produced Richard. 

When a problem occurred that caused her to give birth to Richard early, her husband was off in Ocean City with his mistress and only found out a week after the birth when he got home. That was the last straw and the couple split up and she divorced him. 

Her anger was so harsh that she chose to “deny” him his son by making him a girl. She got a large settlement and also had a big trust fund, so she disappeared into a middle-class neighborhood in the DC suburbs, leaving no forwarding address. I had stumbled into a real-life soap opera!

Miss Z had a trusted sitter watch the three girls when she had afternoon classes at Trinity College, the women's college of Catholic University. Her family contributed to Father Hartke’s Theater Program and had full access to all of that. 

Since I was taller and bigger than any of the three girls, I couldn't wear their clothing, so Miss Z borrowed clothing from the Catholic University costume department for me. I was fairly 4 to 6 inches taller than the rest of them. Miss Z was about 5 feet 1, while Richard and the twins were about 5 feet 3. None of them ever got any taller! No late-teens growth spurt for Richard –– he remained a cute, petite girl. 

Once we were in junior high school, Richard always dressed as her pretty self for school on Halloween and also for some small parties with people he trusted. He played the part of a crook who disguised himself as a woman in a school play (his only lead role). Otherwise, he pretty much kept a low profile through junior high. (Since Richard was petite, he looked like a girl in boy’s clothing and had to endure lots of teasing. 

High school was on the horizon. About halfway through our ninth grade, we received our “Choice” letter to choose what we were going to do for high school. Back then, over 90% of the kids in in our county did not go to college. Kids were expected to walk off the graduation podium with their diplomas and walk right into a job without missing a beat. I went to the academic high school while Richard went to vocational tech school for the beautician program. 

Miss Z moved to a larger house I continued to drop in and see her and the girls. Richard was becoming even more of a girl, prettier everyday and decided to adopt a new name. The nickname for Richard was “Dick,” so he became a girl named “Dixie” (Dick Z). Miss Z even had her name changed to Dixie for Richard’s senior year. While Dixie was an even bigger target for teasing, she was protected by a gang of girls in the beautician program. If boys wanted to date them, they had to leave Dixie alone and it worked!

Dixie wore her hair in a long-ish Pixie cut, but by senior year she, let her hair grow out. She was the best student in the beautician program, so teachers cut her lots of slack. I thought that was very impressive and forward-thinking for 1959. 

Dixie continued to look like a girl wearing boys clothing, but during the second half of senior year, she became that girl. Miss Z requested that the school allow her to graduate as a girl, but the school wasn’t nearly ready for that back in 1959, so they graduated Dixie separately (and they got a very nice donation from Miss Z). 

The school did let Dixie come to her prom. I know because I was her date and she was my date for my prom. Nobody said anything at her school and nobody came close to guessing at my school. 

After Dixie scored 100% on the DC licensing exam, she went to work in a very exclusive salon in DC. She quickly became their go-to makeup girl. 

I was attending Maryland University and would touch base every now and then. I even brought Dixie to a party with my college friends just to show them I could get dates with a super-beautiful woman. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. 

During my senior year, Dixie got a job with Weston Cosmetics in Hollywood. A few years later, when I got a job with a Los Angeles-based computer manufacturer, I tried to look Dixie up. I was told she was on location, left a message, but never heard from her. Miss Z moved out of the DC area and left no forwarding address.

It was fun while it lasted and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Wearing Venus

Trevor Moore and Darren Trumeter femulating on television’s The Whitest Kids U’Know.