my kind of pageant

Pageant is a new documentary about contestants competing in the Miss Gay America beauty pageant. It is "my kind of pageant" because the "contest is about the art of illusion, so hormones and surgical body enhancements are forbidden."

(I can do that!)

According to the film's Web site, "The movie follows 5 of the most talented and beautiful female impersonators as they prepare to dominate in this underground competition. Hear from the men as well as from those in their entourage: husbands, mothers, sons, and little brothers.

I watched the movie's trailer on the Web site and I would love to see this film, but I doubt it will be playing at the local movie house any time soon. Hopefully, it will be available on DVD eventually and then I will be able to see it.

planning ahead

My support group (Connecticut Outreach Society) has their annual awards dinner on March 29.

This is probably the biggest T-event in the state and typically draws 50 to 70 T-people each year. The event includes a cocktail hour, sit-down dinner, awards presentation, Moonhawk River Stone as an after-dinner speaker, follies, and dancing with a DJ spinning the CDs (both kinds) until midnight.

I have not missed this event in years. I actually was chairlady for this event for three years. It was a lot of work, but it was very rewarding.

I already have my outfit for the event (a dress "to die for" from Victoria's Secret) and as in the past, I will lip-sync a song in the annual follies. I am not sure what song I am going to do yet.

I always have a great time at the banquet and look forward to it again this year.

I am thinking about going to the Chicago Be-All in May. Lately, the Be-All has gotten a reputation as being one of the best, if not the best T-event in the USA and I would sure like to see it for myself.

It is a long day's drive to Chicago, but I am used to driving long distances and prefer to drive if I can because then I can bring everything I need for the better part of a week en femme. I don't know how I would manage to pack if I flew!

50,000 customers served

Just 8 days short of this blog's first anniversary, the hit counter hit 50,000 this afternoon!

Screen Actors Guild awards show

Due to the writers' strike, there has been a dearth of awards shows this winter, but last night, TNT and TBS broadcasted the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards.

I watch awards show because I am a fashionista and a film and television fan. For a change, many of my favorite shows won prizes including "The Sopranos," Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), Mrs. Tony Soprano (Edie Falco), "The Office", Tina Fey, and Alec Baldwin. (Lately, my favorite television shows are "30 Rock", "The Office," and "The Sopranos." Fey and Baldwin appear on "30 Rock").

On the fashionista front, there were some knockout gowns to die for. Marion Cotillard, Angelina Jolie, and Rebecca Romijn were my favorites.

Also, there were a few T-moments during the show:

James Spader and William Shatner appeared in drag in a clip from "Boston Legal".

The absolutely gorgeous Rebecca Romijn mentioned that she plays a "transgender" on "Ugly Betty." This occurred at the beginning of the show when random SAG members seated briefly describe what parts they play and/or played and conclude by saying "I'm so-and-so and I'm an actor."

My favorite T-moment occurred earlier in this segment when "30 Rock" star, Jane Krakowski, explained that the best part about being an actor is that it allows you to completely transform yourself into another person. She concluded with, "I'm Johnny Depp, and I'm an actor."

vintage crossdressing (circa 1959)

vintage crossdressing (circa 1955)

I don't have much to say today, so I will share an old photo from my collection: a trio of partying crossdressers back in 1955.

beard cover

In my Top 30 Things Every Crossdressing Man Needs In His Wardrobe To Emulate A Woman, I recommended using beard cover.

I received e-mail asking what beard cover I recommend.

I use and recommend RCMA (Research Council of Make-up Artists, Inc.) BC-2. I bought it online two years ago for about $8. I checked here today and the price is now $22.

found

While looking for something else, I found a photo that was among the missing: Helen Boyd and I at the 2006 installment of the my support group's annual banquet. I was chairperson of the banquet that year and Helen was our guest speaker.

The Whitest Kids U'Know

I noticed ads for a new television show on IFC called The Whitest Kids U'Know. The ads reminded me of Monty Python Flying Circus and Kids in the Hall, i.e., a show featuring an all-male comedy team doing short comedy skits. And like Monty Python and Kid in the Hall, the female roles are often performed by males in drag.

I checked the TV schedule last night and noted an airing of The Whitest Kids U'Know at 8 PM. The listing indicated that one of the skits would be a parody of The Dating Game. I figured there was the potential for some drag in that skit, so I tuned in at 8 PM.

Sure enough, The Dating Game parody had a male in drag interviewing three potential dates. The drag was so good that initially, I thought it was a woman playing the role, not a man in drag. Nice outfit, excellent makeup, and even "her" voice was convincing, but her blonde wig was too shiny and when she frowned, she looked like a guy.

I won't go into details, but The Dating Game parody was not my cup of comedy. It was more outrageous, than funny, but the drag was worth the watch. I watched other skits on the show and in my opinion, there were some hits and misses.

I will continue to tune when I can to check out the technical aspects of the female impersonation on the show and maybe have a laugh, too.

my workshop

Yesterday, I learned that the True Colors Conference committee accepted my proposal to present a workshop at the True Color Conference in March. The conference is for school-aged GLBT youth and their adult supporters and/or facilitators (parents, teachers, guidance counselors, social workers, etc.).

The topic of my workshop is "Body Image and Male-to-Female Crossdressing."

Here is my description of my workshop:

"Body image is how we think our body looks. In some cases, our body image can be dramatically different to how our body actually appears to others. Crossdressing is the act of wearing clothing commonly associated with another gender, for example, a male dressing like a female. The potential disparity between body image and reality is very high when you add crossdressing to the mix. This workshop addresses this potential disparity and describes how to work with it."

One of the stated goals of my workshop is "To evangelize the normality of crossdressing."

I attended the conference last year for one day manning the booth that my support group sponsored. It was such a rewarding experience interacting with the kids and adults that I wanted to do more, so this year I will do more.

This year, for the first time, the conference is at the University of Connecticut, my alma mater. Last time I was in Storrs, I wore a graduation cap and gown. Who would have guessed that my next visit to Storrs, I'd be wearing a dress again!

20 years!

While reading Huffington yesterday, I noticed this headline, "Oprah Talks Masturbation," but I did not read the article that accompanied the headline.

When I arrived home after work, Oprah was on the television. I was not paying much attention to the show until there was a spot with Ben Affleck in which he admitted that he did it for 20 years!

I was quite surprised that a major film celebrity would admit that on national television, but as I stayed tuned, I realized that the topic of the show was smoking and not that other thing!

joining Hillary's team

Women are taking over.

My editor is a woman. My manager is a woman. Soon my President will be a woman.

In the not-too-distant past, men filled those positions. Now women are filling those roles and obsolescencing the men.

And it is happening everywhere in both the private and public sectors. Women are breaking through the glass ceiling and erecting new ceilings to keep men in a newfound place, i.e., reporting to women.

The women's team is on a roll and is winning big time in the war between the sexes. If you don't want to face the future as a second-class citizen, join the other team before it's too late.

Crossdressing is one way to switch teams and begin fitting into the new woman's world order. And you don't have to go full femme glam from the get go. Instead, you can ease yourself into playing for the other team.

Start with a little makeup (lip gloss and mascara) and have your hair permed and highlighted.

Replace your T-shirt and boxers with a sports bra and some figure-shaping panties.

Buy a couple of pants suits and maybe a pearl set. (While you are at the mall shopping for your new wardrobe, get your ears pierced, too.)

Knee-highs will do for now, but you must buy a pair of killer power pumps to show that you really mean business. Three-inch heels or higher will show the women that you are serious about playing on their team.

If you don't have a man bag already, buy a designer pocketbook to carry your wallet, keys. cell phone, compact, makeup, etc. because women's pants usually have no pockets, in case you didn't know. (There are a lot more things you will learn playing on the women's team.)

To show solidarity with your teammates, consider a name change. At a minimum, drop your "maiden name" and depending on whether you are married or single, use your wife or mother's surname in its place. Also, again depending on whether you are married or single, start using "Mrs." or "Ms." as your courtesy title instead of "Mr." You might even subtly womanize your first name, for example, change Danny to Danni, Stanley to Stanli, Chris to Chrissi, etc.

Nothing will get you kicked off the team faster than bad bathroom etiquette, so be sure to put the toilet seat down after you use the lady's room. Even better, get used to urinating in the seated position and give your feet a rest from wearing those killer pumps all day.

Those are the minimum requirements for playing successfully on women's team. But be alert. If you see your old golfing buddy down the street going to work in a dress, then it is time to step it up, shave your legs, and visit Lane Bryant for some additional wardrobe adjustments.

the rest of the story

Back in May, I wrote here about how I e-mailed my state senator and state representative asking them to support the gender anti-discrimination bill.

My state representative replied, but my state senator did not and he voted against the bill. The state senate passed the legislation despite my senator's negative vote, but the bill never came up for a vote in the state house of representatives.

Out of the blue, I received an e-mail from my state senator yesterday. He wrote:

"I was reviewing old emails and came across yours, to which I do not believe I ever responded. Please accept my apologies for that oversight. As you may know by now, I voted against the bill in the Education Committee and on the floor of the Senate because of the provision relating to our public schools. I was and remain concerned that young children may not be able to comprehend the fundamental change that someone in this situation is experiencing. I appreciate your writing to me about this and would encourage you to contact me again for any reason."

I have no comment, so far.

Suzanne Pleshette

I fell in love with Suzanne Pleshette in 1962 when my aunts took me to Radio City Music Hall. Back then, Radio City showed a first run movie after the stage show. The main attraction for us was the stage show, but we stuck around for the movie anyway.

The movie was a love story, Rome Adventure starring Troy Donahue. Ms. Pleshette was Troy's love interest in the film. I don't recall the plot of the film, but I do recall how I became infatuated with Ms. Pleshette during the film. She was gorgeous and I began seeking out all her film appearances. (A year later, she appeared in The Birds, where I think she looked even more gorgeous.)

My experiments in female emulation had just begun and Ms. Pleshette was my role model. She was famous for her deep mannish voice, an attribute transwoman often take note of when they try to femininize their voice. Back then, I was only interested in the way she looked and dressed; I wanted to look and dress just like her.

I just heard the news that lung cancer took her life at the age of 70. I am very sad and will miss my role model.

shopping again today

My wife's coat search continued today and I took her to another Marshalls in the area.

My wife found a coat to buy and I also found a couple of items to add to my feminine wardrobe: a cute black knee-length skirt for $10. It is a straight skirt with pleats from the hem up about six inches. I also bought a black shirred chiffon scarf/shawl with silver flecks for $15.

shopping today

The little woman wanted me to take her to Marshalls to look for a coat to buy, so I did.

While she was trying on every coat in her size, I spied a cute cream colored cropped retro sweater jacket in XL for $25.

The more coats my wife tried on, the more I wanted that sweater jacket.

My wife did not find a coat to buy, but I decided to buy the sweater jacket and when I returned home, I tried it on and it was a perfect fit.

Funny! Going into the store, my wife remarked how often we go shopping for her and she comes home with nothing, while I come home with something.

high heels reconsidered

I dunno about you, but after viewing this photo, my feet began to ache even though I am not wearing heels!

beyond Katy Keene

When I was a youngster, my first favorite comic book character was Katy Keene, the long legged fashion queen with jet black hair. I was fascinated by her glamorous image and I loved cutting out the Katy Keene paper dolls and outfits that appeared in the pages of her comic books.

No one ever discouraged Little Lana's interest in Katy Keene. In fact, Ma abetted it by helping me cut out the more difficult outfits. (Sometimes I think Ma wanted me to be a girl. She always encouraged me in all of my interests including those on the feminine side of the street.)

I don't recall any crossdressing in the pages of Katy Keene, but I did wish I could wear some of the outfits that Katy wore.

As I grew older, I started to worry about my image, so I stopped buying Katy Keene off the comic book racks to avoid being branded a "sissy." Superman, Batman, Dick Tracy, and Mad magazine replaced Katy and soon I encountered crossdressing in their four-colored pages.

I remember a female impersonating gangster appearing in a Batman story. I also recall a story in which Superman's pal, Jimmy Olsen, went undercover en femme. Dick Tracy had so many encounters with gangsters in drag that I still wonder about the Chester Gould's feminine side. Over the years, Mad had numerous encounters with crossdressing.

An excellent source for these crossdressing references is the TG Graphics and Fiction Archive. Last time the Web site was updated was March 2002, but the site is still live and an excellent resource for learning more about crossdressing in the comics.

Meanwhile, Japanese comic books (manga) and cartoons (anime) have lots of crossdressing. I am researching this subject now and discovered the fine work of Jana, who has a Web site, Jana’s TG Manga And Anime Pages, and a blog, Jana's TG Manga and Anime Journal dedicated to trans content in Japanese comic books and cartoons.

vintage crossdressing, part 2

I prefer vintage clothing. When I can't get the real stuff, which in my size is often the case, I will wear modern retro clothing as a substitute.

I told my vintage crossdressing story before, so I won't bore you with it again. I just want to mention story I found on the Internet about another vintage clothing goddess. (Be sure to check out the images and see the vintage outfits to die for.)

Feel like a woman, Wear a dress!

"Feel like a woman., Wear a dress!" so says the message on this image that accompanies an interesting interview with Diane von Furstenberg, famed fashion designer and creator of the wrap dress, which is my favorite.