Tripping the Light Fantastic in Lancaster, PA

Sally Stone

By Sally Stone,
Femulate Guest Blogger

Nothing makes me more giddy than to have a reason to wear a pretty gown and show off my feminine finery. It's even better when I can contribute to a worthy cause at the same time.

Last month, that's exactly what happened when I attended the third annual Fall Achievement Benefit. The FAB as it's called, is a key source of funding for the LGBT Community Center Coalition of Central Pennsylvania . The event also recognizes individuals in the community that have contributed greatly to the LGBT cause. It's a wonderful event and this year, like years past, those of us that make up the “T” in LGBT were well represented. There were approximately 500 guests in attendance and there were nearly 40 of us girls.

This year's event was held in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania at the Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, and while the event itself was the centerpiece of the weekend, the hotel, its location, and some wonderful friends made for an extraordinary two-day adventure as a girl.

Friday evening, 12 of us went out to dinner at a local restaurant and afterward we came back to the hotel for a drink before heading out to a local club for some dancing; at least that's what we thought we were going to do.

When we got back to the hotel lounge, it was packed with people and in the course of getting served and finding places to sit, we soon found ourselves in the middle of some pretty heavy conversation. Most of it centered around the way we were dressed and why we were presenting ourselves as girls. In essence we were conducting impromptu outreach.

It always amazes and thrills me when people want to know why I dress the way I do. The ensuing conversations were rich and rewarding and soon our little circle was so absorbed we forgot all about dancing. We closed the lounge and I didn't get to bed until after 2 AM.

On Saturday morning, some of the girls went shopping. Some of us stayed close to the hotel and did a little local sightseeing instead. After lunch, I spent the remainder of the afternoon getting myself ready for the evening formal. The preparation is almost as much fun as going out.

Our group had agreed earlier that we would rendezvous in the lounge for a before-the-formal drink. When I arrived around 5 PM dressed to the nines, many of my girlfriends had already arrived. They all looked so lovely in their sexy dresses, gorgeous gowns, and killer shoes. We really did make for a lovely group of girls if I do say so myself.

The lounge crowd wasn't too large at 5 PM, but like the night before we quickly found ourselves the center of attention. For some reason, T girls really do draw a crowd. We had to literally drag ourselves away from our new found friends to ensure we wouldn't miss the evening's big event. As we made our way to the ballroom, I had a confident feeling that I'd find my way back to the lounge later in the evening.

The reception was wonderful and provided a great opportunity to catch up with acquaintances from years past. The girls were beautiful and the guys looked so dapper in their tuxes and tails.

I took the time to pose with a few friends for a professional portrait photographer and then I did some more socializing before we were seated for dinner. Dinner was excellent and after the presentations were finished, we just couldn't wait to get up out of our seats to dance.

The DJ served up a non-stop menu of great dance tunes and soon the dance floor was packed with an undulating mass of boys and girls. Usually I'm not much of a dancer, but there's something about a dress and high heels that make the urge to boogie overwhelming. I found myself happily swaying with rest of the crowd. I had the opportunity to dance with girls, with boys, and with boys who were dressed like girls.

It was all great fun and as I moved from dance partner to dance partner I was suddenly surprised to find that my newest dance partner was a girl I had met earlier in the lounge. She, her two girlfriends and their boyfriends had sneaked in to the party to join us. I danced until my feet were screaming for me to stop.

The music was winding down by then anyway, so a group of us made our way back downstairs to the hotel lounge. I just knew it would call me back!

Like the night before, the lounge was absolutely packed. We met more new friends, engaged in more impromptu outreach, and simply had a wonderfully fulfilling experience interacting with a friendly and very accepting crowd. Like accomplished party animals, we closed the lounge for second night in a row. As tired as I was, it was too sad and too soon to be saying goodnight. Alas, all good things must come to an end.

This year's FAB didn't disappoint. I got to be a glamorous girl for two full days. I danced, made friends, and generated memories that will last a lifetime. The event also raised quite a bit of money for LGBT Community Center Coalition of Central Pennsylvania and that isn't a bad thing either.

I can't wait until next year!

Transgender Styling

Cyrsti of Transdesance.. Cyrsti's Condo fame, mentions yours truly in her Nuture Your Transgender Style! post yesterday. It is a good read (which is typical of her blog postings), so check it out.

Still More: No Eyeglasses, But Shoes You Can See

And There's More

My Wednesday en femme did not end at the copying machine in my alma mater's law library.

As I exited the law school, I asked the security guard, who had been very personable so far, if she would take my photo. She was happy to do so and was even willing to go outdoors to take it.

It was a beautiful December day, so we decided to do the photoshoot outdoors. The photo accompanying this post is from that shoot and is a rare photo of me with eyeglasses on.

I thanked her for her hospitality and left the school.

It was 10:45 AM and I was all dressed up, but had nowhere to go!
Actually I had two plans in mind. I considered visiting the beautiful mall in Holyoke, which was just 20 minutes from the law school. But I was not in the mood to spend the rest of the day shopping.

Plan B was to visit Mohegan Sun to check out the new Sephora store there and to play some slots. It was an hour drive, but it was a beautiful day for driving and I was in the mood.

The casino was very quiet. I know that the casino has been hurting, but I have never seen it so deserted. The casino used to be vibrant and exciting (to me). Yesterday, it was kind of sad. I played a few slots, but I just went through the motions for about an hour and lost more than I won.

Since I was not having much fun playing slots, I decided to find the new Sephora store and have fun with makeup. Shortly after entering the store, a saleswoman approached me, said she "loved" my shoes, and offered assistance.

I asked about advances in foundations and she said that the one I was using (Laura Mercier powder foundation) was still the best. Then I asked her to give me her opinion of my visage. She immediately mentioned the sun damage on the sides of my neck.

All of the foundations I have tried only cover the damage temporarily and sooner or later (usually sooner), the red skin shows through. She suggested I try using a color correcting foundation primer from Smashbox. It is green and it goes on where needed before the foundation. She sold me on it and that is what I carried home in my little Sephora bag.

As I exited the store, both of my feet cried "Uncle!"

By that time, I had worn my new to-die-for patent red and black Nine West Mary-Janes for over six hours without a problem. I had walked all over the law school and casino and had driven over two hours in a standard transmission vehicle wearing them without a complaint. I had even remarked to myself how comfortable they were. Now, suddenly, my feet were screaming.

I had brought along my backup comfy mid-heel Mary-Janes, but they were in my Subaru parked at the other end of the casino (and Mohegan Sun happens to be the second largest casino in the USA).

I considered walking barefoot, but I didn't, so I walked very slowly and sat down a couple of times along the way. As soon as I got to my car, I put on my comfy Mary-Janes and they felt like bedroom slippers in comparison to my Nine West Mary-Janes.

I love my Nine West Mary-Janes and will not hesitate to wear them again, but only for shorter stints --- not all day long like yesterday.

I drove home and my day en femme was over.

All the people (male and female) who I encountered yesterday were polite, often friendly, and always helpful when I needed their assistance. I don't know if I passed or not and whether passing had anything to do with their reaction to me.

I have reached a stage in my life in which passing is not a deal breaker.

When I prepare to go out, I do my best to be passable. I try to be impeccable in my dress and makeup and make sure that there is not a hair out of place, but once I am out the door, I stop being concerned about passing.

I used to be very shy when I was en femme fearing that everyone I encountered would read me. If they seemed ok with me, then I would open up and be more like myself, but if they were not ok with me, I would get out of Dodge as quickly as possible

Now, I am personable to everyone I encounter. I don't wait to see how they react to me.

I believe that by being personable and outgoing, it surprises people and they react positively whether they read me or not.

And I don't even think about it. That's the way I am in boy mode and now that I am free of the shackles of passing, I can also be myself in girl mode.

Stop “Work It”

Please go here to tell ABC that their programming (for example, “Work It”) should not mock transgender people! Let them know we can't support programming that belittles and mocks those who do not adhere to society's gender norms.

My Quest

In 1983, I purged everything related to femulating.

Not only did I discard replaceable items like clothing, wigs, makeup, etc., I also discarded irreplaceable items, primarily my collection of self-taken photographs. As a result, I no longer own a single photo of myself en femme prior to age 32.

Starla has been scouring the Internet searching online high school yearbooks for photos of high school femulations. She has sent me her findings and I have posted some of them here in the past.

Last week, it occurred to me that there were yearbook photos of me en femme (at the ripe old age of 25) attending my law school's Halloween party. I lost the yearbook (it went out with everything else in the great purge of 1983), but I wondered if Starla could find it online.

I asked her, but after searching her resources, she responded that she could not find it. She explained that the majority of online yearbooks are of the high school variety; only a few college and graduate school yearbooks are online. She suggested contacting my law school.

I phoned the law school library and asked if they had the yearbook in their stacks. They checked and as it turned out, they had it! They welcomed me to visit the library to view it and photocopy anything I wanted.

Wednesday, I dressed en femme. I wore the black dress with the sequins pattern at the neckline that I bought from Ideeli, nude pantyhose, my new Nine West patent red and black Mary Janes, a new matching red bag from ShoeDazzle, earrings, bracelet, and watch. I topped everything off with my white fake fur coat and was off to Springfield to visit my alma mater.

(I might mention here that although I graduated from law school, I never practiced in the profession --- not for one second. My first love was writing and while I waited for the results of the bar exam, I got a job as a writer and never looked back.)

An hour later, I arrived at the law school, parked the Subaru, and walked to the school entrance.

There was a security guard station at the entrance. The library is not open to the general public; only students, alumni, faculty, and attorneys can gain admittance. I explained to the guard that I was an alumnus and she asked me for a photo ID. As I extracted my driver's license from my purse, I told the guard that I was trans and that I looked a little different than the photo on the ID.

She said, "You're not the first."

After she logged me in, I walked down the hall to the library. It was deserted. Final exams were underway and I assume most of the students were in the classrooms filling up blue books. (Do they still use blue books?)

The library staff had set the yearbook aside for me, so they did not have to search the stacks again. I just had to fill out a simple form to borrow the book.

I found a comfy chair in the library lounge to cuddle up with the book and recall the past. I was sure that there were two candid photos of me attending that Halloween party 35 years ago en femme and I was a correct.

I wish I had my computer scanner to copy the photos, but all I had access to was a copying machine. I did my best adjusting the darkness to capture the best image and the results accompany this post.

By the way, you find me in the photos wearing my first wig (purchased at a local Frederick's of Hollywood store), my mother's skirt, my own boy mode sweater, a blouse of unknown origin, and my first pair of Mary Janes.

And I was so young --- so young that it brings tears to my eyes!

Roadtrip

I am on the road en femme today.

If my trip is successful, I will have a surprise for you on Thursday.

If it is not successful, I will still have a roadtrip report for you to read.

Keep your fingers crossed that I am successful.

4,491,213

I was checking the blog statistics this evening and something did not add up literally.

The hit counter was in error and has been that way for a very long time. Instead of 2.6 million hits, the actual count is more like 4.5 million hits.

I fixed the hit counter accordingly.

Andrej Pejic Models Push-Up Bras

I’m speechless (or rather wordless)!!!

According to The Huffington Post today, “Andrej Pejic, a man with no breasts at all, is the star of a lingerie ad campaign promoting push-up bras. Modeling for Dutch company Hema, Pejic wears the brand's Mega Push-Up Bra (just 20 euros!) underneath two different v-neck dresses.”

Read the rest of the story here (while I gather my thoughts).

Miss Eng’g Again

In February, I wrote here about the Miss Eng'g (Engineering) womanless beauty pageant at the College of Engineering, University of Philippines-Diliman.

In my opinion, it was "one of the best, if not the best womanless pageant conducted at an educational institute, whether it be grammar school, middle school, high school, or college."

Yamini just informed me that the 2011 installment of the pageant has its Facebook page up and running.

This year's contestants are as amazing as past year contestants. It is hard to believe that the "girls" are really boys; all the femulations are excellent.

But that is just my opinion. See for yourself by visiting the Miss Eng'g Facebook page and feast your eyes on the images displayed at the following links:

•  Evening gown portraits

•  Swimsuit portraits

•  Character portraits

•  Boy mode portraits 

Truly amazing!

Transgender News

Don't know if you get over to The Huffington Post website much. (I do everyday.)

A few weeks ago, I noticed that HuffPost now has a (Transgender News page) that centralizes the transgender news articles that used to be scattered all over HuffPost.

The Transgender News page also includes blog postings from various transgender-oriented bloggers.

It is worth bookmarking; I added it to my Tool Links list on the right sidebar of this blog.

Seven Tall Ladies

Our collection of Famous Females of Height adds seven new entries this time around.

5'8" – Bryce Dallas Howard – actress – film Spiderman 3

5'9" – Greta Cavazzoni (photo right) – actress – television 30 Rock ("Jack Meets Dennis")

5'10" – Stephanie March – actress – television 30 Rock ("Blind Date")

5'11" – Constance Jablonski – fashion model

5'11" – Hilary Rhoda – fashion model

5'11" – Masha Tyelna – fashion model

6'0" – Christine Lagarde – politician (France) – International Monetary Fund managing director – sources: Elaine Armen & Zoe (“Thank-you”)

Mommy's Home Watching the Giants' Game

Caveat Emptor: This is a genuine Femulate rerun.

Saturday Night Date

Honey, I’m Home!

Two Thousand and Counting

This is my 2,000th posting here.

Who would have thought that when I started this blog 1,767 days ago on February 5, 2007, that it would still be going strong 2,000 posts later.

But you folks keep coming back, so I keep blogging (or is it vice versa?).

Some statistics: 702 of you have signed up as "Members," formerly known as "Followers," while over 5,200 of you visit this blog each day (averaged over the past 30 days). Meanwhile, the all-time hit counter just passed the 2-2/3 million mark. (Those numbers amaze me!)

All I have to say is "Thank you for your patronage.”

***

If you have been following along, you may recall that Tuesday night was my Avon representatives Christmas party. Well, I missed it.

A number of anticipated and unanticipated events lined up to block my way and I could not leave work early enough to get en femme and attend the party, which began at 6 PM.

The way things were going, I had a feeling for the last few days previous to the party that I was going to miss it and I have been very unhappy as a result.

But I have no one to blame but myself; better planning on my part would have permitted me to go.

On the other hand, I received some good news in the way of a package that USPS delivered on Tuesday. The red and black patent Mary Janes that I returned to Nine West because they were too small finally showed up one size larger. The larger size is a very comfortable fit, so that made up a little for missing the Christmas party.

On the other hand, the shoes arrived in time so that I could have worn them to the party. Darn it!

I’ll Have a Drag Christmas Without You

Cheryl sent me a link to an excellent YouTube video titled "A Drag Christmas."

 

Snooping around YouTube, I found two additional videos from the same show: "All I Want for Christmas" and "Turkey Lurkey Time."

You tell me who are the girls and who are the femulators in these videos. I am fairly certain that the singer in "All I Want for Christmas" is a femulator because her voice gives her away and I think all the leggy dancers in "A Drag Christmas" are femulators because they all seem a little too flat-chested and small-bottomed, but I could be wrong.

In any case, enjoy the videos!

Knowing Provincetown

Yankee magazine's website has a beautifully photographed article titled “Getting to Know Provincetown,” which is the site of Fantasia Fair, the annual weeklong trans get-together on Cape Cod.

The article, written by Mel Allen and photographed by Annie Graves, does not make a peep about Fantasia Fair or trans people, in general, but it does cover many of the venues that are so familiar to Fantasia Fair veterans.

It also includes a recipe for Portuguese Kale Soup from Napi's Restaurant in P-Town, where I have dined happily many times.

Enjoy!

What does it mean?

My Favorite Things

(This is first of a series of posts that describe my favorite things. It will appear here whenever I am so moved.)

I appreciate information that is well-researched.

I also appreciate finding new information in my fields of interest.

If that new information has been well-researched, then I am in nirvana!

I assume that is due to my love of history, especially accurate history, as well as my history major.

So it is always a pleasure when Zagria posts something new at A Gender Variance Who's Who.

Zagria started her blog about a month after I started Femulate. And she posts something new about twice a week every week during the ensuing 247 weeks --- usually about a trans person, who I never knew existed.

Her trans biographies are well-researched. It amazes me where she finds this information.

If you have not already visited Zagria's website, I urge you to do so at least once. You will probably get hooked like I did and visit her site regularly thereafter.