Just Fabulous

In these days of COVID-19, I do not go out much en femme or even en homme, so I hope you enjoy this story from 10 years ago when a girl did not have to think twice about going out.

Wednesday, my plan was to attend a day-long seminar on photograph lighting techniques.

I went en femme wearing an argyle sweater tunic, black leggings, and black booties. I considered wearing black tights without leggings, but the tunic was way too short, so I chose a more modest fashion statement.

I dressed, drove to Hartford, parked my Subaru and found my way through the Connecticut Convention Center to the ballroom hosting the seminar where I joined approximately 500 other attendees.

If I learned anything from the seminar, I learned that I have a lot to learn!

I sat through the morning session and got very little out of it. It was way over my head. I needed training at a more basic level and this seminar assumed I already had that training.

During the lunch break, I decided it was pointless to continue. The folks running the seminar were speaking English, but it might as well have been a foreign language. So sitting through four more hours would be fruitless, not to mention extremely boring.

By the way, except for the woman collecting my seminar ticket, not one person spoke to me at the seminar. I exchanged a few hellos and smiles with other women in attendance and I noticed a few guys and gals checking me out, but that was the extent of the interaction with my fellow attendees.

Since I needed a few things for my upcoming Fantasia Fair trip, I decided to go shopping and I can't think of a better time to go shopping for girly things than when I am dressed like a girly.

My first stop was a strip mall in West Hartford where my favorite clothing and shoe stores reside.

As soon as I walked into Dress Barn, the sales staff recognized that my argyle tunic was theirs and they all complimented my outfit. (“That sweater looks fabulous on you,” so said one saleswoman.)

Last time I went to Fantasia Fair, Patty let me borrow a sweater coat that kept me warm during the cool weather in Provincetown. I wanted to get one of my own and I found a black double-breasted shag trim sweater jacket that was a perfect fit.

Dress Barn had a promotion that if you bought one sweater, you could buy a second at 50% off, so I perused their selection of sweater dresses. I found two to try on.

As I walked to the dressing room with my finds, I passed a rack of houndstooth sheath dresses that were oh so retro that I had to try one on. The only problem was that they did not have my size. Not to be deterred, I took the largest size on the rack with me to the dressing room and hoped for the best.

A belted purple sweater dress was too tight (and probably too short), so I re-racked it. A gray cable sweater dress was a perfect fit; it showed off my every curve, so it was a keeper.

Finally, I tried on the to-die-for too-small-for houndstooth dress and I was shocked that it fit. Go figure — dress sizes are all over the place; you don't know what will fit until you try it on. That is why I prefer shopping in person en femme.

Anyway, I bought the houndstooth, too, and between the 50% off one sweater dress and a 20% off everything coupon, I only put a small dent in my credit card.

Next stop, was a few doors down from Dress Barn: Payless shoe store. Like dresses, shoe sizes are all over the place, so I was glad to be able to shoe shop in person en femme. I was looking for something comfortable to wear while I traipsed upon the unforgiving cobblestone sidewalks of Provincetown.

Payless had heels in my size, so I had to try them on. One pair was too tight, another pair fit perfectly, but hurt (go figure), and the third pair was just right; when I slipped it on, it was like putting on a bedroom slipper. It was on sale, too, so I anted up and bought the pair.

At the register, the saleswoman asked if I was a member of AAA, which I am and that was worthy of a 10% discount. So, I bought a nice pair of comfortable and fashionable shoes for $18!

I checked my watch and noted that the afternoon was still young and the West Farms Mall was beckoning to me from across the street, so I spun my Subaru over to the mall and started at Nordstrom.

The store was way out there price-wise. Simple dresses cost $350, but I browsed the racks anyway hoping to find something that was marked down (way down).

While I was perusing a rack of cocktail dresses, a saleswoman nearby spoke up, “You're tall. I’m tall, too. How tall are you?”

I said, “Six foot two.”

She replied, “I'm six foot one.”

And she engaged me in a discussion about being a tall female. She asked me how I liked being tall (“I love it.”). She admitted that she had some difficulties during her school years because of her height, but as an adult, she was happy with her height.

After we exchanged a few more words, I excused myself and headed out the door to greener pastures that go by the name of “Jessica McClintock.” The store had some drop-dead gorgeous cocktail dresses, but very few in my size. I tried on a green dress reputedly in my size, but it was too too small.

The saleswoman confided that their dresses run small and that my best bet would be something stretchy. She suggested a purple stretch taffeta bustier dress, so I took it to the dressing room and tried it on. It fit and it looked great, but it cost $160, so I did not buy it (I had non-buyer's remorse for days).

The cocktail dress I did not buy.

As I prepared to leave the store, the other saleswoman in the store said I looked “fabulous” and the saleswoman I had been dealing with shook her head in agreement.

I thanked them profusely and exited on that positive note.

By then, my feet were no longer getting along with my booties, so I decided to call it quits, and rode my Subaru into the sunset.

Needless to say, my day out en femme was “fabulous.”

Unlike days out in the past, I went about my business without any hesitation because now I am so very comfortable and confident in my skin. After all, I am a woman, so why shouldn’t I be one.

Wearing A.L.C. sweater and Marissa Webb shorts

Dwayne Hickman (left) and Frankie Avalon (right) femulating in the 1965 film Ski Party.
You can view the film’s trailer on YouTube and a 10-minute clip from the film here.

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

By Stephanie Julianna

I had been doing my family's genealogy way before it was fashionable and easier with Ancestry and computer software help. However, the introduction of science and DNA has opened up my searching to a world of amazing possibilities. 

This last June, I saw a very promising match and after a few emails, I connected with a second cousin in Vilnius, Lithuania. Her grandfather and my Polish grandmother were brother and sister. For reasons unimportant to this narrative, the American branch of the family had lost touch with the European branch with the passing of the older generation. 

The emails continued as my cousin and I started to share what we have. Then she floored me with pictures that had been sent to family in the “Old Country” by my grandmother and her four younger sisters. They were mostly professional portraits obviously meant to show the family they left behind that they were doing well in America. None of these pictures had survived in the USA, but had been lovingly preserved and put in an album in Vilnius and now were returning to America via email.  

Stephanie’s Aunts and Grandmother, circa 1930

One picture struck me. Taken about 85 years ago, it showed the five sisters much younger than my earliest memories of them. They are pictured here and were a cast of characters.  Left to right, there are Frances, who could outdrink any sailor and drive home sober; Helen, who had total recall memory before anyone knew it even existed, Rachela (my grandma), who made babka and perogies that still make my mouth water just thinking about them; Marianna, who actually taught two rescued US Army German Shepherds how to speak. Really, I heard them with my own ears, and lastly, the youngest, Emilia, whose husband was murdered by the Nazis and daughter lived in the woods for the duration of the conflict until being found in a displaced persons camp after the war.

These women are just a handful of all the people carrying my DNA that make Stephanie the person she is today. These women and many others in my family taught me, by example, what unconditional love is. And I can also say that about many of the women on my Irish side as well as my own sisters. They all came with my first birth in 1949.

Lee Brewster

My second birth eventually happened in 1979 when I wandered into Lee Brewster's Mardi Gras Boutique on 10th Avenue near 42nd Street in NYC. I had seen ads for the shop in some of the Drag magazines I was buying and took the leap while in The City on business.  

It was a climb up a long staircase to a magical place. The actual Lee Brewster (1943-2000) greeted me at the door and my life was changed forever. Lee had a lithe, feminine voice with a wonderful Southern drawl, but I did not comment on his sweet voice. Good thing I never did. Lee was an old school drag queen and always wanted to be called ‘sir’ or ‘mister.’  

I remember a few years later sitting in his office for a chat, when the phone rang. He answered and eventually slammed the phone on the receiver. “Can you imagine that! He kept calling me Ma’am.” I wasn't going to tell him he sounded like a woman. So I replied as only a friend would, “The nerve!” LOL

But what really happened that first visit was transformative (pun intended). Lee not only brought Stephanie (I was actually Debbie back then) into the world a few months later, but he also introduced me to his friends who welcomed me with open arms. Like my grand aunts, they were a cast of characters and I loved every minute with them. They were just girls like me who knew who they were, but took different paths on their roads to being themselves. They helped me become the woman I am today when I can be the total person that makes up the whole.

Lee Brewster (center) marching in the NYC Gay Pride Parade

Bebe Scarpi (just right of the banner) in the NYC Gay Pride Parade.
Well-known trans activist Sylvia Rivera holds up the banner on the left.

Drag queens get a bad rap as being narcissistic and self-centered, always trying to bring attention to themselves. Even I fell for that narrative for a while. So you can imagine my surprise when years later, trolling the Internet, I finally realized who I was rubbing shoulders with. Lee was a central figure in the Stonewall riots and the following movement. He was a founding father of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) in NYC and his famous Mardi Gras balls helped fund the early groups that fought for our rights as crossdressers. Some gay historians say he funded the legal fees out of his own pocket to strike down the laws in NYC that criminalized crossdressing.

Bebe Scarpi and Stephanie

Another friend, Bebe Scarpi (Scarpinato) (1951-2019) was the first director of the GLF as was another lovely friend, Vicky West (1935-2005), who was another co-founder of GLF and a noted graphic artist whose artwork graced most of the early covers of Lee's Drag magazine. When she entered the room, heads did turn. Truly a class act and drop-dead beautiful. She was also a mother to us younger ones. And if I did not research them, I never would have known. They just did what they thought they had to do and went on with their lives.

Bebe also worked in the boutique, but was actually a teacher and became the first transgender principal in America in later years. If that is not enough, in her younger years as a teacher, she was also a stripper at night. It was like there was more than one person in that body and she was electric.  

This is just the tip of the iceberg of the achievements that makes up this trio. I had an angel on my shoulder the day I entered their world. Everyone here owes them a debt of gratitude because they truly fought for us and put it all on the line, physically, emotionally and even monetarily.  

Look around yourself. Those people around you helping you with all this dressing stuff could be the next generation of movers and shakers. Maybe even that lady in the mirror is one. Stana definitely is and has made her mark and continues to help us through the labyrinth that is our lives. 

To all the wonderful ladies in my life, past and present, genetically linked or not, thank you for helping me be me.

Wearing Venus

Vicky West, Drag magazine Art Editor

A Lovely Time

Eleven Septembers ago, I attended the garden wedding of two of my friends at their home on a Saturday evening. It was a beautiful and unique affair and it will always stand out from all the other weddings I have attended throughout my life.

It was a small affair – the guest list was composed of only 50 or so family and friends, but it was really a big affair because it was a very family-and-friend-oriented and vibrant event. Vibrant because it was a wedding where the kids were invited and included (most weddings I have attended in the recent past have excluded kids.)

I was very honored that my friends invited me to attend. They did not give me permission to attend en femme and I did not have to ask for their permission to attend en femme. They know me as Stana and expected Stana to attend. Friends like these must be cherished and I will always hold a special place in my heart for them.

Like my friends, their family and friends accepted me into their circle, treated me like an old friend of the family and I could not have felt more comfortable. Except for the wedded couple and two other friends who were guests, I did not know a soul going in and I am shy in such circumstances, but the other guests made me feel as comfortable as possible and I had a wonderful time socializing, dining, drinking and dancing the night away!

I wore a new dress and a new hairdo to the wedding. I received some compliments on how I looked, which just added to the wonder of the evening.

Being a garden affair, I quickly had to learn how to walk in high heels without sinking into the lawn. (The trick is to walk on your toes and not put much weight on your heels.)

I had a lovely time attending my friend's wedding and I will remember it all my life.

Wearing Unique Vintage

Robert Livingston femulating in the 1944 film Goodnight Sweetheart

Salon on the Loop

By Marie Anne Greene

No matter what we plan, the day will take on its own personality, so best to just go with the flow.

This is what happened last Saturday. Marie’s latest addition to her small coterie of CIS girls (Laura) was going to visit for the weekend. So as Marie had arranged on previous visits, called Kristie and Tanya to schedule appointments’ hair, mani and pedicure for Laura for Saturday morning. Leaving the afternoon for some girl adventures.

Marie had met Laura several months back at a photo shoot with Phoebe and had gotten along fabulously from the very first minute we met in the Gift Shop at the Planation shoot site and immediately became fast friends – as well as super girlfriend’s. Laura continued to express “Love” for Marie, (regardless of presentation mode) and Marie responded in a like manner although having quizzical but similar feelings Marie had some trepidation as to where this new relationship would go. 

Phoebe, Marie’s Girl Guide, who knew both Girls (personalities) came to the rescue advised in her Grandmotherly manner not to worry just be open and honest. 

Interesting factoid: Laura has called Marie - Marie since that very first meeting.

Well sometimes the very best intentions do nor come to pass but others do. Tanya said “So sorry, as she would be out of town at a surprise party that Saturday” – so scratch hair appointment. Called Kristie next and learned the Nail Shop was going to be closed that Saturday for a Professional Cleaning, however Kristie seeking to satisfy a repeat client (Marie) offered to do her magic for both Laura and Marie at Marie’s cottage, located on Swan Loop, thus the name of this story. As a whim, Marie asked Kristie if she would feel comfortable doing Laura’s hair - specifically Highlights. The answer was yes! Great, the show was back on track.

Agreed and a start time of 10:30 AM was set. Now having worked with Kristie more than a dozen times at the shop and one time for a House Call recognized the goal of a 10:30 start was not to be attained, but Marie was not concerned as Laura could squeeze in another 30 minutes of beauty sleep as Kristie could do Marie’s nails first if she did arrive at the scheduled time. 

Kristie called Marie at about 10:50 and stating the obvious (the expected), Kristie said she was having trouble with car overheating and had go stop at a service station, wait for engine to cool down and then add Anti-freeze to the radiator and it would be another 30-40 minutes before she got to the cottage.

Okay, time to stir Sleeping Beauty. This done began to prepare our Girls Lunch, which for Laura would be Breakfast. Marie had envisioned a ring of Chilled Shrimp with sauce, served with Onion crackers and Flutes of refrigerator cooled New England Cider, to add a little festive flavor to the occasion.

Well Kristie was true to her word, well almost. It was an hour before she arrived at the “Salon on the Loop” with all the essential paraphilia needed to perform all of the essential female beauty rituals. Since Laura was still in a semi-coma, Kristie did Marie’s toes first in a Natural Cream-White. Marie’s nails were still good with their gorgeous silver pink gel from a week before. This worked out well as Kristie could concentrate on Laura and Marie reverted to part time assistant and hostess, both roles Marie excelled in and was pleased to perform. 

Marie was still wearing her “Morning Walk” outfit - Skinny jeans, a white thin flowing over Tunic with a Camisole underneath. She had traded pink walking tennis shoes for a more comfortable pair of white sandals which added a tiny bit off class to the otherwise casual outfit. Both of the other girls worn shorts, might we say Short-shorts and loose airy tops which clearly highlighted their girls.

As Kristie was putting the finishing touches on her subject and fluffing Laura’s long golden highlighted hair, Marie offered a toast to the two Gals for investing the “Salon on the Loop” with their presence and offering a return visit anytime.

Then Marie who had taken a few pictures of the GALS while the Magic Process was on going announced “WE’ just had to have some “AFTER” pictures, and with that Marie flourished three Summer Garden Party dresses and asked she Girls to confirmed the color she had picked earlier when they asked to pick one of three colors by Marie. She then said the dress of their color choice was laying on the bed in the Guest Bedroom) Laura’s Room and instructed the two Gals, that after slipping into these floating colored clouds of chiffon they were to pick a Sun Hat from the seven displayed on the Living Room sofa and take a seat in one of the rockers on the Front Porch for the “After Pictures”.

When Laura and Kristie had entered the Bedroom to change, Marie dashed to her room and in a flashed shed the casual jeans etc. and shimmied into a her own “Garden Party Gown.” and picked hat, a yellow brimmed number.

After taking a “Ton” of pictures and with many “Funny” faces included the Day/Afternoon at the Salon was formally declared concluded and all three of the Gals helped Kristie gathered up all her tools and stow them in her car. They then gathered for last minute words, and hugs, with Kristie and Laura expressing a “Promise” addressed to Marie which warned that the next session at the Salon would just have to include Marie as the chief Client. With a wave of a hand Kristie drove away and Laura put her arm around Marie’s waist and squeezed. This is what happened last Saturday. Marie’s latest addition to her small coterie of CIS girls (Laura) was going to visit for the weekend. So as Marie had arranged on previous visits, called Kristie and Tanya to schedule appointments’  hair, mani and pedicure for Laura for Saturday morning. Leaving the afternoon for some girl adventures.

Wearing Boston Proper

Alastair Sim femulating in the 1954 British film The Belles of St Trinian's

Someday Funnies

Wearing Rue La La

Ben Savage and Rider Strong femulating on television’s Boy Meets World

I Want My MTV

I watched MTV a lot during what I consider was its heyday, that is, when it played music videos 24/7. My watch occasionally paid off when a femulator appeared in a video. Some of the music video femulators were drop-dead gorgeous, while others were men in dresses.

Recently I took a tour of YouTube searching for music video femulations and I uncovered three in which the band members start the video in boy mode, but end the video en femme.

The three culprits are:

👠 “Heterosexual Man” by Odds (with guest appearances by some Kids in the Hall including femulator extraordinaire Dave Foley)

👠 “My Girl” by Little Odessa

👠 “Stef II” by Indochine (photo above)

Click on a song title to be transported to YouTube to see the video.

Do you have a favorite femulating music video?

Wearing Rosario

Femulating in the music video for “Heterosexual Man” by Odds

Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying*

I only think about being trans when I am in boy mode. I seldom think about it in girl mode.

In boy mode, I am in a place that is wrong for me and I think about how comfortable I would be if I was in girl mode.

In girl mode, I am in a perfect place. I don't think about moving to another place and I can get busy living.

* “Get busy living or get busy dying” is one of my favorite movie lines; it comes from one of my favorite films, The Shawshank Redemption .

Wearing Jude Connally

Femulators encounter “the law” in Russian television’s Kings of the Game.
See it for yourself on YouTube.

No More Excuses

By Stephanie Julianna

Stana's recent post about buying girls clothes while in drab and telling a story that she was cast in Charley's Aunt has to be one of the most common ploys many of us used to shop. I used these stories to also create my own dressing events when there were none on the horizon. Stana's reminded me of one such event. It was 1983 and I was 34 years old. I actually used two story lines to make this happen.

The first, I had been using for years to buy all kinds of gowns that I loved to wear. For me, the feel of a satin or taffeta gown is simply a divine experience. To this day, I still adore the total feel of these ultra feminine fabrics.

I traveled the state for a grocery chain and frequently passed a bridal and formal dress store in Stratford, Connecticut. I had learned over the years that many formal wear stores had a “Marked Down” rack with many gowns selling for as little as $10. I would introduce myself, telling the sales associate that I was a drama teacher and was always looking for dresses to beef up my school's theater wardrobe. I believed it was an acceptable story for me to shop uninhibited and the story gave the store personnel a great plausible way to thin out this stock. I cannot imagine that they actually believed me, but it gave everyone involved an acceptable way to buy and sell women's clothes to a man, just like Stana's Charley's Aunt story. Over time, I had a half a dozen pretty gowns for the price of one. They were always “Final Sale” items. One was not the size 10-12 it was supposed to be and I could not close the zipper, but overall, it was a great way to get a great deal on new gowns.

The second story was my way to do a professional photoshoot while dressed. I don't think that Glamor Shots had started to pop up yet in malls yet and I really was tired of only having Polaroid pictures of me with the bad lighting and such.

In my travels, I spotted a professional portrait studio in Manchester, Connecticut. I built up my courage and entered the door to find a long staircase that brought me to the studio above a storefront below. I was happy to find that the photographer/owner of the  shop was a lovely lady in her sixties and we hit it off almost immediately when I told her my story. I do wish I could have simply told her the truth, but I think I came close and I think she knew anyway.

The story I told her was that I had dressed as a girl for Halloween (true) and was approached by someone who cast girls for female impersonator shows (false). This imaginary agent told me that I had potential and if I was interested in making some good money, I should call him. He said I would need a portfolio with a head shot that he could present to different clubs. So here I was hoping that she could help me.

She found this fascinating and in short order, we made a date and within a week, I was dressing in her studio and doing my makeup preparing for my photoshoot. It was a great experience and I think we both had a lot of fun. I imagine she smelled the hint of a very thin story. She complimented my makeup skills, which I honestly covered with the fact that I was a cosmetics buyer for a grocery and pharmacy chain with my boss having sent me to cosmetology classes so that I knew what I was doing when I purchased stock (true).

A rifled through my picture vault and found a few surviving pictures from this photo session. It was a great experience, but I do wish I had the courage that I have now to just tell her that I simply loved to dress like a woman. I would thank her for her acceptance and professionalism.

I do believe that over the years, the one thing I truly hate about my situation is that I felt I had to tell so many stories and lies to simply have a few moments to feel like a whole person. It is sad that we have had to tell so many lies in attempts to be true to ourselves.

Wearing Venus

Stephanie Julianna’s photoshoot

Femulating on Stage

By Jeanette Johnson

Jeanette Johnson (center)

Greater Tuna is a comedy in which two actors play 20 roles. Tuna, Texas is described as the third smallest town in Texas and we were to portray most of the town’s residents. The show had toured the world for more than 20 years before the two actors that had conceived and written this comedy retired and allowed community theaters to buy the rights to perform it. It is a funny show with the actors changing characters in breakneck speed (one of my character changes took seven seconds).

My partner (Joey) in Greater Tuna played three women and seven men. I played two women, seven men and Yippie the dog. Each character needed to be distinct from the other characters so we had 6 ladies back stage helping us with costumes and wigs. All the characters had their own voice and demeanor.

Half of my stage time was performing as Pearl Burris (an octogenarian chicken farmer who poisoned any dog getting in her yard that might kill her “babies”) and Bertha Buemiller (the only high C member of the First Baptist choir, mother of three and a community activist as a member of the Tuna Helpers).

I am giving you this background to get to the main reason I am writing this. I want to show that allowing others to know about your feminine side can turn out wonderfully.

Three years before Greater Tuna, I conceived and performed in a show we called Pridescape at Creative Life Center in Spring, Texas. The shows proceeds would benefit a college fund for transgender youth as part of Gay Pride month. The members knew nothing about my feminine side (though I am sure some suspected). They would meet my other half big time as I planned to do the first act of the show as Jeanette and the second act as John. I was outing myself and was concerned about how I would be received. I decided to let the chips fall as they may and just concentrated on creating a strong show.

I had confided to my singing coach. I am so glad I did. She became one of my dearest friends. She joined with me in the Pridescapes show. She is so incredibly talented and perhaps the best example of a real Christian I have ever known. She had quit acting because of some “couch casting” proposals when she was trying to make it on Broadway. I got her to join me in auditioning for a show later that year where she dazzled the audiences.

I realized I was in over my head trying to sing 14 songs and also getting the staging correct, setting the lights and adjusting the sound. There is a wonderful lady (Carole) who had directed me in a play and in two concerts. I sent her a long email with pictures explaining the Pridescape show and asked her if she would be willing to help me with staging. She couldn’t have been nicer. Her husband added that he looked better in a dress than me. He is an incredible actor and later became my partner in Greater Tuna. I still think I am prettier than him, but I digress.

Community theatre is always working with a tight budget. Some shows have elaborate sets and costumes. Others come with a full orchestra (the only people receiving money in a show). The set for Greater Tuna was very simple. Joey and I built and painted it over the course of two weekends. Our biggest expense was going to be clothes and wigs.

The director and costumer took Joey and me to a couple of resale shops in Conroe, Texas. The two ladies would grab women’s clothing off the racks and bring them to us try on. The lady running the store was very confused until we explained what we were doing. She became very enthusiastic and actually was sitting on the front row on opening night.

As a side note, I went to another women’s resale shop on my own. I explained my needs to the two employees and they started pulling items for me to try on. One customer also got into the act. I bought two dresses. My favorite of the two was vetoed by the director because she said the color would get lost in our set colors. The other she loved and I wore it as Bertha in the show.

I went back to this shop later to thank them for their help and to ask if I could put a poster advertising the show in their window. The owner was there and asked “Is that the show where men dress as women?” I affirmed that it was. She told me she would not put a poster in the window and that I was not welcomed in her store. As I was leaving, one of the ladies that had helped me a couple of weeks earlier quietly informed me that she already had tickets. I suppose you can’t win ‘em all.

Our wardrobes were coming together, but we still did not have everything. It turns out that Joey and I have the same petite shoe size. It is all but impossible to find used women’s shoes in a size 11 at the resale shops. I knew I had more than enough styles for both of us in my Imelda Marcus closet but showing my supply would involve telling the costumer about Jeanette.

The costumer is a lovely woman. She is also the person who plays piano every Sunday in the church her father pastors. Her denomination is not known for being liberal when it comes to transgender people. She is also a wonderful singer and actress. She and I had shared a stage in my very first performance a few years earlier (Sanders Family Christmas). I should add in that first show, my hair was well past my shoulders. We tried having me wear a man’s wig over my long hair, but the director said it looked like I was wearing a huge hair helmet.

So I had my reservations about letting her in on the secret that was already known by the director and the other actor. However, I could not see spending a lot of money on shoes when they could be had for free. I told her and her reply was “I suspected.”

We then had a great time going through my closets picking out shoes, some more clothes and several wigs I owned (my long hair had been cut back a bunch so I would be more appealing to more directors during auditions). We still had to buy several wigs, but we still were way under budget.
She and I already had a good relationship, but it became much more substantial after confiding in her. She asked me to play guitar and sing as Conway Twitty to her Loretta Lynn over the next couple of years in charity shows. We always share a hug whenever we meet.

Greater Tuna turned out to be a tremendous success. Two different theatre critics praised my acting noting how naturally I moved about the stage wearing heels and how authentic my female voices were (thanks to a couple of years of voice feminization lessons years ago). The show set records for revenue for the theatre and was chosen the Show of the Year at the end of the season’s Award Show.
Theatre patrons still kid me when they see me. I have been told that I have the best pair of legs they have ever seen on the Conroe, Texas Owen Theatre stage. Others tease that I should have auditioned for some leading lady role in a show. It is always in good fun.

Greater Tuna was so well received by the audiences that we did another version of the good people of Tuna and their lives during the Fourth of July celebrations (Red, White, and Tuna) a couple of years later.

So there you have it. I asked a talented director to help me stage a show and it resulted in me getting cast in Greater Tuna and she and her husband becoming two of my closest friends. Despite my fear, I performed in front of 200 people at the Pridescape Show and received nothing but love from the members attending. I told a costumer about Jeanette and our cordial relationship became a true friendship.

Many folks do not have the freedom I possess. My family knows and I owned a business where I had employment security. All I can say is I have made the best friends by being honest. I don’t tell everyone, but I suppose I am a good judge of character or very, very lucky so far.

I began thinking as I was writing this story that seven of my closest friends would not even be in my life had I not been honest about who I am. And these are all people outside of the large LGBTQ umbrella. Not a week goes by that I don’t speak to at least a couple of them. It made me realize just how lucky I am.

Wearing DressBarn

Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell femulating in the 1997 film Good Burger.

I’m Back

There were no new posts here since Thursday because I was otherwise occupied.

My ham radio organization sponsors an annual conference that usually attracts 100 to 125 attendees. This year, Charlotte, North Carolina was the site for the conference, but we cancelled it due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead, we did the conference online using Zoom Webinar. The conference was on Friday and Saturday and was very successful attracting nearly 300 attendees and generating kudos galore. But it involved a lot of hard work.

When we do an in-person conference, we hire a hotel as the venue and they do a lot of the heavy-lifting. In our do-it-yourself online conference, “we” had to do all the heavy-lifting, “we” being the ten officers and directors of the organization.

I spent Thursday through Sunday creating email and webpage announcements concerning the conference and Saturday, I was a moderator for the conference presentations. Needless to say, I had little time to devote to this blog except to moderate any comments that you all posted.

By the way, I presented as a woman from head to toe throughout the conference despite the fact that I was only visible online from the chest and up.

It was a long weekend and after doing some post-conference work Sunday morning, I crashed in front of the television watching the Patriots and old movies! But I'm back today and so it goes.

Wearing Boston Proper

Alan Manson and fellow femulators in the 1943 film This is the Army
You can view the film in its entirety on YouTube.