The BluegrassBelleViewCyberNEWSLETTER OF THE BLUEGRASS BELLES |
|
FEBRUARY 1997 | PO BOX 20173, LOUISVILLE, KY. 40250 |
The Bluegrass Belles are a new group, having met twice, on December 21, 1996, and January 18, 1997. The Belles are an open group, welcoming all those who consider themselves transgendered, from the weekend crossdresser to the person living full time MtF or FtM. Significant others, family members, and friends are invited to join us and will always be welcome. Our emplasis is on having fun, becoming better at dressing and fashion sense, showing class and style, and helping each other deal with life's daily struggles.
We have many plans for the year to come. The Belles intend and expect to attend both the Be-All in Chicago, as well as Southern Comfort in Atlanta. It is our intention to build bridges to the other TG groups in the region by visiting them, working with them on projects that will benefit the entire TG community, and by hosting visitors from any TG group. We also want to build friendly relations with the gay/lesbian/bi community, and will help as needed and requested with their projects. Political involvement is also a priority; we plan to participate in lobbying activities and hearings on subjects of interest to the community.
We cannot say it enough: The Bluegrass Belles will have fun!
With No Apologies...
As we start this new year, I am very hopeful and prayerful that this group will surpass all expectations and goals. I was recently reminded of how mean spirited some people can be when they feel threatened.
The reminder came as I was preparing for my 3rd trip to Washington, DC. As a member of Transsexual Menace, I decided to call the leaders of other groups to get their support. Although I was met with some resistence, over all I got many warm fuzzies , except for when I called Louisville Gender Society. Although I didn't exactly get a great reception, what I did get was eye opening! When I spoke to the leadership they were more concerned about our group rather than the issues at hand. One person even told me that I was not a TS because I associated too much with crossdressers! It was one of the most self centered attacks I have ever heard. I mean, I take hormones, workout, run a company and sit on two community boards, all as a woman!
Needless to say, I was shocked! I work a 54 hour week as a woman 24/7. I have had to endure the sexist attitudes of men with testosterone poisoning and catty female comments jobs or in my company. What does the mean? Why was I attacked? Why was the group attacked? One word: Fear. FDR once said " The only thing we have to fear is fear itself, that nameless arbitor of prejudice, envy and strife." He was right.
It is only fear that makes us hide in a closet , afraid to go out, afraid to be ourselves and live life. The purpose of the Belles is to eliminate those fear with events, shopping trips, parties, demonstrations and shows. Our group is a release from all the pressure felt from society.
The Louisville Gender Society is not our enemy, but our friends. It is my personal goal to help them rebuild so we can alternate meetings. But if that is not possible, their members are invited to join us and have fun. LEAVE FEAR TO THE FEARMONGERS!
Liberty, Sorority, Accessory
Donna Delbert - The TG Magician Who Fooled The World
She appeared on the British theatrical circuit soon after
World War II ended. "America's Outstanding lady magician and
the Only Lady Fire-Eater in the World" was her billing, and
the agents signed her at once. Audiences flocked to watch this
sultry American woman breathe fire, conjure the cards, and snuff
out candles with a flick of a whip. Rumored to be the widow of a
British soldier killed on DDay, Donna Delbert was one of the
stars of the English music hall until one day in 1949 whne the
sultry Donna was revealed to be the AWOL private Delbert Hill and
arrested for desertion from the United States Air Force.
Serving in the USAF Special Services as an entertainer, Hill was
a considerable success performing his magic act for the troops
stationed in England, arriving there in 1942. In 1944, Hill
finished his act despite being in the midst of an air raid,
conrtinuing to entertain as a fellow soldier burst from the wings
and and jammed a helmet down on his head! This heroic performance
earned him the honor of performing for the Queen Mother on the
Fourth of July.
However, as the war ended in Europe, the USAF bureaucracy took
him out of special services and reassigned him duties as, of all
things, an on base latrine orderly! Hill immediately collected a
paycheck, got drunk, and vanished from the base. Soon after this,
Donna Delbert and her amazing feats appeared, long dark hair
framing a sultry smile in promotional photos. In an age when the
ideal female form ran slightly to the plump, Donna's build was
perfect, and no one suspected Donna of being a male, not even one
of her female assistants who worked for Donna for over a year.
Like all performers, Donna had her periods of unemployment, but
the unflappable Delbert simply took a job as a tobacco packer in
a factory, working side by side with unsuspecting female
coworkers. Her un-interest in dating led to rumors of lesbianism,
which worked fine when Donna moved in with another theatre girl,
Betty. Betty learned about Donna's secret, which didn't seem to
faze the English lady at all. They became lovers and lived
together for some time. Unfortunately, Donna became attracted to
another woman named Edna, and this was the downfall for Donna
Delbert in England.
One spring night in 1949, Donna was eating a late dinner at her
boarding house in Newcastle-upon- Tyne, when a police inspector
came in and informed Donna that he believe she was a fugitive.
Betty had informed upon Delbert to the authorities. A search of
Donna's purse revealed Delbert Hill's pass card, and several
hours later Donna confessed to being the AWOL soldier at the
police station. At which point, the USAF sentenced Delbert to two
years hard labor at a British prison. Proving to be as cool under
fierce questioning by tabloid reporters as he was under fire from
German bombers, Delbert answered with these words the question of
what he would miss most in prison: "My corset.I can do
without my high-heeled shoes, but when you wear a corset for
almost four years, you get kind of used to it. That's why I'm
looking fat today".
Delbert survived his prison time with seeming ease, performing his acts in the prison theatre. Upon his release, he returned to the United States, where he once again hit the performing circuit, this time the innumerable Lions, Elks, Moose lodges, retirement communities, even a show at a New Jersey mental home! Sometimes he billed himself as Colonel Don Q, an Old Western-esque showman. Other times he performed as Donna Delbert, the Celebrated English Magician and Fire- Eater. Philadelphia became his base of operations, where he made many friends both in and out of show business.
On January 10, 1991, Donna Delbert Hill died at the age of 77 in an apartment surrounded by rthe memorabilia of a remarkeable life - photographs, magic paraphenalia, show posters, and the closet full of Donna's clothes. Aside from Donna's greatest illusion - fooling both close friends and the general public for over four years, perhaps the most marvelous thing about Donna Delbert/Delbert Hill was the incredible friendship so many people had for her/him. Many English theatre compatriots wrote Delbert in prison, praising Donna for fooling them and encouraging Donna to visit them again. The two volunteer hospital workers who cared for Delbert in the last years of his life recall him being independent, cheerful, and always friendly. Finally, another magician recalled that you never really knew if you were going to meet Delbert as a man or a woman, but summed up Donna in the best way possible, and that was "classy"
Excerpted from THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE, April 24, 1994
Jamie Wesson
"Head over heels, where should I go?
Can't stop myself, outta control
Head over heels, no time to think,
Looks like the whole world's out of sync
"Head over "Heels" by C. Caffey & K. Valentine. Performed by the GoGos |
How badly do you want to start a transgender support group? What would you sacrifice to make it happen? Would you use some of your free time, take some risks? Yes. Would you sacrifice part of your right medial meniscus cartilage? I didn't think so.
Well, I know for certain the Bluegrass Belles are for real and will really happen, because I just returned from having part of that above-mentioned cartilage removed from my right knee. Now, don't misunderstand me. I don't regret it for a minute, and it really isn't a problem. Not even arthroscopic knee surgery has been able to wipe the grin off my face since December 21st, 1996. What happened is this: We piled en masse, en femme, into my trusty Taurus, and parked as close to the Lexington Bar Complex as possible. Unfortunately, Barney Miller's appliance store frowns on Fords full of trannies parking behind its store after closing. After being advised of this at the door, Dawn and I hustled out to move the car. In the process of running in 2 1/2" heels, I hit a slick spot and went down, losing my hair and suffering the above-mentioned injury. Outta sync indeed! I got myself back together, touched up, and limped into the Complex and back into the game. You've gotta play hurt sometimes! Later in the night, after closing the Complex (but not before the 5 of us were singing Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" along with the drag performers) we arrived at Club 141. Club 141 is a dance club; I'm not John Travolta by any means; I have decent hand/eye coordination, but my legs don't follow suit. Besides, I really didn't know the songs being played, not being a devotee of techno/house music.
Bad knee and all, I went back into the game and gave it the old college try. To my surprise, the DJ played an old favorite at this point that summed up the night very neatly for me: The GoGo's "Head over Heels". I found a delicious irony in this, in light of what I'd done to myself earlier. I wouldn't have missed any part of the evening for the world. To paraphrase Barry Goldwater, extremism in having a transgendered good time is no vice, and moderation in pursuit of moving ones car from a no-parking zone while wearing heels is certainly advisable!
Music affects me differently than most people. I draw events together by a song playing at the time of the event, and I find musical parallels and applicable lyrics to nearly all of life's situations. I find it encouraging that this group of 5 people of widely varying backgrounds, belief systems, lifestyles, talents, and means found almost instant common ground. That's something I've found to be true about the transgendered community; no matter our differences, we share a special gift, and that seems to bring us all together. I've visited and joined a couple other groups since coming out, and the harmony that occured that night between the 5 of us exists with our sisters in Nashville and Cincinnati as well. Marjorie and Dawn have relations with the Louisville girls as well, and hopefully this year's traveling will cause the Belles to develop sorority with others. We may all play different notes on different instruments, but the result can be a harmonic blending that works to warm the soul much as CSNY's does. I think we all heard the great 5 part harmony that night. I hope it's at least 10-15 part harmony very soon, and beyond that. If you're thinking about coming to a meeting, or on the fence, come join in, there's a part for you to sing, too, and you don't have to be able to read the sheet music, we'll hum the tune for you!
On a much more serious note, the ICTLEP Transgender Lobbying Days are coming up on February 23-25 in Washington, DC. Dawn has a lot of experience in political action, including time spent in the employ of Senator McConnell. I studied Political Science at the University of Louisville (please don't hold it against me, you UK fans, I root for your 'Cats, too!), but you don't have to have any particular body of political experience to make your voice heard. The fact is, our elected officials and their offices want and need to hear from citizens like ourselves. We make the assumption that the people we elect know what we want, or are operating to implement their own agenda. That may be true in some cases, but for the most part, they really want to know what we think. We transgendered people aren't looking for money; rather, we're asking for some practical protection from those few employers and landlords who aren't enlightened yet and believe us to be second-class citizens. I encourage those of you who can to join me in this chance to make a show of strength in Washington in February. We can do anything, together we have the power!
Anne Casebeer
"Reaching Out" is a chronicle of our efforts as a group to help transgendered people in Kentucky find out about us. If you make contact with a transgendered person, related group, or organization, please let me know, and we'll note it here. We are also open to suggestions as to how better to get out the word to those still in the closet. Every Belle is responsible for outreach!
UK Lambda and U of L Common Ground met separately on
Thursday, January 23. We, as a group, have made contact with both
groups, let them know that we exist, and intend to keep in touch.
There are transgendered students on each of these campuses, and
we have made ourselves available to both of these groups to
assist in any way possible.
We are now listed under "support groups" in the
Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO), and my pager has taken
several calls from this source. I have sent out 5 information
letters as a result of this.
We are listed under "groups" in "The Letter", which is the Kentucky GLBT newspaper, and are on the editor's Emailing/press release list.
The Belles are listed in TG Forum's main list, and our friends at Cross-Port in Cincinnati, the Tennessee Vals, and Crystal Club in Columbus, OH. have noted us in their group listings. Thanks, we appreciate your help and support more than you would ever know.
________________________________________________
"The Belleview" is the monthly publication of the Bluegrass Belles TG Support Group. We welcome questions, contributions, $$$money, and you!. Contact us at PO Box 20173, Louisville, KY. 40250, or Email the Newsletter Editor (Anne Casebeer)
We're in cyberspace:
Back to Main Page