X-Mas Tree
Holiday Photo Album
Tennessee Vals
6th Anniversary/Holiday Party
December 12, 1998 

Welcome address from Jennileigh Bonnie entertains
Keynote speaker Dallas Denny Michelle tickles the Ivories
Julie receives the "I've Busted Down the Closet Door" Award.  Rebecca, Jamie and Terry 
Cind-o and Jenn-o Anne and Amy.  Wake up, Anne!
Marisa and Julie

1998 Holiday/Anniversary Banquet Speech

By Jennileigh Love

Here we are again. Another year has come and gone and the Vals are still going strong. 1998 brought quite a few remarkable accomplishments for the Tennessee Vals.

We have continued to have high attendance at meetings averaging around 35-40 people. Our group therapy meetings, led by Dr. Terry Edwards, have been consistently well attended. We continue to do outreach both in Nashville, greater Tennessee and the mid-South. Our webpage is still consistently receiving 200 hits a day. Our phone line, mailbox and email address are constantly getting requests for information and referrals.

Our group has continued to be involved in the local community, contributing to various charitable groups. We supported the local billboard that was put up by PFLAG. We donated money for tornado relief efforts in East Nashville. We have supported The Center for Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Transgendered Life in Nashville and participated in the Room in the Inn program feeding Nashville's homeless population in winter months. We were also present at the AIDS walk and the vigil for Matthew Shephard in Centennial Park.

The Vals have also continued to educate the local community about who transgendered people are and the issues we face. Representatives have spoken at the Metro Police Department, Vanderbilt University and at The Tennessean. A huge accomplishment this year was the article about us that appeared on the front page of The Tennessean.

Members of our group do not limit themselves to local community affairs. Several of our members attend the 3rd Annual Transgender Lobby Days in Washington DC. Many of us were among the 500 people that attended Southern Comfort in Atlanta this year. One member in particular lived and breathed Southern Comfort most of the year. Also, IFGE (the International Foundation for Gender Education) awarded their March 1999 convention to the city of Louisville, and several of our members will be instrumental in pulling it all together.

It may seem we do a lot of work, but the group has had its share of fun. Our group members attended The Center's Midwinter's Night Fundraiser, Nashville CARES Night in White, and the Pride Ball. We've been spotted onstage at the Connection and the Chute, at basketball games, hockey games and a rock concert or two. We've spread ourselves from Utah to Toronto, Canada to Washington DC, and even to remote hinterlands like Indianapolis. And as always, we've made sure the local barstools stay warm.

Yes, 1998 will always be a memorable year in the Vals history. What does the future hold? Who knows, but after a year in which Jessie Ventura, a man who used to proudly wear pink feather boas, was be elected Governor of Minnesota, I think anything can happen. Thank you!

Christmas Humor at the Banquet

By Bonnie Brown

Top Ten Ways Santa Knows He's Visiting a Transgendered Home

10. Stockings hung by chimney with care.
9. Christmas list strongly resembles Victoria's Secret catalogue
8. Half-filled beer mug on table has lipstick traces
7. Present he pulls from sack is anatomically correct "Hermaphrodite Barbie"
6. Sexy High Heels on floor - Size 14 Triple E
5. That heavy aroma of perfume and flatulence
4. TV Guide on coffee table does not contain television listings
3. Insert your own RuPaul joke here
2. Note attached to milk and cookies contains fashion tips to pass along to Mrs. Claus
1. Angel on top of Christmas tree has five'o'clock shadow

Top Ten Ways To Tell Santa is Transgendered

10. Stockings hung by chimne wih care are missing in the morning
9. Rudolf's red nose is mostly rouge
8. Prefers to make the cookies himself.
7. His bosom shakes like a bowl full of jelly
6. Christmas Carol is actually the name of his drag mom
5. Black vinyl belt perfectly matches black vinyl boots.
4. Holds sleigh reinds with pinkies up
3. Bag over shoulder has "Versace" logo
2. Mr. and Mrs. Claus never photographed together
1. Loves to dress in all red!


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