Saturday evening, the 20th of February,
Innvestments 7th annual Valentine Party was held at the
XXXXXX Inn in Hyannis. The banquet room was all decorated in a
Valentine motif and forty-three girls, many with superb red party
dresses, had been arriving since noon.
Liz started the evening with a few announcements and Candy gave
the invocation. Liz announced that Sara and Beth had gotten engaged
then Candy announced that it was Liz's birthday and soon had the
entire group singing "Happy Birthday".
After the meal, ample food for all, the annual red dress contest
got under way. Each gal in red got up and strutted their stuff
for the group while the XXXXXX Inn staff acted as the judges.
Every dress imaginable, from flounce satin, to crushed velvet,
to light chiffon, to sweater and skirt sets and from brilliant
scarlet to fawn pink was on display. And with Denise S., as last
year's Queen passing the grand prize, the winner "Maggie
Jones" was announce. The prize was again the coveted Barbie
Doll dressed in red velvet.
To the strains of "Diamond's Are A Girl's Best Friend,"
the entertainer for the evening, Marilyn Monroe came through the
door. In a sight reminiscent of Marilyn's famous white blowing
dress scene, Marilyn performed and sang on stage. In Marilyn's
second act, she wore a fancy red dress that everyone said they
would die for and performed a duet with Jane Russell. After the
performances she mingled with the group. It was only then that
some of the girls finally realized the Marilyn was a GG and not
an FI. We want to thank "Karen" for a neat job well
done!
Between acts, heart shaped candy boxes were raffled off. After
the show, most everyone went to the Mallory Dock/Club 477 for
dancing. As usual Rachia and Candy worked the registration desk
in the lobby and Catherine (formerly Robyn R.-who now has a new
name and a bright future) worked the sound system.
YOUR INNVESTMENT is a publication of Innvestments, P.O.
Box 2194, Orleans, MA.02653-2194 / P.O. Box 354, Sagamore, MA
02561-0354. Innvestments is a non-sexual service organization
founded to support and to provide a socially acceptable outlet
for the crossdressing, transvestite, transsexual, transgendered
community located primarily in Southeastern Massachusetts, Cape
Cod and the Islands. All rights reserved. Permission to reprint
any article in Your Innvestment is hereby granted to non-profit
similar organizations provided that publication and authorship
credit be given. Any commercial use of Your Innvestment material
is hereby prohibited. Some material may have previously appeared
in print. Publication and authorship rights of material reprinted
from other sources remain with its originator. The editor/s of
Your Innvestment are not under any obligation to accept
information and advertisements. Information and advertisements
may be published in any form deemed acceptable. Any information
about services, products or sympathetic locations published in
Your Innvestment is not considered an endorsement of such
by the staff of Your Innvestment or the Board of Directors
of Innvestments. Innvestments is also know in open source
publications on Cape Cod and the Islands as Cape Cod Cross
Dressers (Triple C-D).
Liz W..................................President
Julie W...........................Vice President
Brenda L...............................Treasurer - E-Mail Brrendaa@aol.com
Candy Scott........... .....................Board
- E-Mail Candyscott@capecod.net
Judy Thompson...............................Board
Membership (including newsletter) is $30.00 per-year (pro-rated
after Jan.) with a $15.00 meeting fee. Meeting fees payable only
for those attended. Subscription only rates are $10.00 per-year.
The following is an article from the
20 November 1998 issued of the Washington Blade online which has
significant relevance to some transgendered employees being harassed
by police departments. Those with computer access may find the
Blade helpful. You can find it at www.washblade.com. It is posted
on Fridays, though sometimes late.
In a significant move, the U.S. Justice Department announced last
week that it will use existing federal civil rights laws to take
legal action against businesses and state and local governments
that engage in employment discrimination against gay and transgendered
persons.
"This reflects a significant response on the part of the
Justice Department generally to seriously apply existing laws
in ways that can remedy current injustices against gay people
and gender-non-conforming people," said lesbian-activist
attorney Chai Feidblum, who heads a legislative clinic a Georgetown
University Law School. Feidblum said the Justice Department's
response was prompted by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions,
such as one in a case involving same-sex sexual harassment, and
that "the actual impact of this change will depend on the
results we get in court."
Justice Department official Aaron Schuham said DOJ believes that
existing U.S. civil rights statutes that explicitly ban discrimination
based on sex can be applied to cases of anti-gay discrimination
in a number of circumstances.
Schuham, an attorney with DOJ's civil rights division, said high-level
DOJ officials, including Attorney General Janet Reno and Assistant
Attorney General for Civil Rights Bill Lann Lee, approved the
DOJ "initiative" to take on such cases, even though
no federal civil rights law explicitly bans discrimination based
on sexual orientation.
Helen Norton, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights
emphasized, in an interview with the Blade, that the DOJ efforts
described by Schuham cannot be used to assist gays or transgendered
people who suffer discrimination based solely on their sexual
orientation.
"Civil rights laws don't cover gays," [except in RI
and a handful of other states] she said. "But all Americans
are entitled to protection under existing laws that cover them.
If a gay [or transgendered] person is discriminated against for
some reason other than their sexual orientation." such as
gender no-conformity which could be considered a form of sex discrimination,
DOJ "may be able to go after that."
Feldblum, who praised the DOJ for adopting the policy, said it
could have the effect of providing more protection for the segment
of the gay community that most often faces discrimination - women
who are perceived to be masculine and men who are perceived to
effeminate.
"There's more protection for gay men, lesbians, and transgender
folks who are non-conforming to gender stereotypes," said
Feldblum, a professor of law at Georgetown.
Schuham announced the new DOJ policy on Nov. 14, while speaking
on a panel at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Creating
Change conference in Pittsburgh, PA. More that 1,800 people attended
the conference.
Schuham said Lee put the policy into place "several months
ago," although neither Lee nor the DOJ formally announced
the change.
"It's a very serious commitment that has been directed by
everyone from Janet Reno all the way down," Schuham said.
"We can really bring our resources to bear on this."
"We intend to work on cases ... (where) an employee fails
to hire you, promote you, or fires you or retaliates against you
because you don't live up to the employer's expectation of what
a male
employee should act like, or how he
should hold himself out," Schuham said. He said the department
will take similar action against an employer that discriminates
against a female because she doesn't conform to "sex stereotyping."
Schuham said DOJ plans to apply the gender stereotyping strategy
to a number of other instances where gays and transgendered persons
commonly face discrimination or harassment. Among them, he said,
are anti-gay harassment of students in public schools and anti-gay
discrimination or harassment in prisons. He said DOJ will also
consider taking action against local police departments that fail
to provide adequate protection for gay and trans-gendered people.
Schuham said that under standard procedures for enforcing civil
rights laws, the Justice Department has authority to force employers
to end discriminatory practices through civil litigation. He said
the department represents the person or persons facing discrimination
in such civil litigation free of charge.
Schuham said anyone with information about possible gay or transgender-related
discrimination at the workplace can reach him at (202) 514-3878.
Feldblum said the adoption of the Justice Department policy follows
several years of discussion on the matter between gay civil rights
attorneys and Justice Department officials. Feldblum said groups
such as the transgender organization Gender PAC and the legal
groups of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the American
Civil Liberties Union, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights
have worked on the effort over the past year.
"This is an excellent step forward," Feldblum said.
However, Feldblum said this policy should not be considered a
substitute for a national gay civil rights law, which Congress
has so far declined to pass.
Lambda's managing attorney Beatrice Dohrn echoed Feldblum's assessment,
characterizing the DOJ action "a very sound interpretation"
and "application" of existing laws.
Dohrn said Justice Department officials have indicated they will
use Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX
of the U.S. Civil rights Act Amendments of 1972 as part of their
arsenal of laws to crack down on sex discrimination against gay
people. Title VII bans discrimination in employment, and Title
IX bans sexual harassment at the work place.
Dohrn said the DOJ is also expected to use provisions in the U.S.
Constitution which the Supreme Court has held to ban local, state,
and federal government entities from engaging in discrimination
based on the same categories as Titles VII and IX. She said the
DOJ is expected to buttress its lineage of sexual orientation
discrimination and sex discrimination by invoking the 1997 Supreme
Court decisions in Oncale v. Sundowner. That decision established
that same-sex sexual harassment is illegal under existing law.
in addition, Dohrn said, the DOJ is expected to use the 1989 Supreme
Court ruling of Hopkins v. Price Waterhouse, which established
that gender role discrimination and gender stereotyping is covered
under Title VII as a form of sex discrimination.
Dohrn noted that the plaintiff in the Hopkins case was a woman
who was denied a partnership in the Price Waterhouse accounting
firm because her superiors believed she dressed and acted in a
way that was inappropriate for a woman. the woman's sexual orientation
was not identified in the case and did not become an over issue.
"No one said she was a lesbian," said Dohrn. "But
they accused her of having traits not characteristic of a woman
and said that was inappropriate for her work."
"We believe this is well grounded in case law," Priesling
{Dana Priesling of Gender PAC) said. "We believe they clearly
have the authority to do this."
CANDY'S
CUPBOARD
_ There was an all points
bulletin issued this week for one of our very own...Denise S.
She was wanted for questioning for being in possession of (wearing)
stolen property at/to the Valentine Party. It seems that during
Tiffany Club's First Event in January, Denise went to leave...and
found that her car had been stolen from the underground garage.
If you know Denise, you know that the car wasn't worth much if
anything at all...but that fabulous red dress that she owned (along
with several other items of clothing) were all in the car when
it was stolen. After settling her claim and getting another car,
she received a phone call from the police in Salem, NH. Her car
had been located 3 weeks prior, but they had neglected to inform
her. She drove up, took the clothes from the car and then left
it in lieu of paying towing charges. She then wore the red dress
to the party (evidently, the dress did not fit whoever stole the
car because the dress was the only thing of value). After winning
the best red dress contest on two separate occasions with that
same dress, no one was going to let her win again. (Stolen:
Hmmmmm).
_ We ask that everyone please keep two of our folks in their
special prayers. Charlynn from Eastham and Joanna from Brewster
are both experiencing serious medical problems. We want them to
know that we are here for them should they require any assistance.
_ We also want Vaunessa Vale to know that we are still
all hanging in there for her as well. We have heard recently that
she is doing better. She is still in Pennsylvania at her family
residence. Hang tough girl. You are also in our prayers.
_ Thursday, February 26th thru Sunday, February 29th at
the Boston Park Plaza a transgendered writing conference will
take place, writers, booksellers, agents, readers, critics, etc.,
will gather to socialize, kibitz, etc., etc.
_ The Transgender Education Network (TEN) at JRI Health will
host the first annual Transgender Film Festival at the Coolidge
Corner Theater, May 18th, 19th and 20th. The Festival will entail
3-days of films with transgender subjects, and is open to the
public. It's Time Massachusetts (ITMA) (a transgender political
action organization striving to changing laws concerning the TG
community) is co-sponsoring this event. There should be some good
films at this event. Perhaps we can sponsor a film viewing night
out on the town. Keep it in mind.
_ In case you hadn't heard, Nancy Cain is now the new Executive
Director of IFGE. Congratulations. As Director of Operations,
Nancy Cain had already been carrying the load since Nancy Nangeroni
left the Executive Director position.
_ Innvestments under OIGS sponsorship has put in
for a grant in order to conduct a transgender health and wellness
conference for medical and health care professionals on Cape Cod.
We will keep you informed on our progress.
_ Did you hear the story about Dawn R.? She was all dressed
up except for her hair and ready to go out when her next door
neighbor came by just to chat. Upon seeing Dawn, next door neighbor
did not bat an eyelash but just sat down and chatted away. As
he was getting ready to leave he looked down at Dawn's high spike
heels and commented that they must be terrible to walk in. Dawn
just agreed and her neighbor left. Dawn just shook her shoulders
and said "Hey, what can you do!" and then went out for
the evening with Terry. As far as I know, the neighbor has yet
to say anything to Dawn about finding her dressed (sans hair)
and ready to go out.
_ Thought for the day: "It is the tragedy of the world
that no person knows what they do not know - and the less a person
knows, the more sure they are that they know everything."
- Paraphrased from English author Joyce Carry (1888-1957).
Fashion comes and goes, but "style"
is eternal! All the top designers agree that it's style that makes
the woman. But how do you create your own personal style on a
limited budget? Accessories! Accessorizing is an easy, inexpensive
way to create many different looks. A few accessory changes here
and there can change the look of an outfit and double or triple
its use.
Accessories are an integral part of every wardrobe. They're fun,
creative and reflect your personality without having to spend
a fortune. Accessories can focus attention where you want it and
redirect the eye away from trouble spots.
Proportion is one of the key elements in choosing the right accessories.
Full figured women should wear accessories that are scaled up
in size, but not so much so that the accessory is all anyone notices
Accessories need to be balanced. No one accessory should be so
big or bold to detract from your total look. Keep it simple.
Shoes are the most accurate index of taste. The most elegant and
costly of outfits can be instantly cheapened by poorly cared for
shoes. Don't scrimp on your shoes. Straps across the instep or
around the ankle make the leg look shorter and larger. A low heel
is best with pants and a 1 ½ - 2 inch heel is best with
skirts. If you wear open-toed shoes, make sure your feet are well
groomed.
When it comes to purses, think quality over quantity. Make certain
that you choose a handbag that suits your needs and your size.
A purse that's too small makes a woman look bigger. Pay close
attention to where the bag hits you; that where you'll direct
the viewer's focus. Your purse and shoes don't have to match but
they should blend.
Scarves are a great way to brighten up or tone down an outfit.
A colorful scarf at the neckline can make that not too flattering
top you bought look great. Fabrics like chiffon are light and
easy to work with, and larger scarves tend to be more effective
and versatile.
Not all bodies are created equal when it comes to belts. In general,
a belt looks best on a body that has a defined waistline. Since
belts create a strong horizontal line across the body, it's best
to chose a belt that's the same color as the outfit you are wearing.
Hats give a person presence and stand out as a signature piece.
The key to wearing a hat is to wear it with confidence. The shape
of your hat should compliment the shape of your body and face.
Plus size women should be wary of high crowns and large brims
can overpower shorter women. The taller you are, the wider the
brim can be but never wider than your shoulders. Always look in
a full length mirror to judge the proportion of the hat to your
body size. Hats command attention, so as someone aptly stated,
"If you're not in the mood for comments, you're not in the
mood for a hat."
(Continued on next page)
Gloves are a necessary item if you
live in a cold climate. Look for silk or cashmere gloves to keep
you warm. Coordinate your gloves with your winter coat.
The conservative rule for hosiery is to wear sheer hosiery in
a neutral tone that make your legs look slightly tan. Black skirts
look great with black hose, and color hose can be a fabulous look
if the match is correct. An incorrect color match is a NAGLE (not
a good look). White and patterned hose tend to make the leg look
larger. The dressier the shoe, the more sheer the hose. The sportier
the shoe, the more opaque the hose. For a taller look, match your
hose and shoes to the bottom of your hem.
More than any other accessory jewelry expresses your personality.
There's no better way to conceal figure flaws. Jewelry can draw
attention to or from body areas and dress an outfit up or down.
It doesn't need to be real, but it does need to have impact. Those
small, genuine pieces may possess sentimental value but they don't
create impact. Earrings are the most important accessory that
you can buy. When buying earrings consider the size of your earlobe,
and the length of your neck. If you can only afford one pair of
earrings, a pearly and gold button or oval style are the most
versatile. A pin brings the focus to the face without visually
cutting off the body. It adds pizzazz without a lot of hassle
and should be worn high on the shoulder. Necklaces can be great
if you choose the right length. For understated elegance, pearls
are a must! If you have a double chin or a short neck, stay away
from chokers. And if you're well-endowed, choose necklaces that
stop above the cleavage. Choose rings as an accessory if your
nails are well groomed. Nails can even become an accessory if
they are painted. The fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld said, "The
nineties are about doing what you want to do." Accessorizing
is a simple, easy, fun way to do just that._
If you have a yellow address label
attached to the front of the envelope in which you receive this
newsletter, this will be your last newsletter.
In our changeover from the XXXXXXX Inn to the XXXXXXX Inn we had
an increase in expenses. There was also an increase in printing
costs as well as an increase in postage rates. All in all, our
costs have increased.
Also this year we went into the low portion of the curve as far
as our membership is concerned. It seems that every 3 to 4 years
we lose a group of our members who move on to other pursuits.
They are generally replaced by a new group, but it takes a year
or two to build back up to where we were when folks moved on.
Over time we had increased our membership to 52 individuals. We
then dropped down to 32 members and then start to build back up
again. This season is our down time where we are back to 32 members.
With our increased expenses, and without at least a 50 member
base, we have a hard time maintaining our member services and
programs. Additionally, both of our parties this winter (Christmas
and Valentine's Day) went into arrears. Consequently we have had
to review our expenses and cut costs accordingly.
We do not want to loose you. Our membership rate is still $30.00
per year which includes the newsletter (plus $15.00 for each regular
meeting attended). Our subscription only rate is still the lowest
of any group within the community, just $10.00 per year. We urge
you to rejoin and/or re-subscribe before we have to increase our
newsletter prices. We also have had to cut our complimentary copies.
If you receive a complimentary copy (it is annotated with (CMP)
on the label) we ask that you consider supporting us by subscribing
to our newsletter. Thank you!
I have a new hero. I used to worship
the Pillsbury Doughboy -- you know that cute, chubby, hot from
the oven little guy -- but then it occurred to me that it's not
quite normal to idolize someone who, if he were baked into a gooey
cinnamon bun and frosted, I'd seriously consider eating. So my
new hero is an inventor by the name of Robert D. Shomo.
Please understand that I normally don't pay much attention to
inventors. After all, they never seem to create any thing that
really makes my life any easier. You know, like a microwave oven
that can also make the beds, fold the laundry, walk the dog, prepare
dinner, pay the bills and periodically remind the kids that your
mother is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. But Mr. Shomo
has my undivided attention because he's currently trying to perfect
what he calls "waist less panty hose."
Mind you, I'm not exactly sure what waist less panty hose are,
but I'm more than willing to bet they're a whole lot better than
panty hose with waists. In fact, I'm convinced that just
about anything would be an improvement. With the possible exception
of those faded blue jeans that I can zip up only with the assistance
of my husband's power tools, there's no article of clothing I
hate more than panty hose.
For starters, there's absolutely, positively, no graceful way
to put them on. You have to tug, yank, squat, pull and do a good
dozen deep knee bends just to get the darn things over your ankles,
up your calves and thighs, and then over your rear. A word to
the wise: The panty hose struggle is one that your children are
better off not seeing. My kids once saw me struggling with mine
and immediately told their father to "call 911, Mommy is
in her room fighting some kind of scary monster."
And once you have your panty hose on, you're consumed with a single
thought: "Oh please, God! When can I take them off?"
That's because panty hose are just plain uncomfortable. After
just one hand washing, this infernal garment resembles a misshapen
Ping-Pong or golf ball that could easily fit into your change
purse. Now I ask you, how can anyone possibly expect this wadlike
piece of washed-up nylon to easily and comfortably stretch from
toes to knees to waist? Impossible!
When I finally am able to take off my panty hose (yes),
my decision looks like a relief map of all the major U.S. highways
and byways. One summer my husband actually mapped out our entire
family vacation directly on my wrinkled and indented stomach.
Not only do panty hose pretty much take away your ability to breathe
and think effectively, they often run in less time than it takes
the typical active toddler to destroy whatever room you just spent
the better part of the day cleaning.
Speaking of which, nylons always run at the most inopportune moments.
I remember one time, right before an important job interview,
I noticed a run the length of the Amazon River. Yikes! I didn't
have nail polish, hair spray, gum or anything else one might use
to contain an out-of-control run. All I could find was a really
old tube of SuperGlue.
The glue stopped the run just fine, thank you. Unfortunately,
once I returned home I had to call the paramedics--who had to
bring the Jaws of Life--to help me remove the dreaded hose.
Perhaps all of these horrible nightmares will be a distant memory
once Mr. Robert Shomo perfects his waist less panty hose. I sure
hope my hero hurries. I really need a new pair.
Carrie St. Michel writes a humor column for the "Los Angeles
Times".
Submitted by Dawn and Terry.
Isn't it the truth!!!