A Moment of PrideExclusive report for TGForum sponsored byLadyLike Magazine. Visit LadyLike in the TGF Mall Photos and text provided by Lydia's TV Fashions, Inc. |
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Most "historical moments" go unnoticed when they occur.
Such was the case on Sunday, June 23, 1996, when "parade entry #98", a colorfully decorated, flag and balloon festooned float sponsored by Lydia's T.V. Fashions, Inc., of Sherman Oaks, California, was waved across the starting line of the 26th annual Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade in Los Angeles. |
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Final assembly of the float took place at 6AM in the parking lot of a mall on Santa Monica Boulevard. Most of the volunteer crew had been up all night putting on the finishing touches of paint and flowers. | ||
Warmly greeted by the estimated 400,000 cheering spectators along the parade route, little attention was drawn to the fact that for the first time in the 26-year history of the parade, a float representing the transgender community had finally made an appearance at the event.
By far the largest unit in the parade, the float was over 58-feet long, 17-feet high and carried over 30 en femme members of the transgender community representing the entire spectrum of transgenderism; from the occasional "week-end crossdresser" to the full-time transvestite and transexual. | ||
Debra and Christy unfurl the Lydia's banner and take their position. They led the float through the festive crowd of 400,000 spectators that packed both sides of the 1.5 mile parade route. |
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While many female impersonators and drag queens have appeared in each of the past 25 annual Los Angeles parades, the Lydia's T.V. Fashion float marked for the first time an attempt to represent the overall Transgender Community, and carried enthusiastic volunteers from as far away as Seattle, San Francisco, San Bernardino, upstate New York, Illinois and Arizona. | ||
"Lady Diane," Miss Southern California Gender, 1996, waits for the parade to begin. She had the honor of riding the 7-foot tall pink high heel "throne," the focal point of the float. | ||
Featured on the float and seated on a 7-foot tall vibrant pink slipper was "Lady Diane", winner of the "1996 Miss Southern California Gender" pageant held last February during the "Hearts of Gender" celebration in Burbank. At her feet surrounding the slipper were twenty gender-gifted ladies dressed in the bright, primary national colors of as many different nations, representing the role Lydia's T.V. Fashions plays in spreading transgender pride around the world through its international internet marketing program. | ||
The popular female impersonators from the world-famous "Queen Mary" show lounge in Studio City, California. Their on-board performances brought the huge crowd to its feet as the float moved down the parade route. | ||
Also on board were the popular female impersonator "showgirls" from the Queen Mary who rocked the huge crowd with their exciting musical entertainment and dynamic physical impressions of Dianna Ross, Liza Minelli, Cindy Lauper and many other show-biz luminaries. Their rousing rendition of "I Will Survive" brought the huge throng to its feet in one continuous wave as the float moved along the parade route. So individually well done were the makeup, wardrobes and overall feminine presentations of the girls on board that much of the crowd was unaware that the float was staffed with guys! |
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To the thirty float participants, their debut into this major Los Ange]es event was a thrilling experience they will never forget. Any pre-parade jitters or anxieties had been quickly dashed by the enthusiastic and warm-hearted reception received from the cheering crowds along the entire 1-1/2 mile parade route.
As one "previously shy" lady said at the end of the parade route, "That was great! Let's go around and do it again!" Plans are already under way for next year's float, and all 30 of the riders have already volunteered to repeat. © 1996 by Lydia's TV Fashions, Inc. |