Every community has its share of
rehistorians; those who want to rewrite history after the fact and our
community is not spared. Faithful readers saw the announcement last August
for the Second National
Transgender Lobby Days sponsored by GPAC. But, floating around the community
recently is an announcement by Phyllis Frye (ICTLEP) of a "third"
national transgender lobby day. The only problem is this "third" event
takes place before the official GPAC event. Ms. Frye has
decided that a visit to Washington, D.C., in March 1995 made by herself and
two other transgendered people with two spouses constituted a "first"
national transgender lobby day. Consequently, the event that took place
last October must have been the "second," and an upcoming visit to D.C. by
Ms. Frye, therefore, is the "third" and, finally, the GPAC sponsored event,
since it is last temporally, must be the "fourth" transgender lobby day.
Now, I'm all for giving credit where credit is due, but that visit in March
1995 was no more a national event than is a regular meeting of a local
Renaissance chapter. The Renaissance
News & Views ran an extensive two-part article by Ms. Frye about
ICTLEP's 1995 activities in the January and February 1995 issues. There was
no mention of a "national" transgender lobby day. I am reminded of a
puzzle. Question: If you consider the tail as a leg, how many legs does a
dog have? Answer: Four -- because no matter what you say, a tail is
not a leg. So, let's be clear. The Second National Transgender Lobby
Days sponsored by GPAC will be held May 5-6, 1997. Any other event can call
itself anything it likes, but I know a tail from a leg.
Most people think the staff announcement last month from the
International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE) was the big
news I mentioned in September. That was only the beginning. There are more
changes to come in 1997. In particular looming large on the horizon is a
possible move. The lease on the IFGE building, the Great White Elephant, is
up next summer and the IFGE BoD has to decide very soon if it wants to move
into new digs or stay put and it's getting later every day. Either way,
it's going to cost them more money than they can rightfully afford. The old
lease has been the single largest drain on IFGE's revenue over the last
four years.
We've got two major meetings this month, within a week of each other.
First, there is the GPAC Mobilization meeting in King of Prussia,
Pa., on the 2nd and 3rd of this month. Looks like every major organization
is sending a rep. Let's hope they actually get some work done. Following
the GPAC meeting on the 7th through the 10th is the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force's Creating Change
Conference in Washington, D.C. What's cool about Creating Change is
that the NGLTF has woven the transgendered community seamlessly into its
programs.
While NGLTF has embraced the transgender community, other gay and lesbian
organizations are trying to co-opt transgendered people. I find this an
interesting, new way of being exploited. I get lots of email messages over
the net and some of them are from gay/lesbian online services that are
trying to create web-based communities. Several of these services are
targeting transgendered people. So, I go and visit their sites and guess
what? There's is little of interest to a transgendered person. I mean they
don't even have an event calendar. So, why should I bother if they don't
take the time to dig up information and resources that would be of interest
to me and my sisters? Besides, there's no reason to look anywhere else for
tg resource information on the www than at TG Forum Resource Center and it's
free, too.
Some of you called to let me know you'd seen me on Cinemax. Well,
you can imagine how surprised I was. Over two years ago, many
Renaissance members cooperated with a pair of film makers from New York,
Ellen Sherman and Peter Schwartz, to help make a documentary
on crossdressers. That film, All Dressed Up And No Place To
Go was released on Cinemax, October 17, and will go on to compete
in several international film festivals. I don't know if it will be
commercially available, but if there's any way to get a copy I'll let you
know.
Mark Dec. 7th. Yes, it's Pearl Harbor Day, but what it's also the day that
Dr. Stanley Biber will be giving a seminar on MtF and FtM surgery
over in Neptune, New Jersey. Dr. Biber's visit is sponsored by MOTG.
Tickets are $15 and include beverages and munchies. A video is being made
of the seminar in case you can't make it. For more info contact Vikki at vikkimmotg@aol.com or call MOTG at
908-219-9094.
Just when you think all the hype about RuPaul is over, it ain't. The
SuperQueen has a talk show that premiered on cable's VH-1 on October
12. Guests appearing so far are have been Dennis Rodman, Isaac
Mizrahi and Whoppi Goldberg. The New York Times gave Ru a
good review on Oct. 20th, but I thought the show with Mizrahi was just so
much fluff. Maybe the show will get better with age. We'll just have to
see.
I need some help in locating a resource so I'm appealing to my
reading audience. I need to find people who can do sign language
interpretation for the Second International Congress on Sex &
Gender Issues in June of 1997. Ideally, I'm looking for volunteers.
If you can sign or you know someone who signs, please contact me,
immediately at congrs2@cdspub.com.
Okay, onto the good stuff... Chanel has taken Vamp to the
max. They have introduced an entire eponymous (look it up, it's good for
your brain) line of makeup based on the blood-red lipstick. You can have it
all, lipstick, blush, polish, even mascara. What, no foundation? It
would've been great for Hallowe'en. Price range from $15 to $45.
For those of you who like the Hard Candy nail polishes, you can now
have lipsticks to match the nail colors. About $16 each for Scam, Sky,
Pussy Cat, Nymph, Gold Digger, and (my fave) Trailer Trash.
Prescriptives made news with its colorprinting technique to match
foundation to skin tone. Now they claim to have a foundation unlike any
other on the market. Virtual Skin is said to fuse with real skin to
give the most natural looking makeup coverage. About $28. When they
introduce Virtual Hair, someone please let me know ASAP!
Sometime ago I mentioned the Curves breast enhancers as a possible
alternative to more expensive breastforms. So, now I found an ad for
Silicone Cup-Enhancers that will add up to one and a half cup sizes
to your figure for just less than $50. I ordered a pair, so I'll give you a
report next month. But if you can't wait, you can order your own set from
800-345-6602. Ask for item CE in medium or large.
Pamela Anderson Lee inherits the title of best female impersonator
in Hollywood from Marilyn Monroe, altho Ms. Lee doesn't have the talent of
Ms. Monroe. What she does have a lot of is readily apparent in the movie
Barb Wire now playing on Pay Per View and soon to hit the
video stores. The movie is every teenaged boy's wet dream. I also caught
part of a movie called Synapse with the plot line of a young
man's brain (or memory) is transplanted into a female body. If anyone knows
what the scoop is on this film, please let me know.
What do you do with the last little bit of lipstick that remains in the
tube? Makeup artists usually scoop it into a small compartment or tray
where they can mix it with other colors. Now you can do the same with a
paintbox from Japonesque. The boxes come is 6 ($12) or 12 ($16)
compartment styles and include a brush and spatula. Call 800-955-6662, or
write them at PO Box 644, Sausalito, CA 94966. Or, go to your local
General Nutrition Center and pick up a vitamin box for $1.99.
It was bound to happen. When Drag Queens become media Divas and image is
everything, Lawn Makeup is not all that surprising. Sold by Global
Star Products of Oklahoma City, Okla., the spray makeup comes in several
shades of green. And there is no truth to the rumor that the company's CEO
is none other than Rachel Rudnick of COTA fame.
My fave mag, Allure, can always be counted on to give me a
chuckle and they did in last month's issue with an article called In The
Line of Beauty, which focused on testing common, everyday beauty items.
For a test on false eyelashes, the editors dug up three New York Drag
Queens, Sherry Vine, Misstress Formika, and Candis Cayne, for the
road test. Well, who else would know better about false lashes? Kryolan
B-1s are best, BTW. But what really sent me giggling was the road test on
lipstick by nine gossip columnists, including Michael Musto of the
Village Voice. Revlon ColorStay won top honor. A trick I
learned from makeup maven Jim Bridges - using baby wipes to remove
makeup - was also mentioned.
Maybe they've found the cure for raccoon eyes. Revlon has announced
ColorStay Lashcolor mascara. They say it won't migrate from your
lashes to your skin no matter how oily your skin is. All of the Revlon
ColorStay products deliver performance as advertised, so it probably works.
So, those are my opinions, but, hey, what do I know? Those who fail to
learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. I know it's not original, but
it's true. Comments? Write care of this publication or email them to CyberQueen@cdspub.com.
© 1996 by JoAnn Roberts