Ramblin' Rose

How I Spent My Summer
...and other fun things

By Brittany Rose

Hello All!

I've gotten such nice comments on my column and my pictorial (Thanks, Cindy), I wanted to update my friends on some fun times I've had this summer.

Back in June, I was invited to perform at the Colorado Gay Rodeo. I was just one of several queens performing, but the announcer felt it was important to always introduce me as "the straight one". He was very sweet and supportive about it, but I just wanted him to let me perform! I used to lip-synch, but I sing live now, doing parodies of country-western songs. (It was a rodeo, after all!) It is fun being the token TG, and I feel like I'm helping form positive opinions about us in the gay community.

I performed in something showy, like my Renaissance dress or my little off-the-shoulder black number, but I wore something more casual for the drive to the rodeo. On Saturday, I wore a denim skirt, red blouse, black vest, and short brown wig. Driving on the interstate, I noticed that I kept seeing the same white pickup. I finally realized it was three young guys who were pacing my car, and when I made eye contact, I got "the look". On their next pass, the driver even made kissing motions and smiled leeringly. I was amused, flattered, and not a little concerned. Then they drove next to my car for quite a while, smiling, winking, nodding, and finally making phone gestures. I smiled back sweetly, shook my head, "No", and lost myself in traffic. I didn't think them following me to the gay rodeo would have been a good idea.
Rodeo Girl

On Sunday, after I performed in my Renaissance outfit, I decided to fulfill a dream and actually stop at the Colorado Renaissance Festival. What fun! And what a humbling experience! I was in garb, with my big hair, standing 6'4". I was read by everyone! I mean everyone! They looked at this tall woman in garb, stared, smiled, whispered and pointed. I didn't mind. I brightened their day, gave them something to tell the family back home, and enjoyed myself! Still, it was a wonderful reminder of what has become my motto about going out. Look good, have fun, and let them deal with it!

The other unique experience was when I dressed up with the goal of not passing! For the last six months I worked as supervisor on a swing shift computer project with a highly diverse team of about 15 people, including my SO. It was a great group, but one of the oddest quirks was that at least twice a week the topic of crossdressing came up. It certainly didn't come from me, and as far as I know, I was the only one in the bunch. One of the guys would accuse another guy of liking dresses (Never me. After all, I was the macho supervisor with my SO working on the shift), or someone would have seen a drag act on television.

Shoulders In mid-August we were surprised to be told on a Tuesday that the project was downsizing, with half the shift being fired that Friday. We had become quite close as a group, so to take the edge off a potentially very depressing Friday, I decided to dress.

My SO and I hurried home at dinner break, and quickly did my face, got dressed and headed back to work. My make up was fairly poor, no hose, and my wig was a little sloppy, because this was to be a "one time practical joke". A couple of the workers were fairly conservative, and I wanted it to be fun, not threatening. We told them that I had done this on a Halloween a couple of years ago, and that I was using my SO's clothes. (Oddly, no one questioned the fact that my SO and I are completely different in build, and most sizes, especially shoes.)

It was a smashing success. I had to remind myself to talk and walk masculine, and I even went by the name Peggy, so that if they used my name, I wouldn't act familiar with it. Two of the most "streetwise" in the group couldn't get over it, cracking up at even a glance in my direction. When I first walked in, one girl stood up and poked my boob to see what it felt like. A couple of the workers came back from dinner late, and I was introduced as the woman manager of the project. They looked down, and muttered "Hi" then looked up and said, "No it's not, that's our supervisor!"

Afterwards we all went out to play pool, and I didn't look too out of place in a group that included two Goths, and two of the other ladies in evening gowns. As we played, even the ones who had the most difficulty with my attire were taking it as a matter of course by the end of the evening. I was very pleased that my first attempt to "not pass" was such a success!

I hope you've been having a wonderful time, too.

Fashionably yours,

Brittany Rose