Transgender

Forum



What's New?
Main Library
Search
Resources
Nightclubs
Personals
Photos
Pictorials
Chat
Hot Links
Events

Help &
Reaching Us







A Spooktacular Time in Syracuse

By Linda Jensen

"Get to Syracuse and fix that problem with widget sales," my boss said. With that, my plans for Halloween were thrown into disarray. I had planned to stay home, give out candy to the neighborhood kids and then sneak out in drag to a local gay bar late in the evening. Now that I was going to be out of town my plans would have to become more elaborate. When I asked my girlfriend for help with a costume she invited me to come over and go through her stuff. Her daughter had just been to a party as a gypsy girl and she thought that might do for me. I tried it and it looked nice but it wasn't very spooky and it wasn't what I was looking for.

My ideal Halloween is to go to a straight bar and appear to be a female in costume. As the gypsy I would simply be a guy in a peasant dress. I really wanted something that would show my pretty, feminine body but disguise my face. First I visited the local costume shop and decided on a vampire theme. I already had a suitable old wig so I bought a tube of white make-up, vampire teeth and a cape. Next I decided I could 'drag' out a nurse's uniform and be a vampire nurse. The uniform is from the early 70's and so is very short. For accessories I retrieved white stockings and garter belt.

Soon all was packed and I was on my way to Syracuse. My day work was routine and my first evening I scouted for possible bars to go for costume parties. The local entertainment weekly listed many parties. It was possible for me to go to three different parties - one during 'happy hour', another at a singles bar called 'Neighbors' and a third at a gay bar called 'Trexx'. (Gay bars always get going late). I got held up on work matters so I didn't get to the Happy Hour event but I did go to a mall where as a man I got to try on several new nurse outfits, saying truthfully one was needed for a costume. However, I couldn't find one better than the one I had. Back at my motel I tried to rest for a while but while my body was tired my mind was anxious to get on with the business of dressing. Usual routine- bath, shave, moisture cream and then instead of my usual foundation I put on the white stage make-up, lined my eyes heavily in black and put on some dark red lipstick. The dress being short and white revealed my bra, panties and stockings quite clearly and to me looked quite sexy. I styled the dark black wig with a Dracula type bang and let the long hair hang over my shoulders. After taking a few photos I headed for Neighbors. The parking lot was almost full and so was the bar. After buying a drink I was able to find a stool at a small high table. My costume sure attracted a lot of attention . One woman suggested I get dental implants for my teeth. "No way I've had enough trouble with these," I replied as I pointed to my breasts but she didn't seem to get it. Later her friends had to tell her I was really a guy. Through the evening several people came up to compliment me on my costume and then ask if I was woman or man. I think a few bets may have won and lost on my answer.

I thought I had a good chance of winning the costume contest but it was decided by audience applause and the group at one table really cheered loudly for a friend wearing no more than a mask. Afterwards some new friends told me that they thought many in the bar still didn't realize that it was a man in the vampire nurse outfit.

Soon I was at my next stop, Trexx. It was crowded. The Best Drag Award had already been decided and Scariest was under way. The costumes were great, much better than at the straight bar. The winner of scariest was a young queen dressed as Medusa- Yuk! I entered the final judging, Most Original, and was a little horrified to see the MC interviewing all the contestants about their outfits. 'Vampire Nurse' just wouldn't stand up to the clever remarks that others were making so I invented a new identity. When it came my turn I said in my best Boris Karloff (sotovocce), " I'm not what I seem. One might think I'm a nurse but I'm really a doctor. 'Doc Ula' is my name and I specialize in blood disorders." To my disappointment the MC picked five of her good friends as finalists, including one in nothing more of a costume than a scouts uniform, calling himself a 'virgin cub scout' and another dressed as a cowboy. Well, it turns out the drag community in Syracuse is very incestuous and they take turns giving each other awards and that includes the cash prizes at Halloween contests. Outsiders need not apply. I didn't win, and probably shouldn't have won, but neither should the organizer have been pushing so hard for some good looking young guy who was probably going to spend part of the night in her bed.

Now what do you do when the contests are over and you still want to party? For me, I went to the ladies room, packed my teeth, cape and a tiara in my purse and tried to cover my make-up with a little color. The only color I had was some blush. It looked blotchy over the stage make-up but it was good enough that I attracted the attention of one admirer who talked with me and bought me drinks. Later I visited his house. The evening ended in the early morning and the next day I returned home with some great new memories and a few new friends.



Back to
TGF's
Home Page