Transgender

Forum













%expand(%include(D:\http/ads/ads0.html))





Chatsubo


The Chatsubo, or simply The Chat, is the bar made famous by William Gibson in his 1984 cyber-punk masterpiece NEUROMANCER. The Chat is where the cyberjocks, razorgirls and joeboys came to gather information and kick back. Please feel free to do the same here.

by JoAnn Roberts - CyberQueen

"We learn something every day, and lots of times it's that what we learned the day before was wrong." - Bill Vaughn

I'm almost fully recovered from my carousing at Southern Comfort '97. What a fabulous conference it was this year. Terry Murphy, Sabrina Marcus, Max Anderson, Donna Johnston and the rest of the SCC crew did the job right. This was one of the absolute best events I've attended in a long time. Those Southern girls know how to throw a party. To give you just a hint of its fabulosity, her highness the Queen (moi) did not get into any arguments with anyone. Also, I appreciated all the friends from TGForum that stopped me to say Hi.

The big news that came out of Southern Comfort was the announcement of Alison Laing's "retirement" as Executive Director of the International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE). I put retirement in quotes because anyone who knows Alison knows she'll do anything but retire. We're working on two book projects together and she has many other projects in the works. She will also remain as an IFGE volunteer and will serve on the IFGE board of directors as secretary. Replacing Alison as Executive Director is former IFGE board member Nancy Nangeroni. To be honest, I'm not sure Nancy is up to the tasks of the position, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. Let's hope that IFGE has a bright future with its new director.

Another interesting announcement made at Southern Comfort, but missed by most people, was that the 1998 lobbying activity sponsored by GenderPAC will be called the 1998 Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Lobby Days. Wow, now that's a mouthful. But even more important is that the "transgender" tends to get lost in the alphabet soup. In my not so humble opinion (why bother having an opinion if it's humble?), GenderPAC is off about 180 degrees from where the community needs it to be on this one. GenderPAC was created to give the transgender community a voice at the political table, but instead that transgender voice is being drowned out by peripheral noise. Not only aren't we being accurately represented at the table, we can't even find the picnic ground! What is missing is a national discussion of the important issues. For example, Tony Baretto-Neto, chair of GPAC, announced at Southern Comfort that the GPAC board had unanimously approved a position statement on Gender Identity Disorder Reform. Fact is, two of the GPAC organizations did not approve the policy. Renaissance withheld it's vote because there was no discussion of the policy prior to the call for the vote. The other "nay" came from It's Time America. What we have are a few individuals speaking at a national level as if they represent the community at large and nothing could be farther from reality. This community needs to get off its collective-ass and create a transgender rights movement that will focus on the needs of transgender-people by getting input from those most affected by the issues.

Rumors have been flying about a merger between two, three, some, or all of the major national organizations. Let's set the record straight. There is no merger. What has been proposed is a study to determine the feasibility of combining the resources of several of the major organizations into one national umbrella organization. The study team consists of two members from IFGE, two from the American Educational Gender Information Service (AEGIS) and two from Renaissance. This does not mean that other organizations are excluded from the study. The team will interact with other organizations as needed to gather inputs for the study. Any recommendations for mergers, consolidations, acquisitions, etc., will have to go to each organization's board for approval before implementation. Based on feedback I've received from people not involved in the study, the feeling is "Not only No, but Hell No" on any merger. Ah well, I'm sure there were some who didn't want to build the Panama canal, either. We'll just have to see what the study team develops.

Dr. Richard Docter and others have arranged to celebrate the 85th Birthday this month of the community's Grand Dame, Virginia Prince. Virginia's friends and supporters are encouraged to send her greeting cards (both individually and signed by group members). If you wish to send a recorded message to be played at the banquet, please communicate with Dr. Docter first. The birthday celebration is Saturday, November 22, 1997 at 7 PM. Grand Salon/The Student Union, California State University, Northridge. For banquet tickets ($20.00) (checks payable to Richard Docter) mail to: Richard F. Docter, P. O. Box 280126, Northridge, CA 91328-0126. Call: 818-766-3555 or send e-mail to: RichDocter@aol.com.

So, now they say Marv Albert had a 15 year affair with a male transvestite from New York City. Supposedly police received an anonymous tip about the alleged paramour and tracked him down to verify the story. The New York Post was told by an associate of the crossdresser, "The relationship he had with Marv Albert there was no violence, no rudeness, no inappropriateness. It was just straight transvestite sex." Okay, I'll bite. (Oops!) What the Hell is "straight transvestite sex?" If anybody has a good definition of straight transvestite sex, lemme know.

Did you know that the Barbie doll was a copy of a German doll called Lilli and that Lilli's reputation was less than sterling? Betcha dint know that. You can find that info plus a whole lot more at a web site devoted to the Mattel sweetheart. Go to Barbie.

I'm sure you've all heard of Mr. Blackwell and his best/worst dressed list. Well, he's hit cyberspace with his own website and he has a feature called Screams and Dreams, a weekly list of fashion picks and pans, plus reader voting for his Top 10 Best and Worst lists. Go to Mr Blackwell.

Two new photo books have hit the market that might be of interest. The first is a collection of Francesco Scavullo's cover artwork for Cosmo and other high fashion magazines. The $60 (Abrams) coffee table book contains over 200 photos of the likes of Paulina Porizkova, Stephanie Seymour, and Christie Brinkley. What do all three of those super models have in common? Their partners/SO's are/were all rockers. Lemme know if you think you know. Which brings me to the second book: Rolling Stone Book of Women in Rock: Trouble Girls. This $25 (Random House) book is a virtual encyclopedia of girls with guitars and more. The books contains photos and profiles of women like Janis Joplin, Liz Phair, Courtney Love, Madonna, and many others.

While I'm in the bookbin, look for Kevin Aucoin's new makeup book Making Faces. What's so cool about Aucoin's book are the easy to do tips, tricks and how-to's. Plus he shows you how to do celebrity makeovers, like Marilyn Monroe, Barbara Streisand, or Liza Minelli. Perfect for the budding Drag Queen which Aucoin acknowledges in his book. Two of his makeovers are on a guy-friend and s/he's gorgeous. The book is $24.95, plus $3.99 s&h from the Conde' Nast collection. Call 1-800-426-9922 for credit card orders.

I received email from a TV in China and she's very lonely. She'd like to start a support group for other TVs in China. Renaissance will be sending her information on how to do that, but if you are a TV/CD/TS in China, maybe you'd like to contact Ana and see how you can help. Her email is sissy_ana@hotmail.com.

On to fashion news. The lip color of the season is Berry. Your only decision here is whether to go brown or burgundy. The look is very casual, like you've been eating blackberries, instead on the precision, coated look of a year or so ago. There are two techniques for applying berry shades... Twist the color onto the center of your lips and then spread it with your finger... Line upper lip and press against bottom lip to transfer color... In either case, add lip gloss for final effect. Personally, I don't like either method. I prefer to line the lips with a pencil that matches the lip color, then apply lipstick with a brush working from the inner to outer edges.

The latest in lipstick technology is making it big in tinsel town where air-kissing had become a higher artform. Lip-Ink is a six-step process that results in a no-smear colored lip. Rose Nichols, founder of Lip-Ink, describes the process: "You start with a coat of Lip-Ink Shine, followed by two coats of Lip-ink Color, layer of Magic Powder, another coat of Color, and a final coat of Shine." All three pieces cost $15 each, so you'll shell out $45 for the kit. Of course, if you're a celeb, $45 is peanuts. Call 1-888-547-4651 to order.

There's been much ado about high heels of late. The Fashion Mavens (mostly men) keep trying to bring back spike heels, but the real-world women continue to resist. Sometimes I think if it weren't for transvestites and fetishists, there'd be no stiletto heels available at all. Well, according to a local podiatrist, a heel height of 1 inch to 1-1/2 inches is optimal, and an occasional excursion to 2-1/4 inches is okay. A wedge or stacked heel is better than a stiletto, even if the thicker heel is higher. The wider base distributes your weight more evenly. Also, you should not switch from high heels to flats without stretching your calves first. Well, maybe that's what the doctor orders, but I'm not throwing away my 3-1/2 inch spikes with ankle straps or my 3 inch knee-hi boots.

It looks like Revlon has made it a complete set. They've added a ColorStay Powder to the line of stay-put makeup products. The line now includes foundation, powder, lipstick, and blush. No smudge is great, but remember to buy the special remover, too. Revlon has also introduced a new nail polish, Top Speed, that is said to dry in 90 seconds. The only problems I can see are the funky colors. There isn't a red-red in the lot. My best selection would be Fudge.

Revlon isn't the only nail news around. The colors for Fall have been pigment-pumped for deeper, richer colors. The Fall palette includes rich, dark chocolates, deep reds and iridescent midnight blue. Try these selections... Reds: MAC Carnal, Sally Hansen 3-D, Cutex Cranberry... Blues: Creative Nail Design Nocturnal, Naturistics Quartz, Urban Decay Pigeon... Browns: Elizabeth Arden Choco, Maybelline Cinnamon, Sally Hansen Mink Stole.

One thing I notice often when I attend various events around the country is the amount of makeup some people wear. I mean, come on girls, it ain't Bondo! If you don't know if you're wearing too much makeup, here are some cues... Your neck or hands are a different color than your face... You can't see a single pore, a sure sign your foundation and powder are too thick... You leave color prints everywhere, your clothes, your hands, your phone, etc... You can't feel your face through the foundation... You reapply powder more than twice a day. Unless you're at a photo shoot, that's way too much powder. The opposite, of course, is too little makeup. The transsexuals are more prone to this error than the transvestites. Believe it or not, every woman needs a little makeup. The trick is to wear just enough makeup so you look like you're not wearing any.

So, those are my opinions, but, hey, what do I know? I think there is something to be learned from everyone, even if it is how not to do something. Comments? Write care of this publication or email them to CyberQueen@cdspub.com.

© 1997 by JoAnn Roberts



Back to
TGF's
Home Page