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Leah MacLean

Close Encounters of the Elevator Kind

by Leah MacLean

What do you get when you mix one hundred "T" girls, dozens of "Junior Preteen Miss America" contestants and the Princeton University hockey team in the same hotel? The answer, obviously, is the 1997 version of Fall Harvest and some very interesting elevator rides.

The Doubletree Hotel in Omaha, Nebraska was the setting for this year's annual Fall Harvest event. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first major "T" event ever to be held in Omaha. Over 100 "T" girls from all over the Midwest attended the festive event and it appeared to me anyway, that all had a marvelous time. Community dignitaries such as Phyllis Frye and JoAnn Roberts could be spotted occasionally in the colorful crowd offering words of encouragement and a sharing a laugh or two.

The Doubletree, reputedly Omaha's finest hotel accommodations, treated us with dignity and grace every step of the way. They are to be commended for their efforts on our behalf. The hotel is a nineteen-story structure, pretty big in this part of the world. We had the run of the third floor where the seminar rooms, the vendor room and the ballroom were all located.

"Now where did I leave that wig?"

As usual, I rushed to get ready for Thursday evening's festivities after checking in that afternoon. I had just finished throwing on my face and still was in the process of deciding what to wear that evening when I realized that my precious wigs were still in the car. At least, I hoped that they were anyway. Desperate for time, I left my "face" on and went back to a "quasi-boy" mode to retrieve my wigs from the car across the street in the parking garage. Guys in full makeup are a common sight on Omaha streets nowadays <ahem> so I knew there wouldn't be any problems.

As it turned out, I had no problems whatsoever during my little jaunt to the garage. I just kept moving and didn't look anyone in the face. The wigs were in the car as I had hoped and soon I was back in my room ready to go "glam." I checked my look one last time in the mirror and then plunged headlong into the quiet unknown of the hallway. What would this adventure in Omaha bring me?

Thursday at Fall Harvest '97

Fall Harvest got under way Thursday evening with a quiet "wine 'n cheese" gathering in the ballroom. There I was reunited with some of the girls that I had the pleasure of meeting during the "BeAll" event held earlier this year in Chicago. Several "local" girls from the River City Gender Alliance, the host group, were there as well. I found it difficult at times to talk with everyone that I wanted to. Oh well, one's circle of friends can never be too large, can it?

After the "wine 'n cheese thing" we headed out for a night on the town. Two other girls from RCGA, Robin and Renee, accompanied me out to some of the local gay bars. There we found many other girls who had somehow found their way to our favorite haunts. When I finally hit the sack, the clock read 2:30 AM. I knew that I'd pay for it later on that day.

Friday at Fall Harvest '97

I spent all of Friday morning in a seminar conducted by Dr. Debra-Ann Thomson of Denver, Colorado. Her discussion concerned the relationship and communication between a crossdresser and his/her wife. I found her message very informative and even uplifting. At times her brown eyes would flash fire and her delivery almost became a sermon of sorts. I didn't mind how she spoke to us, she obviously felt strongly about the issues she discussed and besides, she was right. I felt she wanted very badly to reach us "knotheads" (my word for self-centered TV types like myself) and get us to understand the importance of "balance" and "integration." Thank you Deb.

Friday's noon luncheon was highlighted by an upbeat talk given by JoAnn Roberts concerning the future of our community. In a speech laced with her renowned humor, she reminded us of how far we have come in such a relatively short time. Referring often to the incredible power of the Internet to disseminate information, she credited it with much of our progress in recent years. JoAnn closed her speech with a reminder that we should all prepare for the future because that is where we're all going to spend the rest of our lives.

Friday afternoon I found myself in a "Tips and Tricks" for makeup seminar conducted by none other than JoAnn Roberts. Feeling a "goofy" mood coming on, I reminded myself to behave and not interrupt the session with silly questions. Dumping about ten gallons worth of cosmetics out of a five gallon bag, JoAnn demonstrated the various products and tools of the trade to us. When it was all over, I had learned that I needed more "stuff." My prized Mary Kay brush set was no longer enough.

Friday afternoon also found me in a session with Kelly Murphy of Avante Masterpiece Cosmetics. There we learned who the "players" are in the cosmetic industry. It appears that Estee Lauder owns everything related to the cosmetics industry. Well, not quite, but close. Though I have yet to try any of the Avante products, it looks like good stuff. Best of all, it's reasonably priced! (Error! Bookmark not defined.)

After the session with Kelly Murphy, we caught the last half of Lillian Bell's fashion discussion. I wasn't sure what I had walked into upon entering the room. The group was talking excitedly but it wasn't about fashion! It soon became apparent that somehow the topic had been changed to "accepting others for what they are." Lillian, the owner of Suburban Bridal in Omaha, gave us her views of the world in her own inimitable and lovable style. Her talk left me wishing that there were more people around like Lillian Bell.

Friday night was Halloween, a traditionally "big" night for us TV types, but frankly this author dropped the ball. Yeah, I let the "team" down. I stayed up until 11:30 that night chatting, then I called it a night. Yep, that's right, no late night, no costumes, no nothing. The late night the night before had caught up with me. (Look, I've still got an ID card identifying me as an official "T" girl, so I'm not out of the club just yet.)

Saturday at Fall Harvest '97

Saturday morning found me digging through the racks of dresses that Lillian had brought in. Despite hours and hours on the Nordic Track chasing the elusive fountain of youth, I'm still a Misses sixteen and unfortunately most of what Lillian had appeared to be somewhat smaller in size. There was one notable exception however. A black fringed dress fairly leapt into my hands as I pawed my way through the selections. It was love at first sight. "Come with me baby!" I told the dress as I made a beeline for the changing room. The little dress obviously was very lonely for it clung to me tightly as I pulled it on. I returned to the vendor's room to get a second opinion. Lillian and her help descended upon me "oohing" and "ahhing" and proceeded to hike it up on me. "I like it better like this," said Lillian. I pretended to be embarrassed over the amount of "leg" that I was showing, but even the most casual of observers would have noted that I left the dress exactly where they had put it. I happily handed over the money and the dress became mine.

During Saturday's lunch, Phyllis Frye talked of some of the things that she's had to overcome because of her transition as a transsexual woman. She asked the CD/TV types in the audience to be more supportive of ICTLEP and its efforts. Reminding us that it is primarily the "TS" types who are taking the "hits" out in the real world, the least we still "in the closet" can do is to financially support ICTLEP. Phyllis made the observation that TS's have no choice but to transition, which unfortunately jeopardizes their relationship with their families and their employers.

Phyllis remarked several times during her speech, always with a laugh, that she has somehow acquired a reputation for being "mean." I didn't know what to think honestly. This was the first time that I'd ever been around her. As she spoke with passion and enthusiasm of the issues before the "T" community, it soon became very clear that she is a very determined, persistent and tough individual. Then her talk reached a more personal level and she spoke of her newly regained relationship with her son and his family. She told us about the card that she and her spouse, Trish, had received from Phyllis' grandchild. As I choked back down the lump in my throat I knew that of all the words that I would use to describe Phyllis Frye, "mean" was not one of them.

I have to admit that I did not attend any of Saturday's seminars. It wasn't because I didn't want to, it just seemed that between "shopping at Lillian's" and helping at the front desk, the time just got away from me. Besides, not long after I had helped at the front desk, we discovered a problem. We had an imposter in our midst!

"Who's that with Stef's name badge?"

It seems that some fiend had somehow gotten a hold of some of Stef Matthews' ID cards (one of the Fall Harvest organizers) and was running around the convention trying to pass herself off as Stef and generally trying to run amok. (As if anyone could run amok better than Stef.) We didn't know how this could have happened, because only trusted and reliable individuals were allowed to sit at the registration desk. Stef herself was the first to spot the offender and remove the false ID badge from the prankster before any real damage could be done.

All was well until shortly after I had once again monitored the front desk. Not satisfied with her first attempt to "frame" Stef with her mischievous activities, the prankster again was caught with an ID badge bearing Stef's name. Again, the eagle eyed Stef spotted the criminal mastermind and retrieved the false ID. It was reassuring to know that the organizers of the convention were maintaining tight security.

That night, just before the Miss Fall Harvest contest was to begin, the impetuous imposter was again spotted and again it was none other than Stef who spotted her! It was almost as if the prankster were trying to get caught by Stef. This time Stef demanded that the prankster's purse be emptied of all of her ill gotten ID cards. Certain that the threat had ended, Stef returned to her normal activities and the rest of the night went smoothly.

Saturday night after the contest, we descended en masse on the bar located on the nineteenth floor of the hotel. The bar was already crowded with late night partygoers. As more of us arrived all the time, we gradually "infiltrated" the crowd and soon had them flanked on all sides. The dance floor was soon crowded with girls of all kinds and even some guys who had the audacity to dress as guys. Robin, Renee and I established a stronghold on the northern frontier of the bar near the pool table along with some of the girls that we had befriended during the last two days. Gradually we grew more at ease and no longer cared about any stares from the "normal" people. We talked until closing time from our table overlooking the Omaha skyline.

All too soon it was closing time and we had to leave. We headed for the "party room" for a little more partying. Finally at three AM my body told me that it was ready to quit so I called it a night and left the merry makers still going strong in their room. I returned to my room, shed my female garb and drifted off to a peaceful slumber.

Sunday morning I got up early and decided to dress one last time before going home. I wanted to go to the "MAGGIE" meeting that was to be held at nine A.M. I thought that I might as well go as "Leah" and see what this "MAGGIE" stuff was all about. They discussed the future of "MAGGIE" and elected new officers. I now had a better idea of what "MAGGIE" was.

I said my "goodbyes" to Stef and company, then went back upstairs to change back to reality. I loaded up the vehicle with my "junk" and headed north. As I drove home, I was grateful that I had been able to be a part of Fall Harvest and basked in that special contentment that always seems to engulf me after spending so much time being "Leah."

At the beginning of this story I mentioned the Preteen beauty pageant contestants and the Princeton hockey team that stayed at the Doubletree while the Harvest was in progress. Because of the wide "diversity" between these groups and ours, elevator rides soon became the topic of many a discussion amongst us girls. (And to be sure, it fueled many a lively discussion within the other hotel guests as well.) Many times while aboard an elevator I would look down to catch the wide-eyed stare of a tiny innocent face and I would wonder what they were thinking. The preteen beauty queens would gawk at us on occasion too.

There were times when the elevator would stop at a floor to pick up a passenger and more often than not, I was the first thing the waiting riders would see when the doors opened. Some people would unhesitatingly get on board while others would stand stock still, their faces frozen in wide-eyed amazement at the six foot apparition with the "big red hair" standing before them. These are the times that I would smile and occasionally I would allow myself to flutter my fingers "good bye" to them as the doors slid closed.

I soon got my "comeuppance" for my boldness though. Saturday afternoon the elevator stopped at the fourth floor and an individual from my hometown, that I work in loose association with, walked aboard. I buried my face into the wall of the elevator and held my breath. Fortunately, he was busy shepherding his small children and paid no attention to me. Shades of "Just like A Woman!" ACK! I made good my escape into the sanctuary of the third floor when we arrived. I can actually laugh heartily about it now. ha

In retrospect, I believe that "encounters" like those that we had on the elevators can only help us in the long run. People outside our community, who aren't normally exposed to this sort of "thing", got a brief glimpse into our world. I am optimistic they came away with the impression that despite our differences, we "T" girls are people too. It's just that our differences are a little more obvious is all.



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