Comfort Kitty

pillow aurora.jpg
After a hard life and nearly dying in the great outdoors, Aurora’s getting awfully used to fluffy pillows. But she sure does still look pissed off, doesn’t she?

Seals

I’m really disgusted by the fact that once again, Canada is hunting those adorable baby seals. What is the fucking point? Does anyone really need seal fur that much? I doubt it.
Do your bit to stop it here.

Five Questions With… Becca and Dixie

Becca and Dixie are a crossdresser & wife combination that are hard to beat. Both of them are committed to unity within the trans community as well as having alliances with the larger LGBT community. They run the Eureka En Femme Getaway (which is one of our favorite events) as well as the online group A Crossdresser’s Secret Garden and its website.
en femme getaway sis dixie
< Sis Becca
1. How did you come to start running the Eureka En Femme Getaway?
The idea of the Getaway actually started with our wedding – we were married in the Beckham Cave house in Jasper Arkansas and had 4 other couples join us (crossdressers and their wives), as well as a TS friend of ours from Florida. We were talking one night and someone mentioned we should do this more often. We started tossing ideas around and Becca mentioned Eureka Springs, thinking mainly because of its diversity and acceptance of the Gay community, it would be the perfect place to give it a shot.
A few weeks later Becca and I, along with another couple, took a trip to Eureka Springs and looked at the hotels there. The few that were in the downtown area were either too small, too costly, or not accepting. We walked into the Basin Park and after just a short talk with Misty, the hotel’s events coordinator, knew we had found a home. We signed a contract with her for 20 rooms. We got in the car and headed home and thought, WHAT have we done! WE do not KNOW 20 crossdressing couples, how in the heck will we fill the rooms! The small Tri-Ess group we belonged to at the time only had about 10 active members and those were husbands and wives, so assuming all would attend that is only 5-6 rooms out of 20. It was then that I (Dixie) decided to build the En Femme Getaway website with the hopes that we could fill the 20 rooms we contracted for. I worked furiously posting the Getaway on any and every TG website and online group I could find on the internet. By the time all was said and done, we had sold not 20 but 27 of the rooms (which was all we could get as the others had been booked!) So in the Spring of 2002 the very first Eureka! En Femme Getaway event was underway.
Everyone seemed to enjoy their time there so much, they were asking WHEN the next one would be…… Next one? We had not thought any further than then this one! Becca and I talked about it and thought ‘OK let’s give this a shot,’ so we planned one for the Fall of 2002, contracted with the hotel for all the rooms, and sold out. Since that time we have held the event twice a year (the only TG event to do that) and have sold out each and every time. This spring will be our 9th event, and many of those that attend have been back several times, with some of them having attended all 9 events!
Our first guest Speakers were Linda and Cynthia Phillips, who were instrumental in helping Becca in the early days. They were the originators of the first TG event (that we know of) – the Texas Tea Party. Since the first Event in the Spring of 2002, we have been blessed with many wonderful speakers: Helen & Betty, Lacey Leigh, Gina Lance, and Peggy Rudd to name a few.

What do you think are the best parts of it?

The people – seeing the joy and excitement on their faces as they step out of the hotel. Many of our guests have NEVER been out of the closet. The Getaway event was their first time to actually get out and enjoy themselves. The Getaway is quite unlike other event – we don’t have a plethora of seminars to attend that only tend to lead to a closet inside a closet. We encourage the girls to get out on the town and have FUN! After all, isn’t that what it is all about, getting out, having fun and being yourself?
Family. The Getaway has been described as a “Family Reunion”, and I think that is exactly what it is. I look forward to each Getaway and the chance to see ‘family’ members again.
Continue reading “Five Questions With… Becca and Dixie”

New Orleans Update

After months of asking the wrong people, I finally asked one of the right people: the incomparable Chi Chi Valenti, who went to New Orleans this past Mardi Gras with Krewe York to show support for our sister city. Since Betty & I weren’t able to go as we planned to, I asked her if there’s anyone down there doing artsy/queer stuff that some of you might want to help fund.

    Here are her three suggestions:

  • http://www.noaidstaskforce.com/
    New Orleans AIDS Taskforce is doing grants for gay and transgendered youth – this is a great program and a great organization too, even pre-Katrina: “Youth, age 16 – 25, who are lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender and questioning are eligible for $500 grants to help them recover from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. “
  • http://www.summerstages.org/index.htm
    Stage to Stage is a NO children’s theater group working in poor neighborhoods that is trying to rebuild
  • http://www.artscouncilofneworleans.org/
    which is running several artist relief programs.

So take your pick, and donate!

All White Meat, Too

chicken
Our friends Zoe & Kat found this in their organic eggs this morning. I had no idea she was so busy. And I don’t know why I’ve ever had to buy eggs if she can lay them. Sheesh.

Back

We’re back from Meriden, CT, where we had a lovely time at the COS Banquet. Especial thanks to Staci for inviting us back, and to Diana who picked us up/dropped us off at the train station.
I would post the speech I gave except that as usual, I delivered a different talk than I wrote beforehand. I got at the same themes, but I was on cold meds. So I also learned: just read the speech when you’re on cold meds. I’m afraid I came off as far less organized and direct than usual, though I still received some nice compliments. Betty says I didn’t suck, but I didn’t meet my usual standards.
This cold sucks, for the record. But it’s slowly getting better.
Betty got the usual questions about her dosages, and I had my usual night of having some nice one-on-one conversations with people who attended. It’s really the part of being me I enjoy the most, talking with people about their own experiences, stuff they’re having trouble with, or meta conversations about the larger trans community. Still, I left (again) with the impression that COS is a cool organization that gives its members a lot of support; I hope they continue to thrive, and if you’re in the area, I recommend you say hello – even if it’s just for the social outings to dinner, etc.
The other thing I learned is that I love trains. Well I re-learned that, really. My hatred/fear of planes has made me feel very vulnerable, but also very restricted. But there’s Amtrak – and in some ways, this trip reminded me that I can still travel – it might take longer, but I can, without horrible fear and anxiety attacks. Which is, you know, a good thing. Besides, it’s great for writing, and listening to music, and for actually seeing the country you’re travelling through.

Eating, and Drinking, then Talking

Betty and I are off to the Connecticut Outreach Society’s Annual Banquet tonight, where I’ll be giving the post-dinner speech. We’re pleased to be going again, because we really enjoyed ourselves the first time I spoke at this event, in 2004. You’d think they’d have had enough of me by now, but my guess is that they want to know if I’ve gotten any better since then!
We also made the smart move to take the train. I love trains about as much as I hate cars and planes. So it’ll be nice to stare out the window, each of us with our headphones on, and read, and write, and stare out the window.
Our thanks to those at COS for having us again.