ETVC, or Educational TV Channel, has as part of its mission educating the public about transgendered people and the issues affecting them. As part of this mission, there is a group of people who are available to speak to organizations, such as civic groups and college classes. Since I have a background in public speaking, and am gradually becoming more comfortable appearing in public en femme, I felt that I could contribute to ETVC and the community by joining this group.
The coordinator of this group had scheduled a meeting for 1 p.m. in the private room of the restaurant where the group's end-of-month social meetings are held, with lunch beforehand starting at noon.
As with all group events so far, I wanted to attend en femme, and selected a wardrobe that I hadn't worn in public before, with a beige and grey pullover sweater, a beige plaid skirt, and a beige sweater-jacket. I started the day first going online, and offering my support to a friend who was having a problem that she wanted to discuss. Then I continued by shaving, then putting on my new makeup and blonde wig. I put on my undergarments and pantyhose, the clothes that I had chosen, and a pair of beige sandals with three-inch heels.
I took my usual walk to the BART station, rode to San Francisco, and transferred to a surface streetcar for the rest of the trip to the restaurant. I arrived a little afte 1 p.m., and the group was setting up tables and chairs in the back room for the meeting.
The people present represented a cross section of the membership of our group, including crossdressers, and transsexuals of both genders. All age groups were also represented. First we introduced ourselves, and told the group our respective backgrouds. The moderator then presented the purpose of the outreach committee, and we all participated in the discussion.
After the official meeting had been adjourned, many of us remained behind, and got to know each other better. For me this was the most important part of the day.
After we left the restaurant where the meeting had
been held, I began wandering around the city, both using the
local bus lines and on foot. I was looking for a particular
restaurant which had recently opened, but didn't have the address
with me and couldn't find it in the telephone directory or from
the directory operator. Instead, I took a bus to the North Beach
district of San Francisco, which is the historic Italian area. I
had dinner in a crowded restaurant there, and after I had eaten
the waiter was kind enough to take this picture of me there.
After leaving the restaurant, I walked to a bus stop, and had to wait some time before a bus actually came. Eventually one came, and I rode it to Market Street, where I entered the BART subway station for the trip home.
This page last updated: April 05, 2000
