Rho Tau Newsletter
May, 2000
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| Rho Tau's First Anniversary | Lucy's Window why passing is important to me | First Anniversary Party! |
by Lucy Stone
This month marked the first anniversary of the formation of Rho Tau. On May 20, we celebrated by having a catered dinner at our usual meeting place. Helping us celebrate were sisters from National Tri-Ess and our sister chapter in Raleigh, Sigma Rho Delta. Sisters visiting us included:
Our chapter was organized on May 1, 1999, when a group of twenty cross-dressers and their wives or significant others gathered at the Colonial America Hotel in Williamsburg. Our group made up of members of Chi Epsilon Sigma, who lived in the Richmond-Tidewater area and other cross-dressers and wives who expressed interest in joining a local chapter. That night we chose "Rho Tau, The Richmond-Tidewater Chapter" as our official name, established the third Saturday of each month for our meeting dates, selected officers and named a committee to begin the drafting of chapter by-laws. By the end of June, we had submitted our proposed by-laws to the national headquarters of Tri-Ess, and we were notified on the first of July that we were officially a chapter.
We were off to a fast start, and we haven't slowed down since. During our first year, we have accomplished the following:
We can all be proud of what we, the sisters of Rho Tau, accomplished during our first year. Let's keep up the momentum and make our second year an even better one. However, we can't do it without everyone's help. Your ideas and your active participation are very much needed.
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By Lucy Stone
Why Passing is Important to Me
Since the first time I went out cross-dressed, twenty four years ago, I have always wanted to pass. Now, I expect to pass. But why is passing so important to me? Is it as some have suggested, the only reason that a CD wants to pass is because she either does not enjoy her masculine side, wants to be a girl or has a secret desire to engage in liaisons with other males? For me, the answer is an emphatic none of the above. Ever since I discovered the difference between boys and girls, I have always enjoyed being a heterosexual male with a feminine side.
Being able to pass in public is important to me because it gives me far greater freedom to go forth cross-dressed in public. Others are more at ease because nothing appears out of the ordinary, and I am at ease because I know I am being perceived as the lady, who is the personification of my feminine self. And while I am very much aware of my increased vulnerability when I am dressed as a woman, it is somewhat comforting to know that my vulnerability is the same as my wife's and not increased by the potential for being attacked because I appear to be a man in a dress.
Like all CDs, I very much enjoy wearing women's clothing, but my opportunities to dress are limited. However, as my capability to pass has developed, the amount of time that I have been able to dress has increased. While not my wife's favorite way for me to accompany her, she has gotten more comfortable as my emulation has gotten better. Ask her what she thinks about Lucy, and she is always quick to point out that she and Lucy have had, and continue to have, many fun times together..
Of course, being able to pass is far from being the only factor that determines the frequency with which each of us can dress. Occupational vulnerability, workload, wife's degree of acceptance, children or other unwitting family members and family crises are but a few of the determinant factors. However, many times, it is a CD's limited capability to pass that ultimately is the constraining factor. Now that I am retired, and have no unwitting family members in the home, the number of other complicating factors is greatly reduced. How awful it would be, at this time in my life, if my enjoyment of cross-dressing was severely limited because I had listened to our sisters who say that passing is an impossible illusion; or I had been dissuaded from trying for any number of other reasons; or I had been too lazy to apply myself.
I am not saying that everyone wants to pass or should want to pass, and I am very much aware that it much easier for some of us to pass than for others. Rather, I am saying don't let our naysaying sisters convince you that no matter what you do you will always be a "man in a dress", and you can never appear to others as anything else . While it is true,that when we are cross-dressed each of us are still males, there is nothing to prevent us from developing a convincing emulation of a woman unless we are incapable of closely observing genetic females and adapting what we learn.
If you have a ways to go to become truly passable but have the desire to develop a passable presentation, go for it. But don't be discouraged if it takes you a long time. Every CD starts out with a huge disadvantage over genetic females. They have grown up learning their female roles, while most of our focus and coaching has been on dressing and functioning as men. However, if you have a long-term commitment to developing a passable you, you can over time develop the capability to convincingly personify your feminine self. For me it took a very long time, but every time I go some place cross-dressed I am very glad that I made the effort.
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by Tiffany Michelle
The May meeting of Rho Tau was especially meaningful for us.
First of all, it celebrated our first anniversary. I'm sure many of us remember that first meeting in Williamsburg where we labored over the details of starting a group... we hadn't even decided on a name or a place to meet.
Now we are one of the fastest growing groups in all of Tri-Ess! Helping to
celebrate our anniversay, Karen Taylor and Debbi Richards, President and Secretary
respectively of Sigma Rho Delta came from North Carolina to help us celebrate.
Secondly, we were joined by Chairman of the Board of Directors for Tri-Ess International, Jane Ellen Fairfax. She gave a wonderful presentation about the history ofTri-Ess that included important milestones along the way, it's present state of affairs, and what we could do to help Tri-Ess continue to grow and become even a more important organization within the TG community. We talked about ways we could lessen the responsibilites of the national officers that are spread over just a few key people. Can you imagine just a few people handling the day-to-day activities of a national group the size of Tri-Ess?
 Samantha and Diane |
 Sara |
 Niki Sterling and Joan Stone |
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A vote among members favored the Greek menu for the catered meal. The food was plenty and delicious!
I understand that we have Catherine and Tina to thank for finding these fabulous caterers.
Kim, the caterer and her assistant Crystal seem to be enjoying the banquet as much as
the Rho Tau members did!
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