I did a rather ballsy maneuver last evening...lol (it was fun! & I had no major trepedation or second thought... ;)) I had been invited by a casual friend, a photographer who had taken pix of Adara & myself when she visited me here in NYC last February, to attend a penthouse rooftop party at a posh hotel which would benefit a friend of hers who has cancer. I thought to myself...hmmmm...THAT sounds like just the place where I should be seen!...lol SO, I contacted a few local girls to see if anyone wanted to go have a laugh, but noone was available to come with. SO, I determined that THAT wasen't going to stop me. lol I got myself ready, and headed out into the city, full well knowing that I was in a tight dress...lol & on my own. Let the chips fall where they may I thought to myself. We are all ultimately on our own in this world, and if I'm going to present myself as a savy city girl, then going to a party as such, not knowing anybody, would again be another test of my metal in terms of validation of my true gender. I got to the hotel, found parking, and walked in through the swank & packed hotel bar. Mind you, I looked rather ok, in a black Thierry Mughler dress & Yves Saint Laurent heels & short sleek black leather coat... quite the fetching ensemble to make the men weak & the women catty...lol I decided that I should linger here for a drink, and proceeded to the bar. The scene was littered with yuppies, & eurotrash...lol & I , though taller & more bold than your average girl...lol, struck up a conversation with a young man at the bar, and said that I was going to a party in the penthouse & would he like to come with me... he looked at his friends, a group of guys & girls, and asked if they could come as well... I said of course, but it was a benefit & there was a 25$ cover entrance. Well, he decided that it was probably too rich for their collective evening, but bought me a drink & we chatted about exactly WHY I am, the way I am...lol I told him, in no less terms, that 1.) We cannot choose our gender, it chooses us...and who we are is determined as such by that natural selection...and 2,) I was NOT going to grow old & have regrets about living a lie about who I am, so it's MUCH better to be all that one can be.. and experience all the richness of life. This is a recurring theme which when I explain it to strangers, seems to somehow strike a chord with them, and put them at ease with me... and the conversation flowed into other areas for the course of those 20 minutes that I spent with him. I assume that I was getting stared at, I'm used to it, all girls get stared at...lol, but in retrospect, noone really seemed to be paying any attention. I was just another girl in the bar... brilliant! I thanked the fellow for the drink, proceeded through the bar, the posh hotel lobby, and took the elevator up to the penthouse. Mind you, that after having spent a very liberating week 24/7 in a dress in late September at SCC, being in girlmode now seemed more than ever this year to be just how I am supposed to be, and this is second nature, natural for me. I'm just one of the millions of girls here in NYC, that's all. I try to look my best & act like a lady, and that's how I am supposed to be in life, so no biggie...lol THe party was packed, and the only one that I knew was my photographer girlfriend Sabrina. I was the only TGirl there... DOH! But I had alot of fun, danced for several hours, and talked with lots of folks, all who seemed to like me...at least I handed out alot of cards...lol (which, have the genderevolve URL as well as my blogsite...so maybe just maybe I'm being in a small way an ambassador for our cause...) I left the party at the midnight hour when it was over & thought hmmm... what to do what to do! The night is young, and I was feeeling good about myself...SO... I decided to go over to East of Eighth, a bar / restaurant where surely there would be some other sisters... ;D Friday nights can be a crapshoot... you can be gaurenteed that on Saturday evenings, the girls will be out in various places, but Fridays are more of either a hunt & peck, or you just have to know where to go...lol The city is jammed on the weekends, and I couldn't find parking anywhere near East of Eighth...drat! So, I decided to go to Lips, a drag bar where I don't usually go, as it's kinda touristy, lots of people there for the show & I don't like to BE part of the show. But I decided that it was close, I knew the girls, and what the heck...lol SO, Off I went. Yes, upon getting there, there was a scene going on, like the Wetbar in Atlanta for those of you who were there this year... dragshow & lots of GG's...cool!) there for the show. I walked in, got kisses & compliments from the girls (always good to feel welcomed by sisters) and headed for the bar. I struck up a conversation with a group of people here from Europe... They found it amazing that I wasen't interested in the boy, but that his sister was on my hitlist...lol I showed them pix on the cam of SCC, the party, and my last project. The boy was quite amazed by the project pix, & I got instant cred...lol They wanted a tour guide, or at least the inside track as to where to go...they wanted to go to a variety of clubs...from Jazz to dance clubs to whatever pubs. SO...lol you know me..& I know the city..and they had a stretch limo! Well, enough said & Bob's your uncle! I said sure, I'll take you there... This for me was quite exciting...actuall being in a dress, with strangers, in a limo, and being accepted! This was too faking good to believe! I've made good friends in the past by just being myself, & giving them a tour around NYC, but this was a first... I was actually doing my thing in a dress & heels! Ripper! LOL Well, I took them to The famous Blue Note Jazz club, where DJ Logic was throwing down some wicked grooves (http://www.bluenote.net/newyork/index.shtml) Then off to Luke & Leroy's to finish off the night dancing with these new friends... ;)))) (http://www.lukeandleroy.com/Intro.html) That's a very trendy & TG friendly spot...Jenna's been there with me...she knows...it's very hip & very fun.. :)) As the remains of the night crept on, I took them to Florent for a french breakfast of crepes & eggs bernaise... ;)) (http://www.restaurantflorent.com/press/NYT4.html) All this happening STILL with a limo attatched...lol I was in girly pig heaven...lol THey dropped me off at my car as the early morning sun rose over the city... another mission accomplished & what a great nite! AND, I did it alone my way... pretty interesting what can happen to a TGirl in the city, when you can just be yourself, and be real with people. Perceptions are changing about us. We're gaining rights and respect as we present ourselves with class & intelligence. We are at a crossroads in history when what we do now will pave the way for our younger sisters.... My only question then is...where to go & what to wear tonight? *wink* You all have an open invitation to come play with me here in my city... remember that...let's make movies...!lol Hope that your fall season is seeing you all having fun too! Your girl in the apple, B~Cup !