Renaissance LSV August Newsletter 2005
Edited by Ellen Davidson
Ellen’s Corner
There will be a meeting of Renaissance LSV at the MCC Church on Jefferson St in Harrisburg on August 6, 2005. The doors open at 8 PM and the meeting should start at 8:30 PM. Please bring something to share for refreshments.
Our last meeting was held on July 4th weekend and as a result, the attendance was not great. An interesting discussion was held regarding transgender and the workplace. Should you apply for a job in your chosen gender?
We recently participated in a very successful Pride Fest weekend. About a dozen or so of our members showed up at the Pride Fest held in Riverfront Park, Harrisburg on Saturday, July 30. We had a display booth and sold some original artwork created by artist, Deb Swanger and poet, Pam Hirschhorn. Thousands of people attended the Pride fest and saw some great entertainment. There were lots of food stands and GLBT vendors there too. It was a great opportunity to get out and meet people. Governor Rendell also made an appearance in support of Gay Pride Day. A big thank you goes to Kirsten for helping to pull our participation in the event together. Unfortunately, few of our members participated, but I am sure that those that did had a good time. After the Pride fest the Pink Lizard had a huge party It turned out to be a fun time but a long and tiring day for me as I was wearing heels from 10AM Sat to about 2 AM Sun morning.
We received an e-mail from Alexxus Kane, a nationally known drag queen from Reading. She has offered the opportunity for us to host and participate in a female illusion pageant. There will be more information to follow and we can discuss this possibility at the August meeting.
I am in the process of preparing for the Elizabethtown Fair, which opens on Monday, August 22 and runs through Saturday, August 27. I am responsible for contracting with many of the vendors, helping to troubleshoot electrical problems for stand holders and mapping the layout of the Fair. With these responsibilities and my work schedule, August will be a very busy month.
The September meeting will feature as our speaker, Officer Douglas, the community relation’s officer from the Harrisburg Bureau of Police. I’m sure many of you have questions regarding legal issues and this should be an interesting evening.
A new bulletin board for the LGBT community has been established to promote various events and provide better communication. The following is the link for the local LGBT Community Bulletin Board. Check it out. Click here: Local GLBT Community Bulletin Board
Hope to see you at the August meeting,
Ellen Davidson, Program Director
Cathy’s Chatter
By Cathy Dewalt
I do not feel there is an organization anywhere in the country that from time to time is not at odds with itself over one thing or another. That is the way it has always been and the way it always will be. It is a given. When the dust finally settles, for the most part, the organization stands firm. Our own small part of the world goes through this as well. From what I hear on both sides of the fence, the May meeting was not a very productive meeting. Enough said, it happens. I did make it to the June meeting and I must say that it was one of the most productive meetings that I have attended in the short time that I have been a member. Brenda is absolutely right, we are not professional therapists. We do however offer support to one another and that support was shown in full force June 4th. Angela is faced with a situation, and the membership responded with any number of animated responses. I think that this is what it is all about. We all face certain problems and when these problems are brought out to the group for discussion, it would be hoped that some sort of resolution be derived. This may mean a permanent resolution, or simply a case of putting an individual’s mind at ease knowing they are not the only one facing this situation. To respond to our director’s statement, “ We are not therapists,” she is right as I have said earlier, but in another way, she is wrong. No matter how you look at it, when a personal problem is presented to the group and the group responds in kind, that is therapy.
It would be the hope of this writer that more such problems, real or imaginary, be brought up from time to time. The idea of starting a group therapy before meetings is an excellent one and should be looked at very closely. Should this happen, it would also be this writers hope that the members who arrive early for the general meeting have the courtesy to not interrupt those sessions if they are still going on. In addition, some problems should still be presented to the general membership, as they are problems we most likely have all faced. We are all in this together. Just my thoughts. 6/5/05
Cathy’s Chatter Vol. 2
Summertime and the livin’ is easy. Considering that it was a holiday weekend, we did not have a bad little turnout for our July meeting. For such an informal gathering, much was discussed. Pride coming up soon was talked about as well as a spaghetti supper our own Angela has in the works to precede the September meeting. We should all make an effort to get to this dinner as Angela insists that the sauce is her own recipe and not “Prego”. I think she would also welcome any help we can offer her in setting up. It was also decided that the membership of the church be invited to partake in this dinner and be invited to stay for the meeting as well. Kristen informed everyone at the May meeting that we are to have a member or two from Harrisburg’s finest address the meeting. It would be this writer’s hope that they too, be invited to dinner, of course at no charge. Since these individuals will be addressing among other things, safety issues, I think this would be of interest to all that attend the dinner. For those that cannot attend the dinner, I would encourage you to come to the meeting and hear what these officers have to say.
Angela’s work situation was hit on briefly and things seem to jumping back into greased grooves for her. I myself brought a situation up concerning applying for a job and a subsequent interview. Briefly, the situation is, if the person wishes to work at the new job as their “new self”, should that person attend the interview as such? Most agreed that you should follow your heart. It would be far easier on the individual if a prospective employer knows your situation right up front, vs. finding out after you are hired. My own feelings on this are that if they are prejudiced to this sort of thing, you don’t want to work for them anyway. You may as well know right up front. Just my thoughts. 7/2/05
Renaissance Illusion Pageant
RE: The Letter from Alexxus Kane
Hello All,
Below you will find a letter from Alexxus Kane. She has been wanting to hold a pageant for our group and others in our community to give one of us a title in one of her pageantry systems. I think this is a great idea. It will give us recognition in the community and help bring our communities together. Now I know this is not for everyone, not all in our group or others in our community will be interested. But, it would be a fabulous feeling to have one of us represent our group and our community in a Pageantry system and even in shows. It will give us someone to help, support and back in the Pageantry system other then just another Queen. Most of us love to go watch a drag show and or a Pageant. Some of us go to see as many as we can get to see and others just go once in a while but there is never one of us in any show or pageant for us to root for or support.
I think there are some of us in the group and in the community who would want a chance to compete for a title. The one who wins the title in the Pageant can represent our group and our community in Pride festivals and in the community at functions, which would help our group, become more recognized. The winner can also become a helpful consultant for Makeup, feminine movements, wig styling and cleaning and female mannerisms because these are things that learned are used to help win a title and to perform in shows to make your performances more believable as a female performing. She can be a spokesman for our group and for our community. I believe there is a lot winning a pageant title can do for our group and our community other then one of us just having a title.
As I stated, this will not attract many in our group or in our community because it is not something everyone wants to do but for those who have been wanting a chance to compete and show off their ability to entertain in the art of female Illusion this is their chance to fulfill their dream or desire. This chance may not come around again for quite some time so I would ask that those who have been thinking and wanting to try their hand at this to take advantage of this opportunity while it exist.
I also think this would be a great opportunity for other Renaissance groups to take advantage of. We could have a Miss Renaissance to represent our group nationally and compete in Pageants and shows. We could have a Pageant within our group on a city level then Nationally to find that someone to be the National Miss Renaissance. Opportunity is knocking at our door girls; lets not let it get by us without taking advantage of it.
For those interested in learning more about this chance you can contact, Ellen Davidson, Alexxus Kane and Shania Shane.
Alexxus Kane ......... AlexxusKane@aol.com
Ellen Davidson ....... CeeDee578@aol.com
Shania Shane .......... Shaniashaine@aol.com
I am still looking to hold a pageant just for you guys... any thoughts yet on the Renaissance group?
Alexxus Kane
Miss American Illusion National
Miss American Illusion National Homepage
The following are questions regarding a proposed Renaissance Illusion Pageant and the responses from Miss Alexxus Kane:
There are questions that will arise which need answered and information and rules that need to be clarified. Will the title lead to anything bigger then just a title for the winner, such as: is this a prelim to a national Pageant? This would be a preliminary pageant to Miss Pennsylvania American Illusion National 2006.
What would the duties of the winner be?
To represent the title wherever possible and to promote the Miss American Illusion National pageant system (and of course to compete for Miss Pennsylvania American Illusion 2006).
Will the winner be recognized as a titleholder or just be looked at as someone who was handed a title for namesake?
The winner would be recognized as a titleholder, just as Miss Reading, Miss Berks County and Miss Pocono Mountains.
Will the winner just be laughed at behind her back because she is a nobody?
No, the American Illusion system was originally started to recognize performers that otherwise would not be given a chance to shine but were devoted to the community and to the art of female illusion. There are no nobodies in our system!
What would the winner’s prize consist of, or would it just be a title and nothing else?
The prize package would be decided before the pageant, but in general, the package would consist of crown, flowers and cash (cash is usually split – ½ at Miss PA and ½ at the give up of the title).
Would the winner be invited to do shows and numbers in other pageants?
The winner would be invited to perform at all preliminaries to Miss Pennsylvania American Illusion. Other bookings would be at the discretion of show directors at their respective establishments.
Would the winner be recognized by nightclubs other then Red Star as an actual titleholder worthy of being invited to do shows in their clubs?
That depends on how well the winner promotes “herself”. Visibility is key. The more people see a queen in face and in crown, the more she will be accepted. The Pennsylvania American Illusion Pageant has been established in PA since 2001, so most people in the drag community are familiar with the pageant. It is a legitimate title, just fairly new compared to other pageant systems that we see.
What rules would apply to this Pageant?
The same rules that were used for Miss Berks County American Illusion. Category descriptions are available on the website at www.ainpageantry.com
We always try to select judges from different backgrounds so that we get well-rounded opinions and scores. However, you must keep in mind that at any pageant, no matter who the judges are, opinion will always play a role in scoring. That is why we select a group of judges instead of leaving it in the hands of one person. What one judge likes, another one may not. Opinion is truly the only basis a judge has to rely on. We cannot force a judge to see things as we may like them to see or we would have cookie-cutter queens who all dress, look and act alike.
We don't wish to have a pageant started for Renaissance that is going to cause someone to think they are a title holder only to find out they are a laughing stock behind their back. Hope you understand the above. Not trying to cause a problem, just need things clarified so everyone who wants to enter will know all the facts, and, which set of rules will apply or a combination of different sets of rules from systems.
Once again, the rules are in print on the website and are the same rules that apply to anyone that competes. Everyone has the same opportunity to win. What it comes down to is how prepared contestants are for the pageant. You have competed and performed with us – you are familiar with the type of makeup and/or look that works. Illusion is just that – how closely does the contestant resemble a woman. In measuring that, we obviously need to measure talent, stage presence and ability to speak as well, since the winner will be representing our chosen art form in public. There is no reason for anyone to be considered a laughing stock, and we would defend any of our “sisters”.
Would the winner of this pageant be treated the same as any other winner of Illusion Pageants or Gay America pageants?
This is not America pageantry. The winner would have the same respect and treatment of any other American Illusion titleholder. If you look at our current titleholders, there is definitely a big difference in style, look and talent, but they are all treated with the respect they deserve and are welcomed with open arms into the family.
Having a title is great but if it is just a title for Renaissance members and not recognized by other queens and or clubs and goes nowhere else I don't think it will gain much of a drawing.
You have said yourself that the Renaissance group is all too often overlooked. Look at it this way… most pageants draw contestants from the community or area (like a city, county, etc.). No matter how you see it, there is definitely a different style in each area. For example, Miss Reading Illusion had contestants just from the Reading community. There is really no difference except in how you define community. Community can be a city, county, state, bar, or group such as yourselves. In the past, there have been preliminary pageants for almost every pageant system where bar titles have also been preliminaries to state titles. The only difference with Renaissance is that your “bar” is your club. It is still a fixed group of people from which to draw. Regardless how you look at it, the Renaissance group is just as legitimate in the art of female illusion as anyone else. We are all men in dresses. Who we sleep with has nothing to do with the art.
Will there be rules regarding surgical enhancements, hormones, etc.?
This is the only area that we agree 100% with the America system. NO WORK OF ANY KIND BELOW THE NECK, AND NO HORMONES. We are 100% men in dresses…to do otherwise would defeat the whole purpose of female illusion. It is no longer an illusion when you have changed your body and actually transformed into a woman!
You asked? .....................
Inquiring minds need to know,
Shania Shane and Ellen Davidson,
For the Renaissance membership and others who might become interested
