Cruise to Nowhere

It is almost five years since we had our little cruise. Tjime to post the piccies I think. It was a wonderful few days!

Going to the wedding of a good friend.

My friend is getting married in two weeks time.

I have too many dresses now so although I have bought a new dress for the wedding I am going through my wardrobe to find an appropriate outfit for the hens night.

It will be my first time attending such a function as it is, of course, girls only.

I have had a lovely Sunday morning dressing and taking photos.

2016 Chillout Festival.

Seahorse Victoria

I have been a member of Seahorse Victoria since 2004.

Seahorse has been around since 1975 and has been an immeasurable help to so many girls. It's importance is impossible to quantify.

I have seen girls come in to a meeting to scared to say boo and a few short months later see the same girls out at a public venue dancing up a storm.

This photo was taken in our old meeting room that was demolished some years ago. I think this was about 2008. The lady on the right is the wonderful Greer our long serving President and without whom Seahorse would no longer operate. She is a marvelous woman.

This is a bunch of us girls representing Seahorse in the Pride March in 2010

Here Elaine, a founding member, is cutting the 38th anniversary cake in 2013

Greer, Merri and me at our June 2013 meeting.

Meredith s a club stalwart. She has been on the committee for years and been on the door most meeting nights. She and I have been long time members.

The 40th anniversary ball in 2015 was a great night. 

This is our table.

Organizations such as Seahorse are struggling to survive. I support Seahorse because it is a huge help for those who are battling to come to grips with who and what they are. I firmly believe Seahorse saves lives.

Me outside our meeting room.

I hope that the club can continue for some time to come.

Jan xx.

My First Transformal. 2012

I first attended Transformal, which was held in the beautiful Blue Mountains high above Sydney, in 2012.

I had known of the event since it's inception in 2010 but for some strange reason had not had the mind to attend.

This is the Cocktail Reception on the first night of my first Transformal.

I met these girls for the first time and I am happy to say I am still friends with a most of them. This was a lot of fun and for some girls their first time out in the real world ever. It is always lovely to watch a new girl discover that the world does not collapse because she was in public presenting as a woman.

This is the group photo for 2012

Sunday morning shortly after the group photo on the steps of the Carrington. I am happy to say that I am still friends with five of these girls today.

These two beautiful young ladies were making a film of the event for a school project. Even though they gained permission from all the girls they filmed and interviewed the finished product never saw the light of day as one of the interviewees rescinded her permission post production making their project useless.

It is not hard to see why we are sometimes viewed in a bad light. Tsk tsk.

This is the first photo I have of Lorraine and me at a Transformal. I have always tried for a photo with her each year.

Being my first Transformal it was pretty special to me. I have loved them all but you always remember your first!

Jan xx.

A bit of a Milestone.

04-09-2018

I have decided not to let inhibitions rule my life.

I live in a small regional town of eight thousand people and I know most of them. I prefer to grocery shop as a woman and I usually travel to one of two larger towns that are half an hour to the east and west.

Tonight I shopped in both of our local supermarkets for the first time as a woman.

This is the outfit I chose to wear. I was the only person in a dress, being only the fourth day of Spring, but even so I was all but invisible. A shop assistant said hello and I chatted to the young man on the checkout but in all I was just another woman going about her business.

I saw one person I knew well but he didn't notice me.

It was nice to be me in such a familiar place. In all a good step in the right direction for me.

Jan xx.

Cruise to Nowhere.

With the demise of Transformal a few of the girls donned their thinking caps and have come up with a new venture to perpetuate our yearly get together.

An ocean cruise.

Next year, 2019, we are boarding in Melbourne and sailing for three nights to Sydney, hence the name 'Cruise to Nowhere.' Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at sea, visiting nowhere.

With the great turnout of family members last Transformal I have asked my eldest daughter to accompany me on the cruise. She is a great ally and has known about Jan for some time and is completely unfazed by the situation.She is a special young woman who sees the good in all. I am very proud of her.

She accompanied me to the Seahorse Victoria 40th Anniversary Ball in 2015 and was a big hit:-

The venue had this oversized chair as a photo opportunity and Trans people being what we are took full advantage. I think we may have had the most photos taken as we were the the only parent/daughter combination there. Cameras came from everywhere.

I think the cruise is a wonderful idea. The organisors wrote to P & O asking for the ok to board as women while presenting male photographic I.D. and was met with deafening silence. Thankfully the Princess Line was a lot more welcoming and accommodating. (and open minded)

When I have been involved in mainstream events in the past I have found that a good percentage of straight people have fun with us. They often show interest and it is always lovely to be asked for photos with them. I hope the cruise is no exception.

We have a young lady at a travel agency handling all the arrangements and she has assured us that all is good. She is lovely and seems to be getting into the whole swing of things.

It will hold lots of new experiences as I will be flying back to Melbourne on Monday which is the first time I will fly as a woman. I have been wanting to experience this for some time but until now the opportunity has never arisen.

I am looking forward to the event very much.

Jan xxx.