In the 1990s TGForum had an expert on drag in movies who wrote a series of articles for us. Laurie Sheril was her name and she covered the instances of movie crossdressing through the different historical periods of film-making. We’re bringing her series out of the archives as a Retro Rerun beginning with her article on drag in the early years of the talkies.
Every few years the theory pops up again that the subject of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting Mona Lisa was actually da Vinci in drag. If not actually da Vinci some claim it was one of his male models decked out in feminine attire. Either way the only supporting evidence is thin. Susan Grant thinks that she may have a deeper insight on the subject. Today she explores it thoroughly and all she asks is that you pay attention to the hands, not that mysterious smile.
Before there was a word describing people who are drawn to the clothing and behavior of the opposite sex the only places they could go to indulge their need was the shady, often illegal homosexual bars. The transgender people back in the day would find refuge in places like the Stonewall Inn in New York City. But the problem with going to those bars was that since they were most often illegal the police would show up, arrest everyone and shut the place down. Then one night LGBT people came out of the shadows to say “enough!” Susan Grant takes a look at the Stonewall Riot.
Paul Lavern Cummings, a contemporary female impersonation performer of David de Alba’s, passed away in Las Vegas, Nevada last week as the result of an auto accident. He was born on August 17, 1927. David de Alba wrote the following tribute before Paul/Lavern passed away and Paul/Lavern picked the photos we present above. For more […]
It’s a story that seems like a crossdressing fantasy but it really happened. A con man who was living as a woman started a bogus automobile company in California while he was on the run from charges of counterfeiting and bail jumping. He was so confidant of his female identity that she risked the public eye to head the bogus car company and court investors. Even though she wasn’t that convincingly female. It all happened back in the 1970s. Guest contributor Susan Grant tells you all the details of this amazing story.
Linda Jensen is writing a series about her first foray into the TG world. With acknowledgement to the poet, Robert Frost, she has called it The Road Not Taken. Why? After a short time immersed in that world LindaI veered off the path that leads many to gender re-assignment and a life different than they could have expected if they had remained living a male life. While Linda was on that road it became a trip she will never forget. Today’s post sets the scene talking about what it was like for trans women in Toronto in the ’60s.
When it comes to Christmas cheer Sophie Lynne has nothing to say but “Bah. Humbug!” It’s not that she’s a Scrooge. It’s just that for her Christmas was never a time for all the good cheer and joy that is commonly presented a product of the season. Far too often the season is just about moving product and making the bottom line bigger at the end of the year. Also, Sophie works in retail and at Christmas time that can be even more stressful than during the rest of the year. In this Christmas day blog Sophie gives you some more reasons she’s not a fan of the season and she provides some historical facts about the day.
David de Alba is The Cuban Legend. He began his career in female impersonation in Chicago clubs after a friend noted how much he resembled Judy Garland and did his makeup for a Halloween Ball. Soon David was practicing singing in Garland’s voice and working in the clubs. Then came a move to San Francisco and his years on stage at the famous Finocchio’s club. For the whole story of David’s life in dresses and heels read this article republished with permission from the Newsletter of the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society.
Joanne Meyerowitz is professor of History and American Studies at Yale. She is the author of How Sex Changed: A History of TransSexuality in the United States. She wrote a series of articles that were published on TGF in 1998 that presented the history of “sex change” before Christine Jorgensen made headlines as the “first” person to have a “sex change.” Since this is all three parts of her series be prepared to spend some time reading this fascinating history.
Earlier this year legendary female impersonator and contributor to TGForum David de Alba was interviewed for Celebrity Radio by Alex Belfield. Belfield is a syndicated radio host who produces interviews with celebrities around the world and is based in England. He traveled to Las Vegas to interview the Cuban Legend and we present the interview here, […]
New Year’s Eve 1998 saw Linda Jensen in Los Angeles ready to go to the big party at the Queen Mary club. She had the dress, and she had a plan for the evening. She made special arrangements to be in the City of Angels for the New Year’s party and then she remembered she forgot to bring earrings to match the dress. Fortunately the Jim Bridges Boutique was on the way. Step back to the lat ‘90s and visit the now closed but fabled Queen Mary with Linda in this Retro Rerun.
Aleshia Bravard, a trans woman who got her start in show business working as a female impersonator before having GRS in 1962 passed away on July 1 of this year. After her surgery she returned to her home state of Tennessee and got a degree in the arts from Middle Tennessee State. She then worked as a theater professor and eventually returned to California to pursue and acting career with appearances on numerous shows from The Red Skelton Show to The Partridge Family, Night Gallery and many more. In 2001 she wrote her autobiography and did a sequel in 2010. Before she passed away our own David de Alba did an in-depth interview with her. We present it here with David’s permission.
Gina Vizavi reviews Cokie Roberts’ 2004 book, “Founding Mothers The Women Who Raised Our Nation.” The book is a compilation of personal letters between people from the earliest years of our nation. The letters tell the story of women who were considered the property of their husbands and were excluded from participation in higher learning, or government. Roberts ties the letters together with clarifications, context and often times humor. The book opens a window on what it was like to be a woman in those days.
David de Alba is that last performing female impersonator from the legendary Finocchio’s in San Francisco. In honor of David’s birthday on May 20 we present three videos of his gift to his fans, his August 2016 show in Las Vegas. David sings as Liza and his own stage character Boy Chic. He also tells stories of his time at Finocchio’s. If you are a David de Alba fan, or would like to become one, you won’t want to miss seeing these videos. Happy birthday, David!
In light of Ms. Bob Davis’s current effort to preserve trans history by turning her massive collection of trans photos, memorabilia and books into an archive that will be available to the public we present a re-run from April of 1998. It is a review of a rare book, a detective story with science fiction overtones that was published in 1907, and features moving the consciousness of a man into the body of a woman. It’s also a satire of the type of detectives stories written at that time.
Trans people have been around since ancient times. In the recent past of the last 100 years society in the west did not want to acknowledge the existence of trans people. Only in the last 15 – 20 years have we begun to get more attention and recognition as legitimate human beings, not oddities and aberrations. But the very fact that people in the past had to hide their true nature and “pass” as typical members of the straight world means that much of our history has been erased. Some people have been working to save as much of our past as possible. One of those is Ms. Bob Davis. Ms. Bob has a vision for a trans history archive. Learn more about it in an article from The Bay Area Reporter by Gwen Smith. Reprinted with permission.
Transgender historian Ms. Bob Davis has announced the founding of the Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive and launched a crowd fundraising campaign on Indiegogo. The Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive (LLTA) will house an extensive and varied collection of transgender archival materials. LLTA will make hundreds of publications, thousands of photographs, theatrical programs and recordings, now in […]
Pamela DeGroff has labored away in the humor and music departments of TGForum since the early days of this publication. All told she has been with us for 18 years. Today she posts her final Perpetual Change music column. We thank her for all those contributions over the years and wish her luck in all future endeavors. Pamela will be gone but not forgotten. You can always read her columns from the past few years right here on TGF. Just use the search box and look for Perpetual Change. And now and then we may bring back some of her older contributions from the original TGF as Retro Reruns. Thanks Pamela!
Since I moved to Las Vegas, I have had the greatest opportunity to become acquainted with the world-famous singer and theater performer, David de Alba. David is renowned for his female impersonations as a legendary ensemble member at San Francisco’s Finocchio Club; and even in retirement, David performs two shows a year here in Las […]
It’s the time of year when all publications do a year in review and TGForum is no exception. We’ve gone through every month of TWIT for 2016 and picked out a few stories from each week. Put all together they make a really long scrolling page but they will take you back through the year that just ended. Get ready to scroll! It’s TWIT 2016 in Review!
Dallas Denny takes us back to the days of Germany’s Weimar Republic, a socially liberal, progressive democratic government that ruled Germany after World War I. During that time trans people became bolder and began to be seen out and about in public places. The good times ended when Adolph Hitler was elected chancellor and his National Socialist party came to power. Dallas feels that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it and she finds chilling similarities between the fall of the Weimar Republic and what is currently happening in the U.S.A.
Have you ever wondered how Linda Jensen got her CD name? Do you want to know how she discovered the crossdressing world and when that was? The answer to the last question was in the late ’60s. Linda wrote all about it, and some of the story is a bit risque, on TGForum back in 1998. We bring the article back now as a TGForum Retro Rerun. Step back in time and learn how Linda first made contact (intimate contact) with the drag community at a club in Toronto called the St. Charles.
Julie Gaum is 91. She’s been crossdressing since she was 15, after an earlier incident at age 7. Now she has written a book to share her story with the world. The book is called “Never Climbed His Mountain.” In the last chapter of her story she graduated from Wharton and went to Hollywood to work in the film industry. Then she found herself romantically involved with a Hungarian woman while Julie collected more women’s clothes in secret. At the end of Chapter 3 she was working for a home improvement chain in Canada and logging many miles on the lonely road.
[youtube]zlTjKBg0GfU[/youtube] You’ll want to be a part of this special show, My Golden Years at Finocchio’s, on August 14 as David’s documentarian will be filming his performance for use in the documentary film about David and Finocchio’s. Speaking of which, here is a rare photo of David at Finocchio’s with Paul Ryner, David’s partner, and […]
For over 100 years breasts have been uplifted by a noble garment that is the foundation of a successful woman. We’re talking about the bra. The brassiere. They lift, separate, pushup and add shape to the breasts of women all across the world. But it seems, if we are to believe Cate O’Malley, that it’s a love, hate relationship.
David de Alba, the Cuban Legend is doing a show in Las Vegas on August 18 and he wants everyone to know. He will be doing David de Alba as Boy Chic, My Golden Years at Finocchio’s. The show starts at 3:30 p.m. in the MVIG Cultural Arts Center which is inside the Boulevard Mall […]
