Fantasia Fair 2011 — Epiphany #2
Hebe Dotson in her fashion show dress.
Fantasia Fair 2010
When I arrived at Fantasia Fair 2010 in Provincetown on October 17, 2010, I found that I was something of an oddity. I was 80 years old. In those 80 years, I had never once been out in public dressed as a woman. In addition, some of the attendees were readers of my fiction and commentary in TGForum.
I registered at my hotel and at Fantasia Fair 2010’s headquarters at the Crown & Anchor Inn. With that accomplished, I hurried back to my room and began to dress for the welcoming reception that evening.
When the evening was over, I was still 80, but I had definitely been out in the streets of Provincetown dressed as a woman. It was a wonderful feeling to have finally done what I’d always wanted to do. As I looked at the happy face in my hotel room’s mirror, I had a genuine epiphany: “I could live like this for the rest of my life,” I said to myself.
Well, I got to live like that for the next six days, and then I had to go home. I’d met many new friends, spent an evening as an international model, and conducted a workshop on transgender fiction. It was hard to return to my home — but I did, after reserving my hotel room and a place in the 2011 edition of Fantasia Fair.
Fantasia Fair 2011
By the time I arrived at Fantasia Fair 2011 on October 16th, I’d made enormous progress — NOT! As of June 1st, I’d told my sister-in-law, my two daughters and their husbands, a therapist, and five other friends (well, the ratio of those knowing on June 1st to those who knew in October 2010 was infinite (11/0), so I was making some progress — s l o w l y.
When FF 11 ended on October 22nd, I departed with the feeling that I’d had another enjoyable time. I’d met more people and I’d enjoyed many good presentations. The weather was chilly but mostly fair, with the exception of rather heavy rain while we were lugging our fashion model outfits from our hotel rooms to the Crown & Anchor. But I guess the fact that I signed up for Fantasia Fair 2012 and re-reserved my hotel room is reasonable evidence that I enjoyed myself.
Somehow, I felt that I should have had another epiphany. But I didn’t. Strange . . .
Post-Fantasia Fair 2011
By the time I got home, I’d had Epiphany #2. “You’re just being too slow,” Ep-2 advised me. “You’re not a take-charge kind of guy at all.”
“I’m not any kind of guy,” I reminded her. “I’m a girl . . . or an old lady . . . or something.”
“You’ve got to speed things up. You’re 81. Ladies of your degree of antiquity don’t have all the time in the world.”
“I agree,” I said, “but I’m a little tired. I’ll ponder your advice in the morning.” But I didn’t. When I woke up the next morning, I dressed in women’s clothes and haven’t been back in male clothing since. My count of informed friends and relatives rose to 23 before FF 11 and now stands at 41.
I came out of my closet on October 24th. I now run errands all over town, not worrying about someone trying to have me arrested or run out of town. I feel freer than I’ve felt for a long time.
And in Conclusion
This piece was supposed to be all about Fantasia Fair, but it seems to be mostly about me. If you’re nervous about leaving your closet, go to a transgender conference. You’ll have fun, and you might have an epiphany.
(Click on the first photo. It will open in a larger size in a floating window. Use the navigation arrows on the bottom left of that window to view all of the photos.)
© 2011 Hebe Dotson
Category: Transgender Body & Soul, Transgender Fun & Entertainment
About the Author (Author Profile)
One of TGF's longest running authors, Hebe has been writing for TGF since the 1990s. With a focus on TG fiction she also has covered mythic crossdressing and recently has reported on TG events.Subscribe
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