TG History: GIRLS NIGHT OUT, THE EARLY SUPPORT GROUPS

WHAT WAS THE OLDEST SUPPORT GROUP IN CONTINUOUS EXISTENCE?

Now that’s a really good question. Let’s face it — TG groups aren’t always known for their longevity. They come and go like fireflies in the summer, often appearing out of nowhere then disappearing just as suddenly once interest and volunteers have run out. For a group to stay and stay not for months or years but decades.  So how does one create a transgender support group that hangs around that long? Have a tough, single minded autocratic leader who never leaves? Well the longest running TG group had its founders but wasn’t dependent on one person. Join a nationwide support organization? No, this group pretty much went its own way. Know someone with lots of money? Not really, but they did hold a lot of potlucks and bake sales back in the day… Well then surely they were formed during a progressive time in some large, cosmopolitan, liberal minded city. You know, somewhere like the Big Apple or San Francisco or….

Wilma T. and Helen

America’s oldest known transgender support group in continuous operation was founded in Albany, New York in 1954 and operated for almost a half a century.

Things began in the early Fifties when a crossdresser named Wilma T. (they used initials back then) came out to her wife Helen about her dressing. Helen was accepting and they decided to contact other crossdressers, an incredibly difficult task in those pre-Internet days, particularly in rural upstate New York. But Wilma and Helen eventually succeeded in forming a small support group. They began to hold regularly scheduled meetings as private house parties in 1954 and, incredibly, continued doing so for nearly thirty years. During the 1960s Virginia Prince founded the national organization FPE (Foundation for Personality Expression) and offered the group membership. However Wilma declined, not wishing to follow Prince’s extensive rules and restrictions. FPE (the predecessor to Tri-Ess) was a closed group and the Albany group wanted to remain open to everyone. To that end in 1971 they formally named their group the “TransVestite Independent Club” or “TVIC.” Wilma and Helen also began publishing a monthly newsletter titled TVIC Journal, citing their early roots by printing “Established 1954” starting with the September 1978 issue. Those early editions were mostly a compendium of news from the meetings, opinion, local stories and clips from newspapers.

(Note: Another group also calling themselves TVIC formed in Hartford, Connecticut in the early ’70s. They rented an apartment over a local lesbian bar and established a key club as well as regular members meetings once a month. Unfortunately, their building burned down in 1980 and this group disbanded.)

A TVIC meeting, circa 1975.

The format and style of TVIC meetings were unique. While many of the crossdresser meetings of the day were formal structured affairs, TVIC promoted a relaxed, family atmosphere of friends getting together. Meetings were held on a Saturday each month, excluding July and August, beginning in mid-afternoon at Wilma’s house. A small sewing room was made available for those who needed to change. Their playroom at the back of the house was the club meeting room with a bar at one end. Wilma and Helen provided ice, soda, and snacks but otherwise it was BYOB. Only rarely was there a vendor or other special program, as members simply indulged in the joy of socializing together. Meanwhile Helen was busy cooking dinner in her kitchen, usually with help from the wife of another member. Helen was a very good cook, specializing in Italian-style cuisine. Winnie Brant remembered that at about 8 o’clock Helen would call for volunteers to carry food out to the buffet table in the middle of the meeting room. After eating and cleanup, the meeting continued with talking and drinking until midnight sharp so Wilma could get some sleep since she still had to get up early to go to work. Because of the meal, advance notice of attendance was necessary and there was a modest charge for the cost of the food, but no-shows were a continual aggravation.

A day or two after the meeting, Helen would type the front page of the TVIC Journal including a list of all attendees and the menu of the dinner she had served, plus a few homey remarks. Wilma would complete the rest of the newsletter totaling 8 pages, after which it was copied, mailed, and received within the week. The hospitality of Wilma and Helen became legendary in the Northeast and TVIC meetings attracted members from all over New York and neighboring states. TVIC remained an “open” group and all transgendered people found a sympathetic ear for their troubles. Average attendance at meetings was about 15-20 to a high of 40 people. Wilma and Helen also had a camp on their small, private island near Lake George and would invite members to visit during the summer months. Being accessible only by boat, it was an ideal place for crossdressing outside without fear of interruption.

Denny & Michelle-Ann’s wedding at TVIC in 1978.

By the end of 1983, Wilma T, now 70, retired from her job and TVIC as well. Wilma and Helen sold their home and moved to a trailer park near Glens Falls. They lived there as a typical retired couple and were active in seniors’ organizations but cut all ties with the transgender community. Sadly, Wilma passed away in August, 2001. But though the original founders stepped back, the remaining members of TVIC reorganized and changed the name to the “Transgenderist’s Independence Club” (TGIC). At first monthly meetings were held at a friendly gay bar in Schenectady called the 145 Club. In the late ’80s, TGIC President Renee Chevalier renovated the third floor of a building she owned on Central Avenue in Albany. Informally known as “The Clubhouse”, it remained in use thru the spring of 2004. Five closets were made available to members who could not easily express their transgender nature at home. (In what may be a positive sign of the times, the demand for this diminished over the years.) After Renee Chevalier, a succession of leaders followed including Dawn Carpenter, Tiffane Vrooma, Winnie Brant, Tina Andrus, and Kaylie Lavedure.

On September 18, 1997 the Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community Council gave their “Building Bridges” award to TGIC “for their efforts to reach out and build bridges between diverse segments of the GLBT community.” Before it folded, TGIC had dropped the “ist” from their name becoming the “Transgender Independence Club.” But by whatever name, TGIC has been a group for the ages

Information for this article came from “History of Transgender Groups in Albany” by Winnie Brant as well as good old fashioned Lois Lane style interviews conducted with past TVIC/TGIC members.

Tags: crossdressing, History

Category: Transgender History