lauantai 31. toukokuuta 2014

(May) I Continue: The Various ways of dancing

In the end of the month it’s time to sum up my May.

Of course, there was Hauho weekend to meet sisters from all over the country. The special guest star was a crossdresser legend BB who has been a icon for many of us. She doesn’t know the word compromise. She even went to army rehearsals in mini skirt in late sixties!!  She is also a chess enthusiast so a tiny tournament took place.

Another guest was Sophie le Sucre, a burlesque artist. She had a little lesson of the history of Burlesque and a workshop with a short show. As an organizer I had an honor to help her tie the corset. It was not an easy task so I had to ask my friend Jaana to do the actual tightening.







To do a little different dancing we went to the local dance hall. We had done it also last May and we were then welcomed again. Those of us who asked ladies for a dance were also asked for a dance very many times.

The weather had been quite cold before the Hauho weekend but it gradually changed to warm sunshine. So I had an opportunity for my first bikini sun bath this year.




And after some hesitation I even went swimming, even though the water was far from being warm after two chilly weeks.




Last weekend I  danced in a season closing gala of the dance studio Luhtavilla. Our dance was a Turkish folk tune  Nihavent oyun havasi. When I see my dancing in the rehearsal video I notice I have done some progress. It's not much but I enjoy even the tiny progress I can notice in my dancing. 











This time we were more than five dancers in the performance so the dance looked quite impressing. Afterwards I asked my fellow dancer if she had heard some comments on me being there. She told me she had asked her husband and he had replied he didn’t notice any male dancer…




I wish a lovely, warm and relaxing summer for everyone!

  

torstai 22. toukokuuta 2014

The official identity crisis…?

During the last weeks my gender identity has been questioned a couple of times. And no, there has been no identity crisis in my head yet. So let’s start from the beginning.

On the first of May I travelled to Budapest for a congress and the assembly of the TransgenderEurope, the all-European organization for the trans people. I was there as a representative of our crossdresser organization Dreamwearclub and the Finnish national lgbti organization Seta.

To be as feminine as possible I left all the male things home except the shaving equipment. So there I was in the security control at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport. First I had some problems with removing my necklace and suddenly a gentleman behind me offered some help and opened the lock. Then the security control lady took my ticket and said: Well, you must have your husband’s ticket!” and I denied. She vinced and apologized for her mistake and I said no problem, actually it was very flattering: She seemed very relieved after that. Next I went to the departure gate to hear the confused words: It’s written (my male name) here…”  I replied “…and (my male name) is also here.”. So I could get to the plain without any problems.

The congress in Budapest was interesting and full of happening, meeting people from every part of the world hearing good and not so good news about the conditions people like us are living.


In the garden of the congress hotel                                                                              


                        A guest from the Tonga Islands teaching us a folk tune


There was very little time to see the city until Sunday the 4th of May when I had some spare time before my flight back. Even then the problem was most of the shops and historical places were closed.



                                          At the mall


I was a bit worried about the reputation of the right wing extremists In Hungary, but I couldn’t spot any of them – and it seems, neither did they spot me.  At the Budapest Airport I caused no confusion among the staff, either.                                    
                                                                                                                      


                                           Leaving the congress hotel with Kiira and Patricia


Another occurrence took place when I decided to pre-vote for the EU parliamentary elections. I'll have some other things to do in the actual election day and I forgot it so I had to do it on my way to my dance lesson. So I went to the queue in a Post office. The lady handed me the ballot very politely after checking my driving license. After filling the ballot I went to the desk to give it to the another official. He checked my license too and said my gender won’t match, the license is the man’s one. I replied I’m a man in a way, too. He still insisted he cannot identify me. After some conversation he finally allowed me to leave my ballot.


After these two incidents I have to come to the conclusion I must be far more passing than I’ve ever thought. That is not very bad thing to notice.