SF trans/intersex open stages invite allies

TransGender and Intersex communities reach out to queer and other allies more effectively by holding "open stages"
(conventionally called "open mics").

Yes, some TG support groups also welcome allies.
But there a non-TG person may feel irrelevant.
At open stages, all members of the audience count.

"Re-Tool and Grind", sponsored by trans-men (F2M*), welcomes any kind of performance,
not just spoken word.
Bring your guitar! At their August event, Cole played a 60s country tearjerker. On September 29, I hope he'll perform one of his own original songs.

Here's your invitation:
"Red & Cole Present
RE-TOOL
&
GRIND
An FTM & Friends Open Stage
Wednesday [....]
7pm to 9pm
At EROS 2051 Market Street
[near Church Street Muni Station]
Free Event in the EROS Lounge
Open to All Genders. [....]
For more information,
contact Ken @ EROS, [415] 255-4921."

(Though RT&G is free, donations are accepted.)


When I first attend in late August, almost all of the audience seem to be trans-men. Most of them look like bio-men in their thirties. Some might be slightly older than they look, since moving from F to M can subtract years from one's visibly perceived age.

Most dress like average midclass shy straight men, as if trying to avoid standing out in a crowd. Like "regular guys".
Of course that forgettable blandness doesn't include their intellectual guide, Red Jordan Arobateau, who dresses as flamboyantly as most avant-garde radical writers.

After Cole's song, Red performs several sketches from his memoir "Autumn Changes", including a scene, circa 1998,
in which a "dyke separatist" community reacts to a former butch who's becoming a trans-man via testosterone.

Next a woman, Delilah Jasmine, emerges from her dressing-room to perform a spirited belly-dance, with high-kicks and splits. Many of the guys tuck dollar bills into her waistband.


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Since TG and intersex persons/groups/communities vary wildly, an observer generalizes at severe risk.
Here's another open stage, which I haven't visited:

"GenderEnders: This ground breaking monthly series features transgendered, intersexed and/or genderqueer artists and a queer performance open mic. All genders, sexualities, and identities are welcome! [...........] $4 - $7.
The GenderEnders' mission is to foster community among the growing 'trans' performance scene,
and allow gender/sex variant voices to reach larger audiences. First Tuesday...."

[For more info, including location and time,please see

http://genderenders.com ]


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Please mark your calendar:

First Tuesdays: GenderEnders: Oct. 5, Nov. 2 (Election Day), and Dec. 7 (Pearl Harbor Day) 2004.

Last Wednesdays: Re-Tool & Grind: Sept. 29, Oct. 27, Nov. 24, Dec. 29, 2004.


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Amphibiously,
Aunti Tortuga Bi LIBERTY,
for Senior Unlimited Nudes of SF
http://pages.prodigy.net/seniornude
Sunday, 12 September 2004

......
*( Yes, I DO know that FTM (not F2M) is the conventional abbreviation for "Female To Male".
But I believe that F2M is more clear than FTM (as M2F is more clear than MTF);
and equally brief, both in writing and in speaking.
By using "2" for "to", we could reserve "T" for "Trans".
For example, my own personal TG journey, if I were to act on it, would be M2T (not M2F). )
.....
[ For books by Red, please visit:
http://www.redjordanarobateau.com/ ]
......
For more info on Club Eros,
gay and bisexual men could try :
http://www.erossf.com/

[Warning: When I googled for Club Eros, I got misled to Canada, Puerto Rico, etc.
After I belatedly found erossf.com, info was still hard to get.
When I clicked on the "events" button, I couldn't access their events page.
If you have a better computer, better ISP, or better skills, maybe you'll be luckier?
IMQO, Club Eros should call in a queer web-maven to improve its site
(and, if possible, to boost its Google visibility?) -- TBL]
.......
###