|
The monthly e-magazine of the River City Gems
|
February 2010
|
|
|
Join Our Email List!
|
 |
We are pleased to welcome new member Gwen B. to our River City Gems family!
|
Time to Renew Your Gems Membership
|
The new River City Gems membership year begins March 1. We wish to thank all current members for their generous support throughout the past year. Please help us to keep our organization strong by renewing your membership for 2010. You can renew online, by mail, or at any Gems event. For all the details, please visit the membership page of our website: |
Community Calendar
|
To find out about events of interest to the transgender community in Northern California, visit our Community Calendar.
|
|
|
Greetings!
In January 2008, the River City Gems held our first monthly social in Sacramento. Last month, we celebrated our second anniversary. It is truly amazing to look back on how many wonderful memories and friendships have been created in just two years -- and we've only just begun! In this month's issue of Facets, you'll find the latest River City Gems news, along with some wonderful articles contributed by members Cheryle, Pauline, and Tilda, and a new "Tricks of the Trade" by Carollyn Olson. If you have a story you'd like to share, or an article you'd like to see reprinted in Facets, we welcome you to send it to facets@rivercitygems.org. Warmly, Marla Morley Editor |
Gems Celebrate Second Anniversary
by Tilda A.
|
|
January marked the second full year of the
River City Gems' life as an organization, and
as such it required a very special monthly
social. The event, however, can probably best
be described as "bittersweet," owing to the
tragic death earlier that week of our beloved
Gems member Kat. Gems at all levels of the
organization showed their true colors, beauty,
and strength by creating a unique event that
both held to its original purpose and also
paid gentle, loving tribute to our suddenly
departed sister.
|
Gems Murder Mystery Party by Rachel M.
|
|
More Fun Than the Law Should Allow
What kind of event involves a cast of suspicious characters, four
teams of clever investigators, and a whole lot of fun? All the
evidence points to the first ever River City Gems Murder Mystery
Party, held in the lovely and spacious home of board members
Kimberly and Jilly.
|
|
|
A Fond Farewell to Kathryn Williams by Tilda A.
|
|
 Community and Family Gather for Celebration of Life
How can a memorial be a celebration? The Sacramento transgender
community showed how on Sunday, January 17th, at the home of Gems
board members Kimberly and Jilly, as they honored the life and
mourned the sudden and unexpected
passing of Gems member Kathryn Williams in her sleep earlier this month
at age 48.
As a major winter storm system began rolling into the Sacramento area, roughly
40 friends and family members gathered to remember Kat and share recollections,
thoughts, and feelings with one another on a cold, gray and wet Sunday
afternoon.
|
Girls in Glasses by Cheryle D.
|
|
On a Thursday morning earlier this month, my friend Te'a
and I took a huge step together. We both have really wanted some
feminine eyewear. I have a dear friend named Angela who is a
partner in an optical shop in downtown Yuba City. A week
earlier I had gone to see her, told her about Cheryle, and asked if
it was okay for Te'a and I to come to the shop dressed and
have her help us pick out some frames. She said that it would
be no problem at all and that she would be very glad to help us.
|
Tricks of the Trade by Carollyn Olson
|
|
 Eyebrows
A feminine eyebrow shape with a high arch can help take a moderately proficient
makeover to an almost miraculous transformation.
Some of us are blessed with thinner or lighter-colored brows and so we
have less of an issue, but for those with overly masculine eyebrows,
what are the methods and means available to feminize this critical
facial feature?
|
The Perils of Pauline on Gems Murder Mystery Night by Pauline D.
|
|
As many of you know, the Gems Murder Mystery night last month was a
huge success. Everyone had a great time, but for me it marked
an accomplishment that had been a long time coming. And even
that was ultimately overshadowed by the test I was to face later in
the night, after the party was over.
But at 3 PM that
afternoon, just starting to put on my makeup for the night, I had no
idea what was in store. Little did I know that I would face my fears
of leaving the house dressed for the first time, only to end up
alone and lost in a bad part of town late at night! But I survived,
and learned some valuable lessons in the process.
|
Three Cheers for Chick Flicks! by Tilda A.
|
|
Around the first of the year, a local Sacramento radio
personality listed her "Top 10 Chick Flicks of the Decade
(2000-2009)" as part of the media's wrap-up of the first ten years
of the 21st century. As I listened to her discuss the films with the
other on-air personalities that morning, I realized that I had only
seen three of them (and one only because it was shown as in-flight
entertainment on a very long flight), and of the remaining seven I
only recognized two others by name. Half of them I had never seen or
even heard of.
I felt distinctly embarrassed. Who do I think I'm ever going to fool
into believing for half a second that I could be in any way female
with all the dresses, heels, makeup, wigs, and any and all other
accoutrements, diets, disciplines, and feminization training in the
world, if I can't even name, for instance, three recent Sandra Bullock
films?
|
 |
The River City Gems is a nonprofit organization with a mission
to improve the lives of transgender individuals and their
families by providing education, resources, peer support, social
networking opportunities, outreach programs, and services
focused on the specific needs of the male-to-female transgender
community. Contributions are fully tax deductible under section 501(c)(3)
of the IRS code.
|
www.rivercitygems.org | info@rivercitygems.org | facets@rivercitygems.org
|
|
|
|
