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The monthly e-magazine of the River City Gems
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June 2010
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Join Our Email List!
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We are pleased to welcome new members Carl J.and
Charley and Lynne B.to our River City Gems family!
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Join or Renew Today!
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You can support the River City Gems
by becoming a member or renewing your existing membership. As a member, you'll be entitled to a $5
discount on the door fee at all Gems events. You'll also receive
a membership card, library
privileges, an entry in each month's member drawing, and even a
special card and cupcake in the month of your birthday! Most
importantly, your support will enable us to continue serving the
needs of our community through social events, education, and
outreach. You can join or renew your membership at any Gems event
or online. |
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Upcoming Gems Events
| Sacramento Pride-June 19
Drab Gab-June 25
Trans March-June 25
SF Pride-June 25-27
July Social-July 10
Private Sephora Event-July 18
Luau-July 24
Riverboat Dinner Cruise-Aug 28
For more information, visit our upcoming events page!
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Community Calendar
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To find out about events of interest to the transgender community in Northern California, visit our Community Calendar.
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Greetings!
As the River City Gems begins its 3rd summer, this
month's Facets prepares for the new season with a potpourri of party,
travel, and event reports to help get us all in the mood for a
summer full of activities and fun ahead!
Take a trip down the rabbit hole to Wonderland with Alice (half a
dozen Alices, actually!), the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the Red
Queen and about 30 other River City Gems at our one-of-a-kind Mad
Tea Party (or
Mad "T" Party, if you prefer)!
Then join Cheryle and her intrepid party of wine explorers as they wind
their way through a series of delightful Sierra Foothill wineries in search of good wine and good times in lovely surroundings, encountering many new experiences and acquaintances along the way.
Have a sip of something cool and refreshing as you smile with Staci
G. at her little shopping misadventure in this issue's
"Lighter Side" column, and then on a more serious note, take in Karen
S.'s frontline report from this year's Transgender Leadership Summit.
As always, Carollyn Olson enriches this issue with her
fashion, beauty, and makeup expertise focusing on the best ways to deal
with some of our worst cosmetic worries.
And if you're looking for even more great reading, there's an update on our ever-expanding Gems lending library, courtesy of librarian Tilda A.
We hope you'll find this month's Facets a cool way to move into the
warmer weather ahead!
Cheers,
Your Facets Editorial Staff
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Gems Get "Mad as Hatters" at Un-Costume Party by Marla & Rachel M.
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An Un-Costume party? What's that, you ask? Well, Lewis Carroll,
the author of Alice in Wonderland, coined the term
"un-birthday" to
celebrate any day that is not really a person's birthday. The River
City Gems Un-Costume party took its inspiration from Alice in
Wonderland: guests were invited to come dressed as their favorite
Alice in Wonderland character, but it was an "un-costume
party"
because everyone was free to wear a costume or not, as they
preferred. What mattered was that all who
attended had a wild and wonderful time - and they did!
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Amador County Wine Tour Adventure by Cheryle D.
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The Gems have given me so much in so many ways in the past year that
I wanted to give something back, and have a fun adventure in the
process. So a few months ago I came up with the idea of taking a
group of Gems on a day trip to the wine country.
I'm not speaking of the Napa Valley, but rather Amador County. Just outside the town of Plymouth off of Highway 49 lies the
Shenandoah
Valley, which is home to more than 30 family-owned vineyards.
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The Lighter Side
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|  Unattended Baggage by Staci G.
The Lighter Side is a new regular feature
that aims to highlight some of the more humorous aspects of
transgender life.
I've gone out too many times now, and for the most part I
don't really care if I attract attention, get made, or make a fool
of myself; it's all a part of life and being under the trans
umbrella. The only times I get paranoid anymore are (1) when I drive
past people who stare at me, at which point I'm inclined to check my
reflection in the mirror and think "how the heck can they tell who I
am from
that far away?" and (2) when I get made big. Well, I got made big one
Sunday a couple of months ago.
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Fifth Annual Transgender Leadership Summit Held at UC Davis by Karen S. and Brooke M.
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Over 200 transgender activists attended the Fifth Annual Transgender
Leadership Summit which was held at UC Davis from May 14-16, 2010. Among the many speakers were Chaz Bono, activist and son of Sonny and
Cher
Bono; Cecilia Chung, Chair of the San Francisco Human Rights
Commission;
Theresa Sparks, Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Rights
Commission and candidate for San Francisco Supervisor; Masen Davis,
Executive Director of the Transgender Law Center; and Mara Keisling,
Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.
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Tricks of the Trade by Carollyn Olson
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|  Covering Flaws
Last month's "Dressing Appropriately" feature generated some wonderful
responses from readers, so I decided to pass on a few more hints to
help you
become the "woman of your dreams."
Wearing women's clothes isn't always that simple. Our bodies are often
much
different than that of the average woman. We have wider shoulders,
longer
arms, bigger hands and feet, an Adam's apple, and sometimes a beer
belly.
But, there are ways to get around our "flaws" and create an image which
we
can be proud to present in public.
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Gems Lending Library Expands by Tilda A.
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|  An Update from Our Gems Librarian
Summer's just around the corner and a good free read might be just
the thing to take to the beach in your new swimsuit, or enjoy by the
barbecue with a cool drink at your side while lounging in that cute
tennis outfit! And there's never been a better time than right
now to check out a cool book or movie from the River City Gems
members-only free lending library!
Our library has greatly expanded in just the past few months, more
than doubling in size due to contributions from several Gems as well
as an author of one of our new holdings (Rachel Miller, who wrote
The Bliss of Becoming One). Two very large donations of
around 20 volumes each from members Jennifer S. and Michelle T. were
complemented by smaller donations from Andi R. and Roni S., as well
as a few items from my own collection.
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Pacific Coast Living Conference Coming July 10!
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|  South San Francisco
Convention Center
255 S Airport Blvd, South San Francisco, CA 94080
A Conference on ...
Gender Expression ....
Transition and ....
Becoming You!
The Pacific Coast Living Conference agenda provides educational information and support for members of
the general public who are or may be transgendered. Participants will
engage in educational sessions designed to enhance their personal and
social growth in their gender identity and expression. Session leaders
are noted speakers and professionals in the field of medicine,
psychotherapy, personal presentation, and social development. In an
open and inclusive environment, the participants will have
opportunities to ask questions of our experts and to network with peers
and experts from other parts of the county. The ideas presented and
the ensuing discussions will aid the transgendered in meeting many
challenges, both interpersonal and with society at large.
There will be seminars, dining, and dancing....a whole day from 9am to midnight! The Conference is limited to 100 Attendees. Please register as soon as possible to ensure your place at the conference. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included.
For more information and to register, visit http://www.pacificcoastliving.org/.
Phone contact (408) 806-9812 .
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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.
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www.rivercitygems.org | info@rivercitygems.org | facets@rivercitygems.org
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