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The monthly e-magazine of the River City Gems
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May 2010
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Join Our Email List!
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We are pleased to welcome new members Ronda L.,
Gemma and Nita, Jodie B., and Violet M. 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
| Drab Gab-May 21
Un-Costume Party-May 22
Monthly Social-June 12
Sacramento Pride-June 19
SF Pride-June 25-27
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!
This month's Facets features a medley of articles on a wide range of topics, all submitted by our Facets subscribers. Many transgender women see facial feminization surgery as an important step in their journey. In this issue, Gems member Dani D. explains how FFS changed her appearance and her life. There are also two stories about travel of a different sort, from Tiffany M. who visited New York, and Melissa H. who attended Diva Las Vegas. Of course, no issue of Facets would be complete without reports on last month's Gems events. And be sure to check out Carollyn Olson's advice column, "Tricks of the Trade," which addresses the subject of dressing appropriately. This month we are also introducing a new regular
feature, "The Lighter Side," which will highlight some of the more humorous
aspects of transgender life. Everyone
could use a good laugh or an extra smile every now and then, so that is this column's goal. Do you have a funny story to share? Contributions from all of our readers are welcome. Please send
your "Lighter Side" stories to facets@rivercitygems.org right away, and keep
'em coming! This month Tilda A. will kick things off with a brief recollection
of a recent outing. Warmly, Marla Morley Editor 
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It's Raining Clothes! by Tilda A.
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Third Annual Fashion Exchange Offers Something for Everyone
The River City Gems' third annual Fashion Exchange was held on
Saturday, April 24th, at the home of Gems board members Kimberly and Jilly.
The big event was preceded by a mini-party on Thursday evening, when
over a dozen volunteers gathered to sort, size, tag, and
hang donated garments. The
volume of donated goods seemed enormous and definitely exceeded that of
either of the previous two years' exchanges. On the day of the event,
all the racks filled with donated items were taken outside into the
lovely backyard and arranged around the poolside patio for easy access.
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FFS: What Is It and How Does It Affect Us? by Dani D.
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In this article, Gems member Dani D. discusses her
personal experience with facial feminization surgery. Please be
advised that this story includes graphic post-surgery photos.
FFS, or Facial Feminization Surgery, is something many transsexuals and some
crossdressers feel they need. It can involve a wide variety of procedures,
all with the common goal of making the person appear more feminine. The
issues most commonly addressed are forehead height, brow ridge prominence, brow location, nose bridge shape, nose tip angle, upper lip length, lip shape,
lip fullness, chin shape, jaw line shape, cheek prominence, and Adam's apple
prominence. Each of these is handled in a different way depending on what
the person wants and can afford.
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Tiffany in the Big Apple by Tiffany M.
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What could be better than a night out en femme in the City that Never
Sleeps? Two nights of course!
Last month, I accompanied my girlfriend RoXy to New York City. During our stay, I
had the opportunity to spend two evenings as Tiffany, sampling the New
York City nightlife and all that the Big Apple has to offer.
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Tricks of the Trade by Carollyn Olson
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|  Dressing Appropriately
When many of my friends dress, they are so afraid they will be
"read."
I want to be "read" and so should you. Why? Because I want other people
to read me as the woman I am, not a "man in a dress." And to accomplish
my goal, it is so important to dress appropriately.
When you dress, it is important to remember: you are not a drag
queen, you are not transgendered (although you may be ambi-gendered),
and you are not a crossdresser. You want to be a woman so you should
look and act like a woman. You want to be "read" - as female.
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New Book by Carollyn Olson
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Carollyn Olson's third transgender-based book, Breaking Point, will be
available in two weeks.
The storyline for this 226-page novel revolves around a high school
football star whose life takes a 180-degree turn when he drops out of
college. The book is full of twists, turns and action.
The book is available for $12 (US), including postage. The book can be
bundled with Lisa Harris' book Emerald Spirit, a novel which features
three characters who also play a part in Breaking
Point. The cost for both books is $25 (US)
including postage.
To order either or both books, please send check or cash to:
Carollyn Olson, P.O. Box 1241, Loomis, CA 95650. |
¡Bienvenidos Gems! by Rachel M.
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|  April Social Goes South of the Border
The River City Gems usually holds its regular second Saturday
socials at a Sacramento hotel, but due to a scheduling conflict, the April social was held
at an alternative venue: a fabulous Mexican restaurant called Caballo Blanco in Sacramento's
South Area.
Caballo Blanco boasts a spacious private banquet room, with floor to
ceiling mirrors on one side of the room and a large bar the other. The ambience
is pleasant, with warm, colorful décor and Latino style music playing softly in
the background. And there is plenty of room to hold the now regular
attendance of 40-50 people at a Gems social. All of this is conveniently located directly off the restaurant's private
parking lot, with a separate entrance, so any folks who might have been nervous
about walking through the front door of a mainstream venue on busy Saturday
night, had nothing to fear.
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The Lighter Side
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|  Contributed by Tilda A.
One Saturday night recently, my friend Kimberly and I went out to
dinner following an afternoon visit at her place. Her spouse Jilly
wasn't feeling well, so it was just the two of us, and we wound up at
the nearby Mimi's Cafe. We were promptly seated in a booth for two
and enjoyed a leisurely dinner, which was quite good, if not
particularly memorable. Except for one thing. . . .
The wait staff that night seemed to be composed entirely of attractive young women in their twenties, and our waitress was very
friendly and gracious to both of us. After we'd been served and
were well along with our meals, she came by our table with another
waitress by her side. "Hi ladies, I just wanted to let you know
I'm going on my break now, so Bethany here will be taking over for me
for a while. Okay, ladies?" We smiled and nodded, and then off
they went. Not long after that, Bethany came by our table again
with a third waitress. "Hi ladies, I'm just ending my shift now, so
Alicia will be taking over for me. Okay, ladies?"
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Diva Duo Does Vegas by Melissa H.
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|  Gems Members Melissa and Sherry Have a Blast at DLV
Diva Las Vegas is an annual, informal group gathering in Las Vegas
for crossdressers, transgendered individuals, their SOs and admirers. It
is not a conference with formal presentations, classes or seminars. DLV
is just various fun activities over a 6 day period along with ample time
for going out on your own.
Daytime activities included makeup instruction, visits to stores, art
tours, a golf tournament, group lunches and many other fun things. Nearly
every evening had a happy hour, dinner and after-dinner group gatherings at
various places so you had multiple options based on your taste and comfort
level.
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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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