The Glitz: A Family Affair

This year’s Glitz was my first.  It was also my wife’s first, and our fourteen-year-old daughter’s first.  Originally I was going by myself, but my wife arranged to take time off of work so that she could also attend.  That led to a new issue: what would our daughter do for three days?  We decided to take her with us!

I was looking forward to an entire weekend of nonstop femininity, and it was everything I hoped for.  From check-in to check-out, Amanda was free to be herself.  We arrived with more stuff than we could carry, all of my pretty new clothes on hangers, our bags, and my makeup case.  It rained all the way to the Sunshine Hotel, where the sun seldom shined all weekend.  At the last minute we managed to snag a cabana suite, but we were told it would be another half hour before we could check in.  So, we went to the registration table for the Glitz.  We only reserved for my wife and I, so we had to buy tickets for our daughter, who would attend all events except for the Saturday afternoon seminars.  Lauren gave us a nice deal for our daughter, and commented favorably on our decision to bring our daughter.

After browsing the vendor tables, we finally checked into our room.  The room was a plain room and not the suite we thought it would be, and the rain made it impossible to enjoy the rooftop pool.  But after a brief rest, we got ready for the evening’s event.  I put on my makeup and dressed in a pretty green blouse and flower-print skirt.  From our room, it wasn’t easy to walk in heels around or through puddles from the rain on our rooftop, but we made it downstairs and went to the bar area for hors d'oeuvres and met many people attending the Glitz.  The three of us found a table near the band playing Caribbean music.  There was a drawing, and my daughter won a bath set. 

On Saturday, my wife and I attended a session with Dr. Daniel Boone on creating a feminine voice, and a session with a panel of SOs of transgender people.  Between the two sessions, my wife stepped outside to smoke, and got to talking with another woman who was doing the same.  The woman turned out to be Helen Boyd, author of My Husband Betty and guest speaker later that day.  They came into the SO session together.  I was looking forward to meeting Helen Boyd, as I am a fan of her book. 

For lunch, my wife and I went to I-Hop nearby.  The wait staff was very nice: I was called “ma’am” and we were referred to as “ladies.”  We decided to give our waiter an extra big tip to reward his courtesy. 

In the afternoon, my wife negotiated for a change of room as I listened to Helen Boyd (who autographed my copy of her book!) and then Dr. Toby Meltzer, who did a session on facial feminization.  By the end of the last session, my wife and daughter had moved us to a regular room.  While I waited for my wife to come and inform me where our new room was, I met and talked with a cross-dresser from Tucson.  We had a lot in common, and we became friends in just a short time. 

At the evening ball, the three of us looked like beautiful ladies, all dressed up together for the first time.  We enjoyed the dinner, the speech by Helen Boyd, and the Grand Canyon Men’s Chorale, who performed pop songs from the fifties through the seventies while wearing elaborate costumes from those decades.  We took lots of pictures, and all three of us danced on the dance floor.  I think we were a unique sight at this year’s Glitz due to our daughter’s presence.  It’s not every day that a family can be seen laughing and having fun together while dad is in a skirt and heels.  My wife and daughter had as much fun as I did, and my daughter says that cross-dressers are cool. 

My feet were so sore from dancing in heels, but it was the most fun I had in a very long time.  It was sad to leave, and suddenly the event seemed all too short.  But I did return home having made many new friends, and many pleasant memories. 

I know I am lucky to have a wife and daughter who not only tolerate my cross-dressing, but actually accept and affirm it.  Our dream is for all families to be as accepting as ours, but it will take time.  We can help by being role-models and sharing our experiences.  At this year’s Glitz, I learned how important it is to come out to people and be ourselves.  Sometimes it’s just not possible—at work for example—but slowly I have been coming out where and when I can.  After my wife and my daughter, I told my two sisters.  Later, I told two old friends of mine from college.  It doesn’t always go smoothly—I have one sister who accepts me, and another who tells me every chance she gets that I’m going to hell.  Coming out has its risks.  But even in small ways, the more I express my true self, the happier I am.  The closet is a wonderful place to visit (it holds all my wonderful femme clothes!), but I don’t want to live there.