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This story originally appeared in the March, 1996 issue of Innerview, the monthly newsletter of
Crossport, the Transgendered support group in Cincinnati, Ohio. I have taken the liberty of making
a few revisions to bring it up to date and use for the most part past tense.
In the last Innerview, I mentioned that I was planning on attending the Texas "T" Party in Dallas.
Since making my decision several months ago to attend the "T" Party, much has gone into the
advance planning for the trip.
My reasons for picking this get-together are numerous.
For the past several months, I have been corresponding with my niece
Laura, who is a M2F pre-op transexual, and who lives in Ft. Worth.
Included in my mailings to Laura were copies of the then current
Innerview, which included my columns, and a teaser that I would
be visiting Texas the end of February and would like to get together
with her.
I'm sure that when she received the first note from me she had no
idea who Jill Ambrose was. It probably did not take long though, to
deduce who the notes came from, since they were postmarked in
Cincinnati, and included my phone number. Sometime later, my brother, who also
happens to live in Texas mentioned that Laura had received a note from
a Jill Ambrose. My younger brother indicated that he was looking
forward to meeting Jill, and indeed he shall.
I'm sure that they already suspected the truth, but I decided that now is the time to reveal my second
self to them.
Two years ago, at a family gathering, Laura was sitting next to me
and the conversation somehow turned to nails and Laura volunteered to
give me a manicure. This was not strange as most of the family knew
that I have my nails done on a regular basis for my show business roles.
Laura has been 'dressing' for as long as I can
remember and grew up with several sisters. She
was always borrowing clothes and cosmetics from her siblings and
was accepted as a crossdresser by most of her family long before her
teenage years ended.
Of course, for years she was,
and still is, talked about in family circles, even though most everyone accepts her as she is.
Almost everyone except my mother addresses her as Laura, although
my mom on a few occasions has jokingly referred to me
as Jill. My mother's reaction to Jill has been
reserved, and almost accepting, but that issue will be reserved for
another column.
I imagine that I am also now included in the
family gossip, but I digress. Many times over
the years, I longed to share my secret with Laura and assure her that
she had an ally and was not alone, BUT, I was not ready to step out of
the closet.
Laura is petite and beautiful and has worked as
a model and was featured in a photo spread in the
Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Her three sisters are also very pretty and
have lightly tanned skin reflecting their Hawaiian heritage.
Laura has been living and working full time as a woman for many years
now.
Getting Ready To Go.
In preparation for the trip, I secured a good price on a round-trip
flight on US Air. Since this was to be my first
time flying enfemme, I tried to eliminate any
possibility of being turned away at the ticket counter. A person who
flies regularly enfemme stated that it should present no problem, but
that's easy to say if you are a seasoned veteran.
My main concern was the ID check now required
as part of the tightened security. The last
several times that I've flown, I have been asked to provide a photo ID.
When I checked by phone with the ticket counter at the Greater
Cincinnati Airport, the young lady stated that if I could prove who I
was and the name on the ticket matched my ID, I would be allowed to
fly. She then had second thoughts, and transferred me to her
supervisor. He stated that I needed a photo ID
that matched the way I would be dressed, and
suggested that perhaps it could be accomplished at the County Court House.
A check with the personnel at the court house revealed that the
desired photo ID could only be issued after SRS and a legal name
change.
I then came up with a plan to have before and
after pictures taken and then notarized with the information that all the pictures, one of
which matches my drivers license, are indeed of me.
Another call to the airline supervisor confirmed that he thought that this would be
acceptable. A week before my flight, I completed the ID and had a gay
friend of mine notorize the document and then had it laminated.
With the card tucked safely in my purse, I
headed for the airport on sort of a trial run. I
wanted to be there at the same time as my flight the following week,
so that I would encounter the same agents. A mature lady was at the
counter and we talked about the situation. She
assured me that it would be no problem flying as I was,
and even put the flight information into the computer, until I
reminded her that the flight was not until the following week. I made a
point to note her name, which apparently helped later on.
Apparently everything was OK with US Air at Cincinnati but who
knows what may happen at the car rental or the airport in Dallas on
the return trip home. Perhaps I was being overly
concerned, as the lyrics from an old Doris Day song keep echoing in my
mind, "Que Sera, Sera". (What will be, will be.)
How Much To Pack?
What to take? Usually when I travel by car, I take everything but
the kitchen sink, but this trip presented a challenge, in that it was
to be my first plane trip enfemme and I had to severely restrict my
baggage.
The boxes of reading material that I normally take and the numerous
cosmetic cases were out, but I surely needed my drivers license and a
few of MY (Jill's) credit cards.
My Captain Video Secret Decoder Ring could also stay behind (welllll,
maybe I can squeeze it in). To be practical, I
figured that I needed at least one change of clothes - just in case!
I finally settled on just a pair of shorts and a shirt.
I was extremely excited at the prospect of traveling with almost nothing but
female garments and accessories in my suitcases.
As I often do, I took way to many clothes that were packed in two
suitcases and two carry-ons. All of this luggage became a problem
several times, but I wanted to be prepared and have a good selection
of clothes available. All in all, I was happy that I had everything
with me.
My girlfriend Janet, and her hubby, who share
my secret, drove me to the airport. We arrived at
the counter to check-in, and I was disappointed that my friend from
the previous week was busy with another customer. Another friendly
female agent helped me and naturally I casually mentioned her
co-workers name. I did not even have to get the ID
out of my purse. I can only surmise that everyone
knew I was coming. With that hurdle passed, we walked through the
metal detector and to the waiting area. When they announced my flight,
we all hugged and I WAS ON MY WAY!
My plan was to arrive in Dallas, get a rental car, and drive to
Corpus Christi to visit with my brother and his family. Laura was
planning to meet me in Corpus. After a three day visit with the
family, I was going to return to Dallas for the "T" Party.
Via Con Dios!
Jill Ambrose
*** For a continuation of the story, see
My Enfemme Flight to the Texas "T" Party.***
To continue reading about Jill's Real Life Adventures, Go to
Index of Jill's Real Life Adventures
My Transexual Niece Laura.
.. or go directly
to one of the following items ..
Out of the Closet . . . Into the Spotlight .. or ..
My Brushes With The Law .. or ..
My Enfemme Flight to the Texas "T" Party .. or ..
Jill Goes To Work Dressed . . . and Survives
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