How did CDer connect prior to the Internet

[Tara Rushing]

. Thank you Vint Cerf, DARPA.....oh....and you too Al Gore.

Now that is funny, I don't care who you are!!

As to the question, I didn't. I felt alone and different and 'weird'. Even after Al invented the internet, I saw lots of girls on flickr, ect... but it was discovering this site about a year ago and reading and finally joining that finally made me feel not so 'weird'. I still question why I do it, but I don't feel alone anymore. I have, even to this date, NEVER met another CD (that I know about their dressing, of course). Hopefully this site or some turn of fate will open a door where I can meet another CD and just go shopping or have a cup of coffee or beer or wine (girls prefer wine, no?)....

[Sky]

I'm an Argie so my earlier experiences happened there.

In the late 70s there were magazines, you would check where a party was advertised, if there was a phone to call in advance great, if not you would go there, sometimes the party was what they advertised, sometimes not so you turned back. Being seen out there in drag was frowned upon but I never had a serious scare, just the occasional wolf whistle and off color yelled joke. Riding a cab was a hit or miss thing -some cabbies would ignore you, but driving by slow enough to make it clear they saw you but would not give a fag like you a ride. Some would take you, then stare at you through the rear mirror all through the ride. Some asked for special favors. And then again a few were just nice.

Then in the 80s things pretty much exploded. There were parties everywhere and cding was at least tolerated when not openly welcome. It did not last forever, the late 80s brought a little more restraint. But 83, 84 sure were fun as hell. And I was young so what more can you ask for?

Upon moving to the US I was kind of surprised as to how closeted a large part of the community is. Don't take it as criticism, it's just a comment. My kinda-sorta-objective view from a foreign place is, there's no reason to be so scared. Yes there are plenty of conservative church-fearing small towns here, but for the most part they are not as scary as they might seem at first glance.