Engendered
11-24-2010, 06:00 PM
13 years ago (wow, I feel old..anyway), there was a Drag Ball organised by the Uni I attended. I was 19, and it was the first time I ever dressed properly and went out, encouraged by my first gf. I got to the venue only to be told that the Ball was cancelled due to tickets not selling, and I had to go home. Ireland in 1997 was not ready.
13 years later, the Uni's lgbt society organised another Drag Ball, which was last night. One of my friends told me i should come along as it was open to everyone. So curious about how things might have changed in the intervening years I went along. The turnout was pretty small, although they made it free entry later on which filled the venue out. Of those who came, only 2 guys crossdressed, and in typical "joke" fashion. They wore a dress, but no makeup/wig/accessories/shoes, and they were both part of organising the night. One of the girls who turned up had a moustache drawn on, but everyone else was normally dressed. Some of the girls were more girly than normal, and seemed to be treating it as a normal night out.
I was slightly disappointed, as I was pretty much the only person there dressed up. Having said that, I was also slightly relieved as I was expecting a huge ego hit when these "next generation young T-people" showed up looking startlingly beautiful. That shock to the system however will have to wait a bit.
So 13 years later, the event actually goes ahead, but it may take another 13 years before young Irish T-people feel confident enough to go to these events in numbers. The Uni has around 8500 people, so there should be a significant amount of us.
Extra info: Ireland isn't a bad place for crossdressers. I would class it as a very tolerant place, where you're more likely to be laughed at than hated. Media exposure to these things is the same as places like the UK and USA. For instance, when growing up as a kid in the 80s/90s without the internet, I knew I wasn't alone.
Anyway, apologies for the long post (I generally hate people waffling on). I didn't get to do anything at halloween, so I was glad of the chance to get out yesterday. :)
13 years later, the Uni's lgbt society organised another Drag Ball, which was last night. One of my friends told me i should come along as it was open to everyone. So curious about how things might have changed in the intervening years I went along. The turnout was pretty small, although they made it free entry later on which filled the venue out. Of those who came, only 2 guys crossdressed, and in typical "joke" fashion. They wore a dress, but no makeup/wig/accessories/shoes, and they were both part of organising the night. One of the girls who turned up had a moustache drawn on, but everyone else was normally dressed. Some of the girls were more girly than normal, and seemed to be treating it as a normal night out.
I was slightly disappointed, as I was pretty much the only person there dressed up. Having said that, I was also slightly relieved as I was expecting a huge ego hit when these "next generation young T-people" showed up looking startlingly beautiful. That shock to the system however will have to wait a bit.
So 13 years later, the event actually goes ahead, but it may take another 13 years before young Irish T-people feel confident enough to go to these events in numbers. The Uni has around 8500 people, so there should be a significant amount of us.
Extra info: Ireland isn't a bad place for crossdressers. I would class it as a very tolerant place, where you're more likely to be laughed at than hated. Media exposure to these things is the same as places like the UK and USA. For instance, when growing up as a kid in the 80s/90s without the internet, I knew I wasn't alone.
Anyway, apologies for the long post (I generally hate people waffling on). I didn't get to do anything at halloween, so I was glad of the chance to get out yesterday. :)