The meeting was called to order by Abby at 8:00pm

The new constitution has passed and has been accepted.

Abby thanked Gloria & Kathleen for joining us despite their recent hard times. Gloria and Kathleen thanked us for all of our support.

Karen will check again on reduction of rent.

Abby is soliciting ideas for meetings and responses to her previous suggestions, preferably ideas that will make money for the chapter instead of costing it. Monte Carlo night was discussed, perhaps with other chapters and groups invited. Perhaps in October. The legality of it was discussed. It’s legal if done properly. The church has no problem with a Monte Carlo night. Tentatively set for October. See Committee.

Glamour shots were heavily discussed as well. Possibility of a member taking the shots, wives doing the glamour make-up and a member bringing a photo quality printer and paper, you can also get the pictures on disc.

MAC cosmetic representatives will be giving the presentation next month.

A "Dear Abby" column was suggested for President Abby.

The newsletter deadline this month is 6/22/02 due to Ari’s and Cheryl’s attendance at SPICE. (Ed Note: This really does you all a lot of good now, doesn’t it. J )

Committees were formed as follows. First member listed is the Chairperson.

Communications Committee: Michele Lynn Thomas, Diane Frank, Ari Seymour, Cheryl Seymour

Outreach Committee: Gloria Fenton, Karen Davenport, Diane Brennan

Family Support Committee: Kathleen Fenton, Donna, Sherry White, Diane Frank

Membership Committee: Karen Davenport, Abby White, Michele (Donna)

Correspondence Secretary: Kathleen

Christmas Committee: Gloria Fenton, Abby White, Diane Brennan

Monte Carlo Committee: Diane Brennan, Abby White, Gloria Fenton, Michelle Lynn Thomas

Next General Affairs Meeting: August regular meeting date, 6:30pm

Cheryl Moved to adjourn, Kathleen seconded, Meeting adjourned

I remember the time, almost vividly, about 25 years ago, when you forgot your glasses when you went to work that morning, and how you discovered me when you returned home to get them. You looked right at me, said hello, got your glasses, said you’d see me later, and went back to work.

All the rest of that day I felt so torn apart inside of me. As far as I know, you had never even suspected that I existed before then. And to a point, I didn’t really exist. I was still, at that point, a nameless entity that was there only in stolen moments of secrecy.

I remember being filled with so much self doubt of who I was, or even what I was. And when you discovered me, all the previous years of rejection, guilt, pain, and self-hatred filled me with shame that you now knew my deepest, darkest, secret.

You had known your son that you loved. At that moment I wasn’t sure you would or could continue that love. How could any father continue to love a son that he had just seen with shaved legs in pantyhose, a mini skirt, a top with a padded bra underneath it, full makeup, jewelry, and a wig of feminine hair. I was scared to death.

And when you came home that afternoon, I knew I just had to talk to you alone so Ma wouldn’t know the shame I felt, and the shame I was sure you felt towards me, as your son. We were able to get alone for a time. And I know I was so afraid as I sat with you crying, and trying to tell you all about this deep, dark side of me that I was sure you would not understand.

But, instead of the rejection I feared, you listened, said you weren’t really sure you understood, but said you still loved me – no matter what, and you hugged me. You amazed me beyond words, and the love I had had for you became even deeper.

You were the first person to not judge me, and hate this side of me – something I couldn’t even do for myself at the time. Your love never wavered, though it took me another twelve years, and a second failed marriage to find peace within myself. After my second divorce I could tell I was heading for a breakdown that I might not recover from. But I found Alpha Omega instead. And I discovered I was not alone, and this part of me that I had hated for so long took life. I found the freedom and peace to accept this other side of my being.

There was Martin, and Gloria was born. This was a major milestone in my life. I knew then that I needed to tell my family, and not hide this secret any longer. Once more I was afraid, but I couldn’t let my life go back to the self-destructive path it had been on – no matter what the reaction was.

And so, over the Christmas holidays of 1988, I officially told Ma and you about "Gloria". Though I knew that you knew my secret as your son, it was the first time you knew I was also this person named Gloria. You didn’t really say it at the time, but I knew you were happy for me and would accept me as Gloria.

It wasn’t easy for Ma, but I think she knew this had to be, and she gave me the love and understanding she could. It was then that I told Mel (my brother) and Pattie (his wife) that there was Martin, and there was Gloria. And, to my great joy, they listened and cared. In time, I told Mike (my other brother), and even though he chose to never see Gloria, at least Gloria doesn’t have to be a secret from him.

And when Martin met Kathy a few months later, I know that you and Ma were very concerned that I could be facing another disastrous relationship. But, as you know, by the time Martin met Kathy, he was much better able to tell her about me, and answer the questions she had then. I know you and Ma were so happy for Martin when Kathy gave Martin and me a chance.

Over the next few years after Martin and Kathy married, not only could I be Gloria with everyone, but I began even more to feel as though I was part of the family, as well. Both you and Ma, and even Mel and Pattie, attended Alpha Omega meetings with me and got to know the friends that had become so dear to me. My relationship with Ma did get better, and it hurt so much when she passed away. The blessing of it came because not only could Martin grieve, but you and Mel and Pattie and Kathy allowed me to grieve as Gloria, as well. And Mike understood, too.

Kathy became even dearer to me as my best friend, Mel and Mike as brothers, and Pattie and I found a bond as sisters. And, on top of that, for the first time, you called me your daughter. I loved you so much for that. I was part of the family, as much as Martin. That was more than I could have ever dreamed of.

As you attended more Alpha Omega meetings with Kathy and me, you became "Dad" to everyone there. And I was never prouder of you, Dad, than when you not only became a member of Alpha Omega but of Tri-Ess, as well. Your love amazed me even more right then.

And now, you have passed away, and though it is difficult to write this, I want the world to know about the love you gave so freely to Martin as your son, and to me as your daughter. You gave me your understanding, your acceptance, your caring, and your love. You took pride in me as a person, and as your daughter.

You helped me to find my own sense of pride and dignity in being a human being by giving me your respect. You taught me to give my love and respect to others. Your faith in me as a person helped me to be a leader for our group.

You are a part of me that helps me to be there for others, as you were there for me. You took a nameless entity and made me a part of the family. You gave me strength to do the things that must be done. You gave me, and taught me, about love without bounds. You shared my thoughts and emotions and was always there for me when I needed you, and you always will be with me in my heart, mind, and soul. The person I am today is largely because of you, just as Martin is the person he is today.

You are my Dad, and I will always try to carry on the legacy you have given me.

My love forever,

Your daughter,

Gloria

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By Miss Sally Stone

One of the largest impediments to a feminine image for a crossdresser is the presence of facial hair. Many of us, in an attempt to eliminate the facial hair problem, have turned to permanent forms of hair removal. The most common form of permanent hair removal is electrolysis. Electrolysis unfortunately, is painful, requires multiple sessions, and can be quite expensive over time.

When laser hair removal was introduced several years ago, it was heralded as a promising replacement for electrolysis. While the removal of body hair using lasers has its merits, early technology proved somewhat disappointing. Laser treatment, it turned out, was only effective on about 25 percent of the patients opting for the procedure, and for most people the hair re-grew over time.

The limitations of laser hair removal stem from the characteristics of laser light itself. Because laser light is emitted in only one color and very narrow frequency range, it is only effective on a very narrow range of hair colors and skin tones. Early laser treatments tended only to be effective on dark beards and relatively light skin tones.

In the past few years, clinicians and scientists have capitalized on the their experiences with lasers. This gain in knowledge has culminated in new technology, and now offers enhanced capabilities and a broader range of effectiveness. The latest technology involves the use of light emitters but technically cannot be classified as a laser.

This new system is known as Pulsed Light, and offers several advantages over the laser. First, Pulsed Light systems have adjustable intensity levels just like the laser. Where this new technology differs however, is in its variable frequencies and its multiple color range.

Experience has shown that different skin tones and different shades of hair each respond differently to frequency and color. Since Pulsed Light systems offer a wide range of adjustments, the operator can vary the frequency or the color of the emitted light, to remove most effectively, the targeted hairs.

With Pulsed Light systems, the doctor can target different people effectively with a single machine. This is beneficial to the patient who may have hair that varies in coarseness or color, or different skin tones. There are two more added benefits of the Pulsed Light procedure. Firstly, the treatment tends to be less painful and has fewer side effects than older laser treatments. Secondly, it appears as though the treatments are more effective, ultimately reducing the number of sessions required to be hair free.

Alas, this new hair removal process still really can't be classified as permanent, although the rate of re-growth varies from person to person, and the effects appear to be at least as long lasting as earlier laser treatments. In my research for this article, I couldn't find any cost comparisons for laser vs. Pulsed Light treatments. I should also note that much of this research came from commercial hair removal web pages, so I can't vouch for all of the data's accuracy. It does; however, appear that Pulsed Light procedures have many significant advantages over the laser. Consequently, if you are considering permanent hair removal, you should check into this new and exciting technology before making a decision on your method of choice.

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The case of Peter Oiler and Winn-Dixie is a vivid reminder of what can go wrong to anyone who has transgender expression as part of their lives. For those of you who want more info see

http://www.prideatwork.org/archive/winndixie.htm

http://www.aclufl.org/body_oiler_release_1000.html

and of course either the use of Peter Oiler and/or Winn-Dixie in a search engine will bring up many more discussions.

Oiler outed himself. But other activities leave traces that can lead to problems too.

This page is a brief discussion of privacy issues and references about those issues. It should not be considered or authoritative (yet). I look forward to revising this article based on the comments of readers.

If you use a personal computer from a public place such as a library you can never be sure that monitoring software is in place to track patron activities. Or that someone isn't physically looking over your shoulder. Even on a computer in your home, your privacy isn't what you might think it is. The Windows operating system, the use of cookies, the Netscape and Internet Explorer Web-browsers all leave files in the computer which show what web sites you've visited. If your children use your computer, or if you allow non-family members to use your computer, your use of the computer can be studied without your consent, by people you may not want to know about it. Never use a computer at work for a personal purpose, such as visiting the Alpha Omega website.

Your employer has a legal right to monitor all use of your computer, check for files stored on it and the obligation to ensure that your use of an office computer complies with company policy and state and federal laws. It can be hard not to slip up. I had some correspondence with an experienced user who inadvertently used the wrong return email address, a business address.

Electronic Mail, or email has limitations on privacy, which need to be understood. First there is the matter of what you put into your email yourself. For example, we recently had one inexperienced person send an email with their real name embedded in the return address. You can't assume that everyone out there in the electronic universe cares as much about your security and privacy as Alpha Omega does. A simple protection, although not proof against a serious investigation is the use of an alias. While your email is normally handled by your internet service provider (ISP), you can set up dummy accounts at number of sources which provide some protection against casual snooping. Note- If the government really wants to track your activities it can use subpoena power and force such services to disclose record which will lead to your doorstep.

Viruses-

Who hasn't heard about computer viruses? Be aware that some of these critters not only trash your computer, or propagate themselves via email, some can also function as little spies in your system, exposing your activities to the virus's master. Keeping yourself free of viruses is more and more important these days.

Posting Files and Creating Your Own Website

Many software products embed ownership information as part of a document you create. Microsoft products are especially gifted at this. Suppose you setting up a web site devoted to your transgendered existence. Keeping in mind that there are a lot of ways to trace this back to you, why leave obvious signposts? Microsoft FrontPage, the software used to create and maintain the AO website keeps subdirectories called "_vti_cnf". Front Page is promiscuous in creating these "_vti_cnf" subdirectories. These directories contain, in part authorship and file creation records. Whatever name you used to set up your Windows Operating System or registered MS Front Page in will show up there. When you upload the website you created from your computer to the web host, a naïve user will transfer the "_vti_cnf" subdirectories along with everything else. You don’t need to. Files in the "_vti_cnf" subdirectories are not needed for your website to operate properly. Because so many "_vti_cnf" subdirectories are created, you’ll need to be careful to remove them all.

Suppose you write up your opinion or experience using MS Word. MS Word incorporates authorship information directly in the file. Send that MS Word Document in and your name may well go with it unless you take steps. Here’s how to check and manage that information in MS Word. Open the MS Word Document you’d like to publish. Click on File, properties. A pop-up window will appear, click on the summaries tab. Delete any information you don’t want published. Resave the file. Click on Tools, options. Another pop-up window will show up. Click on the User Information tab. Again delete unwanted identification. These are all I know of. Naturally this doesn’t cover non-MS products such as Corel-Word Perfect. I’ll be pleased to add comments from readers on how to keep things clean in other software programs.

The Telephone:

There are many sites by which searches for telephone numbers can be done. Giving out your phone number in web-site, an email or in a chat-room can allow a search to be done for you just by the number. Unless you've taken steps to have an unlisted number your name and address will be available for public inspection. Even if unlisted, your phone number can be used by legal authorities to get that same information.

Post-Office Boxes:

Some people assume that a post-office box provides them with some anonymity. The key word is some. Anyone can request a post-office branch to provide the legal registration under which a US post-office box was rented. A PO Box provides privacy only to the extent that no-one bothers to check. Services such as xxxx also offer PO boxes, which are somewhat more private, as they are not required to give out the owner’s name to anyone who asks.

Do: Use a dummy account

Do: Be very careful about giving out phone numbers.

Don't: Use the internet to make threatening remarks about government officials or installations. In our post 9/11 environment both surveillance software and hardware (CARNIVORE for example) is being used to scan all net activities. And remember that the anonymity that pretends to protect you also protects government agents and informants. Your conversation partners or the owner's of a chat site may also find your conduct of concern and voluntarily turn in records leading to your doorstep. Very few people right now would want to be an inadvertent part of some subsequent terrorist act, and they will tend to act in a precautionary manner.

Don’t: Visit websites or send email about non-work related activities from work.

References: For further discussions on Privacy and Security on the Internet you might want to conduct your own search on subject.

Here are some references we at Alpha Omega found that may be of further interest.

http://www.epic.org/

http://www.epic.org/privacy/tools.html

http://www.epic.org/privacy/privacy_resources_faq.html

http://www.eff.org/

SANDUSKY

A Cleveland man is suing Cedar Fair L.P., claiming he was unfairly removed from Cedar Point for dressing as a woman at the unofficial "gay day" last Father's Day, according to a lawsuit filed in Erie County Common Pleas Court Friday.

Harry Prather, known in the "gay/lesbian, straight and trans-gender" community as Mother Racheal, according to the suit, has been cross-dressing for 32 years and is "in women's clothing 80 percent of the time."

In the court complaint, Prather claims he and two friends walked around for more than an hour with no trouble before a Cedar Point employee, identified in court documents as Ms. Pace, asked him to accompany her to "have a talk in the security trailer."

Cedar Point Public Relations Manager Janice Witherow said the park does not discriminate against any of its guests, but wearing costumes is "strictly prohibited" in the park at all times.

"For safety and security reasons, we must be able to identify the guests," she said. "Wearing any sort of costume, whether it is a party or Halloween costume or dressing as the opposite sex, is strictly prohibited."

Witherow said the park has a written dress code which appears in the park guide, given to all guests as they enter the park. The guide outlines dress requirements for shirts, shoes, swimwear and suggestive pictures on clothing, but does not mention cross-dressing or wearing costumes.

In the suit, Prather claims he was interrogated about his real name, age, address, phone number and social security number by two Cedar Point employees and was told he could not wear a "costume" in the park.

Prather told the employees it was not a costume, but rather his lifestyle and claims he was never shown a copy of any dress code, according to the suit.

Larry Zukerman, Prather's attorney, said Practher was ejected from the park because of his lifestyle, not because he was causing any problems and that the park's policy is discriminatory.

"Their policy is subjective, cavalier and improper. It should be eradicated," Zukerman said. "We have reached a period of time where people need to accept other lifestyles."

Prather was given the option of changing into "male" clothes or leaving the park, the suit alleges. He was escorted out of the park by police by vehicle and refunded his money, Zukerman said.

Witherow said Cedar Point does not have a security trailer but does have a police department. She could not confirm whether Prather was questioned by Cedar Point police or employees.

The suit says Prather was "offended, violated, degraded and humiliated" by park security and that the actions of park employees injured Prather through "embarrassment, mental anguish, loss of reputation, loss of self-esteem, harm to plaintiff's relationship with other individuals and other emotional distress."

He is seeking $25,000 on each of eight claims listed in the suit.