TWENTY MINUTES JULY 1991 $2.00 f After 12_ yjrs ...o Wife discovers hubby 8y MARTHA BEASLEY A MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN came to an ss a woman end when a shocked wife discovered her husband was actually another woman! Amazingly, it took Ilse Rumsnagel 12 years to learn the truth about her hubby Waldo. Isle was 18 when she first met Waldo, a handsome 19­year­old carpenter. The pair began dating, fell in love, and married the following year. Ilse recalls being struck by the fact that Waldo had no family or friends, and never spoke about his childhood. - WIFE ILSE couldn't believe how horribly she'd been deceived Waldo was so strong and masculine, and yet he had this wonderful sensitive side to him, Ilse always thought he'd - MASCULINEHUBBY Waldo Rumsnagel - WALDO IS actually Wanda Rumsnagel make the ideal father. 8ut the couple's repeated attempts to have a baby were Use secretly hired a private detective "I always planned to tell Ilse about my unsuccessful. Longing for a child of to check out her mysterious husband's problem," Waldo says. "I hope someday her own, Ilse visited doctor after oast. A week later, the detective she'll understand the hell I'm going doctor, all of whom told her she was reported back to her. Waldo was born a through, being a man trapped inside a healthy and fertile. They said the girl, Wanda, who became a prominent woman's body." problem was most likely with her leader of a lesbian­rights group. At husband. Waldo, however, angrily the age of 24, Wanda legally changed (EDITOR'S NOTE...Reprinted from SUN, refused to undergo an examination, her name to Waldo and disappeared from January 30, 1990 edition.) claiming he had a terrible fear of the political scene. Ilse became doctors. hysterical and had to be taken to the hospital in a state of shock. Then one day Ilse made a bizarre IN THIS ISSUE discovery while cleaning the attic of Ilse couldn't believe how horribly Cartoon Crossdressing her Salzburg, Austria home. She found she'd been deceived. She filed for an old photo album hidden under some divorce after leaving the hospital. by Robin Reed clothes. Inside were pictures of a torn­ But, grief­stricken. Waldo is praying boyish young girl who bore a striking Transition for a miracle that will reunite the by Jeanie Davidson resemblance to Waldo. A school photo pair. identified her as 'Wanda Rumsnagel.' Notes From the Yellow Brick Road by Barbara Jean Hatcher Transsexual Support Page 2 BUSINESS XX CLUB CALENDAR TREASURER' $ TWENTY MEET ING REPORT MINUTES Saturday, July 13 Balance ­ from May $1616.28 PICNIC INCOME: The XX (Twenty) Club, inc. PO Box 80690 Saturday, July 27 Collections ­ meetings .00 Forest Park Station Newsletter subscriptions 90.00 Springfield, MA 01138 MEET INGS Brochures & Reprints 7.00 Donations 5.00 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Saturday, Aug. 10 Savings interest 8.44 $2 per single copy Total Income $ 110.44 $5 for 3 months Saturday, Aug. 24 $20 for 12 months EXPENSES: Regular meetings of the XX Club are held the second and fourth Saturdays of Refreshments .00 the month at 2 PM sharp to 5 PH.: Newsletter 4 brochures .00 THE STAFF Postage 57.00 Christ Church Cathedral Supplies 2.08 Editors: Becky Ann 45 Church Street Bank Fee .85 Sonia Hartford, CT 06103 Total Expenses $ 59.93 Cartoonist: Li la (Located at the corner of Church and Net income for June $ 50.51 Main Streets in the downtown area Contributors: Veronica Jean Broun across from G. Fox.) There is NO 8alance ­ end of June $1666.79 Bob in Beed SMOKING allowed during the meetings, Jeanie Davidson although smoking is permitted during Barbara Hatcher breaks and after the meetings. The XX XX CLUB PICNIC Club attempts to provide peer support Advisor: Bev. Clinton Jones and practical information about making the gender transition, as well as information about the Gender Identity MARK RUSSELL Clinic of New England. Parents, siblings, spouses and significant Political correctness bans "look­ism," others are also welcome to attend. referring to anyone as "slender," "handsome," "plump," etc. Therefore, the old song, "Oh, You Beautiful Doll" From THE ICONOCLAST would become "Oh, You Person of by JoAnn Roberts This year's summer picnic will be held Indeterminate Gender and Appearance," Benaissance Hens, April 1991 on Saturday, July 27 at Straton Brook Park in Simsbury, CT at or near the Noburn, MA ­ If conceit were covered pavilion. All members, Sherlock Holmes observed that once you consumption, she'd be dead... families, friends and significant have eliminated the impossible, then i have often remarked about TVs who others as well as members of other whatever remains, however improbable, tout the glories of "exploring" their TS/TV clubs are invited to attend. Plan must be the answer. feminine side while they posture and to arrive anytime after II a.m. and strut like peacocks. stay till dark. For the picnic, bring A case in point, in the January your own food, and if possible, bring a All the news that's print to fit. issue of Bosebuds, Roberta Dearborn little extra to share with others. The says of that publication, "It's the XX Club will provide the ice and the This newsletter is funded entirely best in the nation, but 120 soft drinks. Bring a riibachi and through subscriptions and the sales of organizations are out there looking at charcoal to cook hot dogs and educational materials. All written the Tiffany Club of New England (TCNE) hamburgers and such. Bring frisbees or contributions welcome. A backlog of and the way we do things." other picnic games. There is a beach materia! may prevent the immediate I seriously doubt that anyone would and a pond at the park, so bring those publishing of submitted articles. put Bosebuds in the same category as bikinis. Mark this date on your Tnenty Minutes is not responsible for Benaissance Hens (so I'm prejudiced), calendar and plan to have a good time. the opinions expressed or accuracy of Tnenty Minutes (The Twenty Club), ETVC information provided by the writers of Hensletter, Cross Talk, The Primrose, (NOTE...There will be NO meeting at unsolicited or solicited materials. or the Emerald City Hensletter, all of Christ Church the day of the picnic.) Parts of this newsletter may be which, in my opinion, address the real reproduced provided source credit is issues of our community. Please see the map to Straton Brook given. Twenty H/nutes was founded by Park elsenhere in this nensletter. Veronica Jean Brown. GUEST EDITORIAL Page 3 NOTES FROM THE my new acquaintance did not relate directly to my former status but close enough that I was sure our mutual friend YELLOW BRICK ROAD had told the "rest of the story..." It really didn't make any difference in our meeting but I am certain that the new by Barbara Jean Hatcher acquaintance will no doubt relate an anecdote to someone else as well. Since October 1990 I have been living as a woman. I relocated to a town where a few people had known me in The question arises; if people with some knowledge of my androgynous transition but virtually no one had ever met me past continue to be kind, to give respect, to do business, in a purely male state. It is continually fascinating how to treat me as a woman named Barbara ­ the only way we ever expansive life has become once I gave myself the authority met, then have I not in any event achieved my goal of to change. The dimensions of existence are far broader than living my life exactly the way I always wanted? could be imagined during the years of being too scared of and caring too much about other people's conditional There actually shouldn't be any difference in the quality friendship and judgement to dare to really live. A lot of of my life, for no one can make me any less a woman or a this expansion isn't related just to confronting my gender person than I allow. People in general accept me without dysphoria but is probably true for anyone who has stopped question. Most do not know my past and I feel no allowing control of their lives to be given over to fear of inclination to inform them. But even if they were told by others. another source, what else can they do but accept or reject me as the person I am today? I do business with people who No value can be derived by telling anyone your past, even know and people who don't. But with either, I am all that I on the most intimate basis. There is no benefit in sharing have ever wanted to be...in living my physical life as the facts about a former life­style you don't intend to woman I have always been in my mind. In the end my perpetuate. It is something gone and dead, parts barely acceptance in the world will only be for the value as a remembered. Why would a person want to ever rehash it? It person I provide to those who encounter me. If a person would be very much like constantly opening a healing scab rejects me for who I am, not what I can do, then the loss for the pleasure of remembering what it felt like to be is theirs not mine. injured. The sum of my experience in part was developed because my The exact memories of various challenges faced in becoming former physical presence forced me to learn certain whole are fading.