Glorea LaVonne Part 2
Glorea LaVonne’s 813 SW Alder Mezzanine – Woodlark Building [see below Left - 2014 photo of The Woodlark Building] at one time as shown in an ad as well as one at Gateway. Sometime in the 60s there also was a branch in Eugene. Per the Wikipedia page [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodlark_Building] states, “From 1951 to 1973, the building housed a finishing school[3] and modeling agency first named the Maria Easterly Studio and after 1959 the Glorea Lavonne Finishing School.” The building was placed on the National Register in 2014.
The first article about the school was in The Sunday Oregonian. July 15, 1951. Section 2, p. 8."Studios Open For Models.” See below Right.
An ad in the Oregonian 1969.
Brochure bottom Left: circa 1960; Middle ad in The Oregon circa 1960. Below Right photo from The Oregonian, February 1, 1964.
Per the book A Curious and Peculiar People by David Grant Kohl on Page 29: “One unique Portlander at the time was Gloria Lavon, a “fashion consultant” who operated a local beauty salon and school. In the early 60s she organized a week long summer Dream, a “T-V” Charm school at Lincoln City for cross- dressing men from all over the U.S. Maximum attendance allowed was 100 participants. There she taught individuals how to maximize their features. This led to the establishment of the IFGE (International Foundation for Gender Education) this later inspired the Northwest Gender Alliance.
*Note: Per Wikipedia: The International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE) was first known as the Tiffany Club* in 1978. It eventually became the IFGE when founded by Merissa Sherrill Lynn in 1986. Lynn held the organization’s first convention in 1977. As of 1996, IFGE was one of three national transgender organizations in the United States to have an actual office, and the only transgender organization in the country to have paid staff.
Per website: https://trans.mit.edu/resources CNE, Tiffany Club of New England // https://tcne.org
The Tiffany Club is a Boston area transgender support organization. It is one of the oldest transgender groups in the world and holds weekly meetings at their permanent location in Waltham, MA. The club is mainly comprised of people on the MTF spectrum, and strives to provide a confidential, respectful, and safe physical location for members and visitors to express their true gender in the way most comfortable for them. They provide a social space, education, referrals, and connections to other organizations.
The below Left New York ad seems similar to Glorea’s.
Per A Curious and Peculiar People by David Grant Kohl on page 29 states: Some Portlanders also attended Charles Pierce’s 1962 Fantasia Fair. [Note: author may have meant: Virginia Charles Prince and Transvestia Magazine | ONE Archives (usc.edu) https://one.usc.edu/archive-location/virginia-charles-prince-and-transvestia-magazine ALSO: A Brief History of Fantasia Fair Ariadne Kane and other members of the Boston transgender group the Cherrystones. “There is a tremendous need for crossdressers and transsexuals to learn about themselves in an open, socially tolerant environment,” said original founder Betsy Shaw. “We want to have a program that can help us grow in practical, social, and educational ways,” said another founder, Linda Franklin. Over the next year, discussions centered on where to have such a program, what would be included in it, and how it would be marketed to transgendered individuals throughout the U.S. The first Fair was held in Provincetown because the town had a reputation for tolerance of all visitors regardless of their sexual orientation or gender role. There were about 40 participants. The Fair got its start from a few cosmetic consultants, two female impersonators who lived in Provincetown, and two doctors from the Cape. Together with much support from local innkeepers, eateries, and the newspaper, Fantasia Fair was born. Over the years, under the auspices of the Outreach Institute for Gender Studies, the Fair grew, expanding to incorporate the many facets of complex social behaviors of the transgender community. In these early years, the Fair served as a model for transgender events all over the world. Today, Fantasia Fair is still recognized for its leadership in increasing the acceptance of the transgender phenomena. Affectionately known as “The Fair,” (and sometimes as Transgender Week), Fantasia Fair has progressed from a holiday experience for the transgender community to a mix of practical, social, and education opportunities designed to enhance the personal growth and awareness of one’s own gender expression. The beauty programs of the past have given way to self-help workshops and seminars and discussions of activism, balanced by banquets, a fashion show, a very special talent show, outstanding entertainment, and one heck of a party! The community of Provincetown is an integral part of Fantasia Fair. The Universalist Unitarian Meeting House has grown to be more than simply a church to visit while away from home. Shopkeepers, restaurateurs, innkeepers, business people, and artisans have all come to look forward to our annual October arrival. We not only bring another weeklong event similar to Women’s Week and Entre Nous, but an event with a special panache; the townspeople have gained a genuine affection for the ladies and gentlemen of the Fair. For many years, the Outreach Institute for Gender Studies sponsored Fantasia Fair, and the proceeds of the Fair were used to fund OIGS functions. In March 2001, the OIGS Board of Directors voted to separate from the Fair. Fantasia Fair is now independent, under the corporate name of Real Life Experiences, Inc. RLE is grateful to Betty Ann Lind, Ariadne Kane, and others for keeping the Fair going for many years. This year’s Fair promises to be bigger and better than ever and to add many new members to the FanFair Family.
Per Wikiepdia: Fantasia Fair - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasia_Fair It started in 1975.
See ad above Right. Fantasia Fair was conceived and created in 1974 by members of a social contact club called Cherrystones of Boston. "There is a tremendous need for crossdressers and transsexuals to learn about themselves in an open, socially tolerant environment,• said Betsey Shaw, one of the founders. "We want to have a program that can help us grow in practical, social and educational ways,• said Linda Franklin, another founder. So, over that year, discussions centered on where to have such a program, what would be included in it, and how it would be marketed to CDs, TVs and TSs throughout the United States. Fantasia Fair 1 (1974) was held in Provincetown, Mass., because the town had a reputation for being tolerant of all visitors, regardless of their sex, gender orientation or roles. There were about 40 participants, including one couple who came from California. The Fair got lots of support and help from cosmetic consultants who came from the Boston area, from two female impersonators who lived in Provincetown, and two doctors from the Cape area. Together with much support from local innkeepers, eateries and the newspaper, Fantasia Fair I became an "event to remember.• From this humble beginning, the next 24 Fairs evolved, each program building on the previous one, expanded or modified to incorporate the many facets of the com· plex social behaviors of the cross-gender community. During this period, the Fair served as a model for other, similar events to evolve in other parts of the country. The "Be All. .. • weekend is an example of a direct descendant of the Fair. The Fair is basically a holiday experience for the crossdresser/cross-gender community. It is a mix of practical, social, and educational opportunities designed to help in the personal growth and heightened awareness of one's "femme· persona. Included in this smorgasbord of activities are the beauty program seminars and workshops, cocktail parties, awards banquets, a fashion show, and our own special talent show. The financing of the first Fair came from personal loans of some Cherrystone members. This, plus the fees charged for participation, provided the basis for marketing and developing the programs. It continues to serve as the means by which Fantasia Fair happens. Over the years, we have relied on the generosity of Fair administrators, individual participants, and professional health caregivers to financially support both this and other Outreach Institute programs. It is our firm belief that we need to provide broad-based educational programs not just for our community, but also to the helping professionals who work with us. These include M.D.s, psychologists, social workers, lawyers, nurses, judges, and the military. The Outreach Institute of Gender Studies is committed to programs which broaden understanding of our community, offer resources to Health Care Professionals, further personal growth of individuals facing gender-related issues and inform the public of the diversity of gender. The current organization is nonprofit with all proceeds dedicated to supporting the above goals. Over the past 24 years, the Institute has #pushed back the frontiers of ignorance and bigotry• by representing our gender concerns to important professional organizations such as the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, Association for Humanistic Psychology, and the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists. Fantasia Fair and the Outreach Institute stand proud of their small, but important, achievements.
Fantasia Fair and Other Transgender Events Collection (cdlib.org) https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8p84jtc/
LGBTQ Publications (cdlib.org) https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8hq45dc/entire_text/
1. Transgender Tapestry was a magazine founded by Merissa Sherrill Lynn and published from approximately 1979-2008 by the International Foundation for Gender Education. Transgender Tapestry was a magazine "for and about crossdressers, transgendered, transexual, intersexed, and other gender-variant persons, and those who support them" ( Transgender Tapestry, Spring 2000) and covered a variety of topics such as transsexualism, politics, cross-dressing, and more. Throughout its run, Transgender Tapestry went through several name changes including The TV-TS Tapestry, Tapestry, and The Tapestry Journal.
2. Transvestia was a magazine started in 1960 by Virginia Prince, a transgender activist and founder of the Society for the Second Self (Tri-Ess)- an international educational, social, and support group for heterosexual cross-dressers, their partners, and their families (https://www.tri-ess.org). ( Transvesita was published bi-monthly from 1960-1980 with a total of 100 issues, and included content such as true and fictionalized stories; articles regarding transvestism; a question section; editorials; poems; and others.