Gossip Central

Last night,  the cross dresser - transgender karaoke social was mainly a cross dresser dominated affair. Since for once I could hear what was going on around the table, I learned several surprises.

The first of which was one the most surprising was the fact one of the most natural feminine persons at the table still worked as a guy and lived a male existence. I wish I had a picture but you are just going to have to use your imagination.

Adrian Cronauer

Another surprise was another attendee was a transgender veteran. It became interesting how much else we didn't  have in common. She is a "Desert Storm" era marine sniper and I'm an ex American Forces Radio and Television Vietnam Era vet. Yes, I narrowly missed being in Southeast Asia with the late Adrian Cronauer
who Robin Williams portrayed in "Good Morning Vietnam."   She said she didn't see any combat and barely fired her weapon and didn't live in the barracks. I said I didn't even see a M-16 weapon the last two and half years I was in. Out of three.

By not living in the barracks, she meant she lived in a tent. When I said I never lived in a barracks (except basic training), I meant I was paid off for off base housing in Thailand and with my Women's Army Corps girlfriend in Germany. I did even miss out when the pesky Viet Cong mortared the air base I was working at in Thailand.

Robin Williams

Finally, still on the subject of transgender veterans, one of the group members (also a vet) who moved became the topic of discussion. She was the member who claimed at one point in time she had all the signs of pregnancy, even to the point of being intersexed. It turns out the whole story might have been just that...a story. Since she now lives in Minnesota, not Ohio, she couldn't speak for herself.

But hey, the group was proving they could gossip with the best of them.

Of course, my least favorite person of all was there. He/she was still talking the same line of trash trying to make in roads with my partner Liz or even Aggie, the very presentable cross dresser I mentioned earlier. Last night I was fortunate I could set down the table farther and ignore most of the trash.

At least it kept it interesting. 

Good Night Robin Williams

I'm sure by the time this has posted, you all may have received the news of actor Robin Williams passing, quite possibly a suicide.

Many of us in the transgender or cross dressing community will remember his portrayal of a family nanny in Mrs Doubtfire.  For me though, I grew up very close to one of Robin William's mentors- Jonathan Winters.  Winters actually went to school and shared time between Springfield and Dayton, Ohio before serving in WWII.

If you happen to catch any of the old skits Jonathan Winters did on Johnny Carson, you will see the similarity between the two and notice the thin line between brilliance and insanity.

Much later in my life though, Robin Williams found another special place.

The movie was the 1987 Good Morning Vietnam in which Williams played American Forces Vietnam (AFVN) DJ Andrian Cronauer.  As luck would have it, I served on the American Forces Thailand Radio Network (AFTN) some 4 or 5 years after Cronauer left "Nam."  When the movie was released, all my friends could not wait to go see it with me, so I could provide a running commentary on what was true (some) but most not.  Even though it was a movie, I built an instant bond with Robin Williams who portrayed a long gone part of my life which most people don't believe existed.  I just laugh and say it was a different life (more than they know) and "got stoned and missed part of it." (Hell, most of the younger people I run into now, have only vaguely heard of the Vietnam mess anyhow.)

Hearing the news about Robin Williams was similar to knowing you have a dear friend with a terminal disease. You just knew he had it in him with all the "voices" he could summon for a role but you never hoped it would happen.

So, when I heard, it was like having a piece of my heart ripped out (sorry Janis) - similar to everytime I learn of yet another transgender person who commits suicide. Such a shame and so sad.

Hopefully Robin Williams is in a better place now, knowing his legacy is safe with so many of us!