As more and more of my friends find out about my crossdressing and weekend gender identity. someone will inevitability ask, "what about men". This question is always asked by women, men seen unable to even think about it. Women, on the other hand have had enough experience to know that given the right circumstances a man will hit on anything. I have always held the belief, if you put a skirt on a jack handle sooner or later a man will take it home. So as a result of my beliefs regarding the behavior of men, when I am around them I always try to be a lady, working on the belief that gentlemen treat a lady with respect. I have a friend, who is an activist in the city of Long Beach. Recently he held a fund raiser in his lovely restored old Long Beach home. This was a genteel affair, the food was pot luck and provided by the ladies. There was a Jazz combo in the patio and a folk group in the house; we had poetry reading and art work on display. It was just a really nice Sunday afternoon filled with lovely people and lovely music, a nice bit of cash was raised for our city's library system.

I was invited to this event as Janyne and attend as such. I was sitting and talking with a small group of ladies, when I was introduced to George. Georqe is a retired Long Beach Judge, and as such is used to being in charge. George likes the ladies and he liked me. George is a gentleman and very much a charminq man. He's the kind of man who takes care of the woman at his side, he gets your punch, takes away your soiled plates, takes your arm as you descend a stair. He seems to be very interested in women and notices everything, jewelry, colors, clothes, and nails, all very charming indeed. If he was a younger man he would be a chauvinist but on him it comes across as chivalry. We sat together and talked about Long Beach and it's colorful past, he showed me photos and paintings on display, he explained the history of them in regards to Long Beach, he just took care of me.

As I was saying good by for the night, our host asked me if I could give George a ride home, of course I said yes. George walked me to my car, although I was a head taller than him, he walked on the outside and again took charge. At his home he thanked me and told me how lovely he thought I was and how much he enjoyed talking to a "young woman".

Now I have spent about three days thinking about George and the party and my experience there. George and I are not dating, I am not smitten with him and I am sure he isn't with me either. What seems to have happened is that I enjoyed a womanly experience.

Over the last couple of years I have enjoyed many of them mostly as a woman relating to and with other women. This time it was as a woman in the company of a man. Like in some other situations I had to take stock of my immediate feelings and then just let them go and experience what was happening at the moment. As I experienced the party I thought about myself and all the times I have been a man at parties. I thought about how nice it would be to be like George and to charm the ladies, and take over the room the way that he did. But it never worked for me that way. I always was alone, wishing secretly to be one of the women.

I always stood out side the circle, as Janyne, I walk through the fire and that's where the light is.

All I really did was grow a little more and allow my feminine self to look at men from a point of view that isn't fear based. Because of the safety of the situation and the confidence of being a lady I had no reason to be afraid of a person just because they happened to be a man. I think my experience as Janyne is making my life easier as Jim. At the next party I attend as a man Janyne's recent experience will have taught me that being a guy can be a wonderful and fulfilling way to be.

Janyne C. Girl Talk Powder Puffs of California Sept 95