The 30th Seahorse Ball

by Lynne Johnson

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

When a group of six transvestites first met in Sydney in 1971 at the Malaya Restaurant, they probably didn't realise they were beginning a club that 30 years onwards would be celebrating at a ball at the Gazebo Hotel in a very flamboyant style. They had responded to an advertisement placed in the Kings Cross Whisper by Rosemary, one of the founding members of the Seahorse Society and still active in the group today. Rosemary had just emigrated to Australia and was persuaded to begin the club by Virginnia Prince who founded possibly the first transvestite Club in the Western World initially in Los Angeles. In those days, transvestism was considered either as perverse or as pornography and the club began in a very clandestine way, meeting at peoples' homes initially.

Today, we are able to express ourselves much more easily with wider community acceptance, but there is still a long way to go. In an effort to lift our profile in the community and to celebrate our society and ourselves, it was decided by the current Seahorse committee to organise the first Seahorse N.S.W. ball. Similar events have been run in Melbourne and Canberra, but this was the first time something like this had been planned for Sydney.

In the weeks leading up to the event, there was a buzz of excitement. Many of the girls attending were having ball gowns specially made for the night. For some, it was the first time they had appeared in such a public place all dressed up. The committee was nervous about whether the night would be a success or not, but as the time grew closer and ticket sales increased, there was no doubt that this was shaping up to be a very special event.

People began arriving through the afternoon where there were make-up artists busy doing up the faces. At 7:00 pm cocktails were served in the lobby of the hotel accompanied by piano music and canapés. It was a chance to mingle and meet old and new friends.

Then, the guests were invited into the brightly decorated ballroom to be seated. There were coloured balloons floating on the mirrored ceiling with satin strings hanging down to head height. The tables each featured a uniquely decorated headpiece made by Rocky and donated to the Society. These were sold off during the night and the money was donated to the M.C.C. Welfare Service.

The show began wit a cabaret act by Rocky. He transformed from male to female on the stage and emerged as a beautiful butterfly with the band playing and our host, Phil, singing "I am what I am". This was followed by a dance act from the girls from Polly's and then the band launched into dance music and the place erupted. The dance floor filled almost immediately. Spirits were high from the beginning of the night and they proceeded to get higher all through the night. We enjoyed a beautiful dinner from the hotel interspersed with more music, dancing and cabaret.

The featured performer was a singer, William Mafi who did a great solo act and then came back later as Tina Turner for another bracket. Later in the night, there were awards and prizes given out. Prizes were awarded in three categories, the "Belle of the Ball", the "Prince of the Ball" and the "Best Moulin Rouge look". They were hotly contested and the judging was controversial, especially for the Belle. But then that is not surprising considering how many of the glamorous contestants thought that they were going to win.

Most of the guests had gone to great lengths to look their best. The gowns were absolutely stunning and added greatly to the colour and fun of the night. What was pleasing was that there were a number of straight people who came along and who remarked how much they enjoyed the night. For some, it was their first experience meeting transgendered people and they were impressed at how friendly everyone was. They obviously didn't hear the bitchy comments about the competition judging. Many people commented that it was the best and most fun event that they had ever attended. The ball continued until late with more dancing and cabaret.

At the conclusion, it was announced that there was a bus waiting outside to take people into town to party on. The Taxi Club was the favoured destination, though many partied on at the Bourbon and Beefsteak Bar just across the park from the Gazebo until very early hours. We have received many letters, emails and phone calls of thanks and encouragement since the event. The night was such a success, that we have decided to do it again next year on June 29th and hopefully at the Gazebo as they did such a wonderful job catering to our needs. I encourage anyone reading this to come along. The transgendered community should celebrate together and we don't limit the event to Seahorse members.

While we understand that many in the community have financial difficulties, we do offer good value and there is no profit made on ticket sales. We don't get any community funding, but we do get help from our sponsors, so I would like to take the opportunity to thank them all for the support on the night and for donating together almost $3000 worth of prizes which were given away at the Ball.

Polare is published in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Community Services under the S.A.A.P. Program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Advertisers are advised that all advertising is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, though no guarantee is made by the Editor that they will be published, nor any discussion entered into. The editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc.I, the Department of Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health.