By Jaelle Terrell

In early 2020 I was just beginning my transition.  Assigned male at birth, I was learning how to become the woman I am today.  I met David and Jerry and I have since come to know and love them.  David told me about this thing in Provincetown Massachusetts called Fantasia Fair. 

            Provincetown, or Ptown, is a little resort town at the tip of Cape Cod.  It is owned and operated by a gay community and is a well-known vacation spot for the nation.  It is a Mecca, or at least a bucket list item for the gay community, and perhaps everyone should visit there once.

            David said Fantasia Fair was also known as ‘Tall Ships’.  Imagine a town taken over by 6’ people.  In 4” heels.  Tall ships.  Ptown has hosted this week-long transgender event annually and that year was to be the forty-fifth annual.  Fantasia Fair hosts a fashion show.  A talent show.  An open mic night.  Workshops, panel discussions, just … Disneyland.  People come from all over the country.  The world.

            Next, I learn that David is a retired college professor whose area of expertise is sexuality and gender roles. He has attended Fantasia Fair several times over the years and knows and has worked with all the old grand dames. David said he has told the Fair’s founder, the one that started it all 45 years ago, Ariadne Kane about me, and she wants to meet me. Me! Remember, 4 or 5 months ago I was a repressed and depressed old man lying in a hospital bed waiting to die. What? How? Could you even? I told David and Jerry that I couldn’t afford it, but I would save and we could plan for next year. It truly sounds like a life event!

            They listened very nicely and basically said it’s exactly what I need, it’s coming, people are interested in meeting you, and you’re going. We’ll figure it out when we get back.

With the help of friends, I planned day and evening looks for each day. Kathy had warned me not to talk too much or obsess and just stay calm. Leona quite simply said don’t be you. Same thing. Sound advice. One October morning we loaded up the car and left for Cape Cod.

The drive up the cape goes through little towns, roads, and businesses dripping with history.  The bay and the ocean are just to the left and right. Provincetown is a charming little town out at the tip of the cape.  Commercial Street is jammed with colorful shops and restaurants.  It is similar to west coast towns like Venice Beach and Malibu Beach but with East Coast weather and architecture.  It is instantly fun.  And gorgeous.  And my patrons, my mentors, my spirit guides know where to drive, where to park, where to register, everything.

We registered and received swag bags, itineraries, and so on. David introduced me to the woman registering us. Dallas Denny is a goddess, a transgender pioneer. As David and Dallas chatted for a minute I sat in the waiting area. This woman was pontificating, about what I honestly don’t remember. Hello, I introduced myself, my name is Jaelle. Don’t you know who I am? She asked me. No, I don’t. I’m Mariette Pathy Allen, she announced. She looked at me, waiting for … what? Recognition? Apology? Well, I’m sorry, but I’m a smart ass. I offered none of these things and waited for more revelation. I’ve written four books, she pronounced. Well, I’ve read four books, I responded. I came to learn that she is a photographer, and at times THE photographer for Fantasia Fair, and while her work is not exclusively focused on the transgender community her work is considered very important. She’s actually a lovely and very interesting woman, and I found myself dancing with her late in the evening that Friday night.

Every hour of every day there were two or more events to choose from. Workshops. Seminars. Lunches. It was so active. So busy. So fun. David said we were having breakfast with Ariadne Kane the following morning.

Let’s take a minute to discuss the food. Every breakfast, every lunch, and especially every dinner was grand. It seemed there was a Gordon Ramsey quality chef looking over every plate that left every kitchen for every meal. Every vegetable seemed to have been picked that day and every seafood caught that morning. Just the brightest, freshest flavors, beautifully prepared and presented. Every meal was just perfect.

After registering we went to lunch at the Lobster Pot. As we sat waiting for our food a couple came in and sat at the next table. It was a trans woman and a cis woman. As they passed the trans woman put her hand on my shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze. This little act of friendly kindness touched me. After a few minutes I turned and greeted them. The cis woman beamed at me and said You look so different! Reading my puzzled face and studying me a little more closely, she said, Oh! You’re not so-and-so. They were extremely pleasant and fun, and I believe we became fast friends. They told me they had been married for years. In fact, their marriage pre-dated her wife’s transition. It turned out they were holding one of the seminars. She has written a book entitled I Married A Woman that documents their journey through life and marriage. A delightful couple.

The next morning we met Ariadne Kane for breakfast. She had already arrived and was seated at a table for eight. Introductions were made, and she told everyone where to sit. You sit there. You sit there. Jerry, you sit there. No, no, there. She sat me on her left. Obviously, planning and organizing are in her DNA. Breakfast was delightful, as they shared common memories and remembered past characters.

The week went quickly. Not rushed, not frenetic, but at a lively pace. I attended Sephora beauty workshops. I can now do a smokey eye! I attended writers’ workshops. It was amazing. I met women from Los Angeles to London. The Talent Night, the Fashion Show, and the Gala, the grand evening dinner that closes the week were so much fun. There was an Open Mic night and for the first time in my life, at 65 years old, I did a stand-up routine.

There are three or four restaurants providing lunches and dinners each day. You are to choose them at registration and you receive a ticket for that particular meal for each day. I was chatting with one of the volunteers one day who said as she was collecting tickets and seating people for lunch. Ariadne Kane breezed in, greeted someone, and sat at their table. Oh my god! The volunteer thought. I’m responsible for collecting the tickets. Am I to go ask her for a ticket? What if she doesn’t have one? I said No. When Anna Wintour shows up at Fashion Week no one asks her for a ticket.

The bottom line is, Provincetown is sumptuous. Fantasia Fair is a glorious event, and should indeed be on every transgender person‘s bucket list. It’s entertaining, educational, and beautiful. I am truly standing on the shoulders of Dallas Denny, Mariette Pathy Allen, Ariadne Kane, and all the beautiful women who built this fabulous, and now 46-year-old event.

~ Jaelle Terrell

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