WAYOUT TV JUNKIES - Trannies on television
(Vicky dishes the dirt)

I welcome calls from researchers and involvement with television programs.

I hope we have helped spread positive awareness of the tranny scene through our efforts
(god knows it pays nothing).

We have had many television crews in The WayOut Club - For these crews our rules are simple.

ONE
Camera lenses are to be covered when not actually filming
TWO
Filming is only allowed in predefined areas where people know they are being filmed.
THREE
For crowd shots we tell the club where and when we are filming on our microphone so that those that want to be out of shot can move out and those that want to be "on the telly" can get in.

In addition to the filming at the club we have helped with the research arranged for others and appeared ourselves in many programs

'You can die from exposure'.

(By Vicky Lee)
First published in The Tranny Guide 7th edition

Here are some tips and pointers to help you avoid the traps:

TIP ONE - Many of these shows want a before and after transformation. Be warned many trannies who do this appear to be a sad man, lacking confidence who becomes an over confident pastiche. This un-nerves most viewers as they see someone unbalanced and unhappy. Better to only allow a very good boy still picture to be shown and only present one character to maintain respect.

TIP TWO - Many researchers will tell you that the show they are working on aims to explain cross-dressing (in a positive light - of course). They will film you for two days and edit the piece to two minutes of sensationalism. A program would need a series to "explain" cross-dressing. Much better to insist that you will help explain a very small part of the big story. OR just go for it and give them a fun OTT bit of sensationalism and show that you do not take yourself too seriously
.
TIP THREE - If you are interviewed alone as the only tranny on a show, at worst you can make yourself look silly, at best you can win support from your interviewer/audience and do us all good. However if you go on a show with alot of other trannies the presenter can draw the conclusion and USE you and the others to generalise and make it look that all trannies are whatever they want to put over.

TIP FOUR - Trannies that go on a show with a partner need to know that if the tranny out-dresses the partner it looks like an unbalanced relationship. Often a tranny takes on super confidence disguised in wig and make up but the partner does the reverse revealed in front of millions to be associated with something that she has barely come to terms with herself. The tranny speaks up confidently the partner mutters in her lap the viewer concludes that the male is enforcing his will over his subjugated partner. I am sorry but that is what it looks like.

TIP FIVE - If the show goes out at night darkly lit and the presenter wears evening wear both the tranny and the partner will look dowdy in daywear. Equally if the show is very daytime - daywear is needed. How many times have you heard the tranny asked by the daytime presenter in a smart suit would you wear 'that' to Tesco's. The worst mistake is for the tranny and partner to have totally opposite images or indeed exactly the same image as both mistakes lead to the viewer drawing the wrong conclusions about unbalanced relationship or cloning.

TIP SIX - So many trannies and partners have not learnt lesson one before stepping on a television set. You all go out there because you are happy with yourselves so SMILE, and keep on smiling. Meet interviewers and questioners confidently. Your smile will say more about you, than words ever can. I am sure that the silence from audiences over this subject comes from the fact that the audience is embarrassed by the trannies apparent embarrassment.

TIP SEVEN - Drag Queens almost always come across better on television because they appear confident. However they can also come across as too confident. Being a snotty bitch queen might work in club land but you will look like gay larger lout if you don't display a little kindness and empathy on television.

THE "KILLJOY" EXPERIENCE

For the second time The Kilroy show wanted to do a show on cross-dressing relationships.

I know that, along with others, I gave hours to the researchers for this show. Unlike a previous time with Kilroy the researchers actually came to 'The WayOut Club'. I was impressed and stood on the stage and appealed for contributors to the show.

Janet Scott also went on the show representing 'The Beaumont Society. She has a wealth of relationship and life stories to draw upon, as I do having met new couples every week for six years at 'The WayOut Club'.

For this show I arranged for a good-looking trendy mid twenties tranny with his equally good-looking girlfriend to represented the younger honest modern tranny. I arranged for a few experienced couples who are happy and confident to both dress up and go out and party but do not take cross-dressing into their sex lives or in front of their young children.

When we got to the studio there were two or three trannies that the researchers had found that I describe before as "newly out confused and evangelical". The researchers had also found two couples that have a relationship that revolves around the fact that the female partner encourages the male to dress and to have sex with her dressed. The two couples with the encouraging females on the front row were mic’d up and more than a third of the show was given to exploring their experience.

Then Kilroy talked to a 'confused' (single) tranny with a sad story (who lets face it looked a little dodgy) asking them to stand up and to give him a twirl. He made no use of Janett's experience, our young trendy couples, or my own experiences.

The result of this show can only be that most viewers will be consider that tranny relationships are destructive and sad and that any accepting female partners like kinky sex with hubby dressed in his frillies which is very rarely the case.

Was that the end of it NO

I was contacted again a few months later and asked to take part in another Kilroy SHOW Take Two again on ‘Transvestite relationships’.

"Take Two"

I immediately said "no way" based on the way that the research and contributors were treated only a few months before. I was contacted again a few minutes later to be told that - yes the Kilroy team agreed that the previous program "lost the plot" but that changes had been made.
Fewer contributors will be booked. Adequate time would be allowed for each contribution and Robert will "stick to the cards". The complete production team will be doing everything to make the program work. Then notes about my own relationship collected for the earlier program were read back to me and in short the researcher pleaded with me to come back on the show to allow my story to be explored in full. I provided a still picture of myself with my partner Lesley and the article about us in last years 'Tranny Guide'. (click here for to read the article).

Despite my better judgement I was convinced by the promises.

A few days later I was told that the program was short of couples but they had a mother and tranny son. On the strength of this I offered a family of mother, father and tranny son who were supportive understanding and could offer advice and support to the other family whilst exploring how they have come to terms with their relationships.

How were we all treated this time?

Before the recording I was shown the running order and was told when I would be expected to give my story. I was asked to be bubbly and feisty. I was told to join in and make comment about others statements.

The first couple "interviewed" were great - In their 70s very open, and quite possibly the best couple I have seen talk if they had been allowed to ... BUT Kilroy handled them like they were a couple of weirdo's as he painted a sordid picture from his imagination of the wifes first discovery of her cross-dressing partner. I cringed.

I feel it is Kilroys words and his relationship with this couple - not their relationship with each other, that the viewer will remember.

When the father, Ray, said he was “proud of his tranny son” despite the spontaneous support of the whole studio forum - Kilroy pushed ahead with his own reaction saying that he “failed to see what Ray could be proud about".and furthermore deriding him for helping his tranny son to perform using his cross-dressing skill.

Kilroy was not inspiring discussion, with shock tactics. In my opinion he was expressing his own feelings and allowed no further discussion.

When I did comment on this attack on Ray and his son - he brusquely told me to shut up and wait my turn.

Now to my own case - I was promised that the relationship with my partner, how it has survived and what we have learnt from the experiance would be featured prominently and would be explored in full.

Kilroy made no attempt to interview me though he did gesticulate (off camera), when others were talking, encouaging me to cut in. I did not try to cut in at this point as another person was talking and it would have been rude of me to interupt with no good reason.

A simple phrase from Kilroy such as "what has been your experience?" would have been enough to start an "interview" with me (as promised).

Eventually when I did get to say something, I was cut off after just a few seconds all I managed to say was
"that I recognised a lot of what the first couple said and that I had suffered depression and illness myself".
My story went no further .... leaving my partner and myself misrepresented and exposed.

After the show all of the production of the team and reaserchers apologised profusley. Mr Kilroy Silk was off like a rabbit out of a trap without a word.

Kilroy NEVER AGAIN.

But thats NOT the end of the story as a year later a new set of researchers were back to again put a Kilroy show together.

I refused to have anything to do with this new show. The BBC Kilroy program then sent 3 researchers to The WayOut Club to find out why I would not go on the Kilroy show or help find others to do the show.

They need not have troubled themselves as they could have read why here on this web site (which is what I told thier telephone researcher).

So they were actually at the club to "persuade me". None of these 3 were working with Kilroy last time I did the show, when I had been disgusted at the way Kilroy treated and spoke to the tranny guests, I said to them then what I said to the team after my third experiance.

"come back to me when you have finished working with Kilroy and I will help you all I can with what ever program you are researching - untill then forget it"

Despite this clear statement - during the next week the "executive producer" rang me and tried to persuade me to see things differently. After nearly an hour he recieved the same supply.

THE "TRISHA" EXPERIENCE

(I love Trisha and hope she is given a more mature format to work with), lets face it the trailer trash relationships, fat and thin have got boring.

The Trisha Show - was very accommodating to the cross-dressing story significantly bending their format to achieve a positive tranny programme.

I had the fun of opening the show dressed and made up as Trisha. She was really nice to me and helped me make the most of my spot reading the auto cue in her shoes (and lipstick actually).

The show started with Celeste and Niky two loud queeny drag queens and their long suffering straight friend.

Dear Vicky,

I Saw the programms on Trisha, why... why....
You looked good dressed as a woman and passing as such. But the two drag queens?? they are not a representative of the transvestites that I work with ...

I was disappointed in the programme. The young man who was made up as a woman. I would never have turned him out dressed like that.

You should meet one of my 'girls', she is very stylish, up with all the trends and passes wherever I take her. Surely this is what all trannies should aim for.

If you want to expose the female side of men and have it accepted, then do not antagonise the other sex who would pick holes in the subjects portrayed on the programme. I have a lot more to say on the subject, but await your reply to the above .. in trepidation...

This is part of the answer I sent back.

Dear Correspondent,

I know - I know ... It is so hard to get a program together that really hits exactly the right buttons.

However I think you missed the point with this one.

Firstly the show did not set out to talk about "transvestites" it set out to talk about the wider reference "men that wear women's clothes". I think the show was very successful because the average viewer (Statistics say that they all read the tabloids and watch the soaps) identify with the audience and the presenter on these shows not the guests.
They want to be part of the crowd not individuals.

Now - If you watched and listened to the audience they were very supportive to the cross-dressers. At the end of the day if the average viewer see enough of this kind of audience reaction they will pick this up and copy it in their daily lives - If this happens then the show did what I hoped it would do. That is - to make it easier for me and every other cross-dresser to mix in public without being judged as sick or perverted.

Jerry Springer whether we like it or not IS the biggest rating show world wide. Other shows are trying to compete by trying the same formula. We have to learn how to use this highly popular medium to improve OUR rating.

The disgusted sister was to a large degree acting to fit the format and get "on the telly".
The audience hated her and sided with her cross-dressing brother which did us all a favour.

On the subject of Drag Queens please believe me, most drag queens are cross-dressers too - many gay trannies hide behind drag to do their cross-dressing and often find it harder to come out as trannies than gay.

In my experience when Mr & Mrs Average meet cross-dressing face to face (or at least on television), reactions are evenly split.

Some accept an obvious OTT drag queen as safe pantomime fun. Others find them an affront. Some will appear to accept a well dressed, passable, cross-dresser however they rarely understand it and often find it frightening especially in their own family.

I would love you and your 'girls' to provide a better image on a future television show.
However I suspect like many others, your customer, quite rightly, is not ready for that kind of exposure. But without some one breaking down the barriers - trannies everywhere will continue to suffer the pain of the closet (which nearly killed me).

Thank you for inspiring me to write this reply. I hope it may be useful for other to read in an article that I am preparing for the Tranny Guide.
(of course without any reference to you personally).

Best Regards Vicky Lee

"SPICE OFF" I don't think so...
Original WayOut Spice Girls reunited to appear on Eastenders to appear on Eastenders in front of 8million viewers.
Flying to LA Paula Pure coincidentaly read in the Virgin in flight magazine that the 'Spice Girls' as a group has been keeping a low profile unlike drag tribute act 'The WayOut Spice Girls'. To prove the point while Paula toured LA and Las Vegas, The BBC screened East Enders (to an average viewing audience 8million). featuring a story line based around the E20 nightclub advertising a spice tribute without telling the squares macho lads that it was a drag tribute. For the recording Miss Karla (now living in Ibiza), joined Steffan, Paula, Miss Debonaire and Sarah Lloyd to be told by Bepe "Spice Off" OK so the script wasn't very positive, it wasn't politically correct... But 8 million viewers were left to think were the boys over re- ACTING? Of course as we know, real Eastenders would have called for more.

WAYOUT SITE REVIEWED ON TELEVISION www.thewebreview.com
While sitting here working on the new Tranny Guide I was very excited to catch on television a review of www.wayout-publishing.com on Chanels 3's 'The Web Review'. On the program the script was the review that follows but seeing our familiar spinning WayOut logo with screen shot after screen shot from our site nearly had me fall of my chair. The review is also on their web site under 'lifestyles' and will move into their 'archive' of reviews at the end of the week. Here is the review
Wayout-publishing.com review by Katherine Harvey
For The Web Review midnight Tuesday 1st November 2000 ITV Chanel 3

This site is for those of you who love putting on make-up, slipping on silk and lace and dressing up in skirts and high heels for a night on the tiles. And as I'm not talking about the women out there, then you must be way out.

Wayout-publishing.com is part of the 'Way Out' transvestites club. This site has everything about the club from how it got started to information on products like ‘The Tranny Bible’. But the main crux is the club night itself, which is held in the heart of London on Saturday nights. If you're a new tranny, find out about their special welcome and how to get your make-up and nails done. You can check out the club section for details of their annual events, which include the alternative Miss London and the drag Olympics. And if you're looking for inspiration there are loads of pictures from the hosts themselves to The Way Out girls - a tranny version of The Spice Girls.

The thing I like about the site is that it really has a sense of humour whilst being sensitive to the issues involved. While I can't begin to understand why grown men would want to wear high heels and knickers, I can imagine that it must be hard to be a first timer. There's loads of encouragement and practical advice on the site and I understand that the club is open to open-minded non-trannies too.

So if you go, you can spot the transvestites because they are the most glamorous, with the best hair and make-up - and the Adam's apple. .......... RATING: 7/10

ADVERTS

Someone is influencing the public with the brilliant drip, drip of oh so subtle mentions of cross-dressing into advertising and programming.

For example "At the weekend my name is Mandy" and who saw the trailers from Ericson in-between 'Fraser' on Channel 4 - Obscure straight man talking to fridge "This weekend I am dating a transvestite" …. "Do you think she was annoyed that I looked better in her dress?" …. "I think I will see her again".

The 'Celebrations' advert with the undercover cops "Men"... and the bounce advert to name but a few.

(I am sure you have spotted many more - email me with your observations of these suptle tranny adverts)... To E-Mail me: vicky'at'wayout-publishing.com (To help us prevent unwanted spam please change the email address to "vicky@" instead of "vickyat")

Michael Cole - UK Living
'Basic Instincts' on Sky One and two
Little John Live - Sky One .... I loved that one I got to sing with a fab band.
Kilroy - BBC
Trisha - GMTV
Sex Files - UK Living
Sex in Suburbia - Ch 5 With Jodie and Jenny
British Sex - Sky One - We have done two pieces with them.

These are repeated frequently and are also shown worldwide (My family have seen me in 'British Sex' in Australia).

More recently we have been part of
The Bill,
Digital Sex,
Big Breakfast,
Toilets with Claudia Winkleman

and are about to be on East Enders