“Come and have fun with us!”
by Robin Dorner
Editor in Chief
What started as a get-together among some friends has turned into one of the largest transgender events in the nation. It’s the 10th annual Transgender Weekend Party held at the Habana Inn in Oklahoma City.
“The event is for all transgender women and men: transsexuals, transvestites, fully feminine or masculine cross-dressers and spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends, and Mistresses, Sirs and BBC who love girls and men like us,” said Hanna Olsen, event founder and organizer. “Admirers are welcome to join us, or wait for us after 9 p.m. in the Copa Club.”
The weekend will kick-off on Friday, November 4 at 6:30 p.m. and last through Sunday, November 6 at noon. There is no charge for the event, but attendees will have to pay for meals, entertainment and room fees, if incurred.
Olsen began organizing these events ten years ago when she realized that there were no social events for transgender people. “I convinced a few friends to come for the weekend, and we ended up with about seven people for our first event,” she said.
“After my first few parties, Princess Zoe helped me with them for several years, then Mistress Karin and her leather family helped. Now I do them with my friend Krystol Smith.
“I began to target first time out girls and made the format as pressure free as possible so they would come out and enjoy their first social event with us. As the word got out in the community, and the numbers grew, I added salon services and shopping trips as amenities. In the beginning, people found out about my parties by word of mouth.”
She said she never realized how large the OKC event became until she began to meet people from Alaska, California, Florida, Rhode Island, Canada, and so many more locations from across the nation at the bi-annual events.
Hanna Olsen, OKC Transgender Weekend organizer. Photo by Robin Dorner.
Although the number of attendees varies from event to event, and the economy has lessened participation recently, Olsen expects between 65 and 100 transgender women, plus admirers to attend this November.
Olsen requests that all attendees register for the event at bit.ly/GAYLY1. Dress code is: Friday - casual, Saturday – dressy & PJ party - nightie or lingerie only (not required to attend).
Activities include: Meeting other transgender women and men, and people who love us for who we are, in a casual and safe setting, chatting over drinks with friends, enjoying dinner together, visiting in our Hospitality Suite, dancing in one of our nine LGBT clubs…just having transgender fun all weekend.
To make hotel reservations, visit www.HabanaInn.com or call (800) 988-2221 (be sure to mention your reservation is for the Transgender Weekend Party). The Habana Inn is located at 2200 NW 40th Street, Oklahoma City OK 73118.