  When everyone was beginning to attack Yvonne, CJ Wilson, the Glad Rag editor and printer, published Glad Rag 2000; this was in answer to criticism that the Glad Rag was expensive and not progressing as the Group wanted. |
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The Glad Rag
The Glad Rag was the in-house magazine. It contained a mix of news, especially important when the Group was about to change address, stories, cartoons, Yvonne's Bits, and anything else of interest to the TV community. It was all voluntary, except for the cost of the printing.
Andrea was the first editor and did much to get the magazine started by writing, editing and typing most, if not all, of the copy and providing many of the cartoons. However, after a year and 6 issues the magazine needed to move on to a more professional looking publication and needed the expertise of an experienced editor. At just the right moment Christine-Jane Wilson, who ran her own printing works and had worked as an editor, joined the Group. C-J was swayed to take over as editor and printer, although was paid for the printing, because of the help his wife had received from the Group and stayed as editor until the demise of the Group. From 1987 to 1992, Frank the printer took over the printing because he owned faster, more efficient printers.
Yvonne wrote a number of excellent stories for the Glad Rag that dealt with transvestism from different angles to the norm. Her first two stories were about two cousins who are originally asked to dress as bridesmaids to help save a wedding day. They became known as Alice and Anna and was entitled The Bridesmaids. This led to another story, On The Beach. Yvonne originally wrote 7 stories in this serial but sadly, through re-writes, amendments and running the group they never got completed and only the first two were ever published.
Other stories Yvonne wrote concerned the Bisley Boy, a legend of Queen Elizabeth I and Stella and Fanny, about two Victorian Drag Queens; proving that nothing is new.
Here are the best of the stories that appeared in the Glad Rag.
The Bridesmaids
On The Beach
A Merry Ferry Christmas
Silk Stockings On A Ladder
Stella and Fanny
The Bisley Boy
The Glad Rag Magazine
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The Glad Rag began as 3 sheets of A4 paper photocopied and stapled together by Andrea, the first editor. The first issue was published in November 1982.The paper carried a small hand-drawn rose motif. By issue 11, Christine-Jane Wilson was now the editor and printer. These magazines looked more professional and now had an ISSN number. |
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By issue 29, the Glad Rag had achieved a shiny cover but still retained the amateurish looking cover. Joanne Petticoats drew the cover of issue 35 and it remained that way until issue 54 when Derek Shaw took over. The magazine had come a long way and although sold in shops, the Glad Rag never really attained the mass appeal and professional publication that Yvonne had originally envisaged. |
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The Group began publishing an in-house magazine, The Glad Rag because of the interest shown in starting a membership, for which something had to be offered in return. Issue 1 reported on an informal meeting one Saturday evening to ask if it was a good idea to form a membership.
Until this meeting, the Group had little or no organisation since the collapse of a committee in 1978, when Yvonne took over and run the Group single-handedly.
The magazine was a direct result of the membership, which in turn was a direct result of the interest shown in the Boat Trips.
The Glad Rag also contained cartoons, readers stories, letters, ideas, Yvonne's Bits, forthcoming events and news, etc.
