Traveling for Two

The Tapestry Journal, a magazine for cross-dressing males, is advising its readers not to leave home without American Express’ dual-signature travelers checks.

Since transvestites can face the annoyance of a complete fashion changeover just to cash a check, the magazine recommends cross-dressers sign the dual-signature checks with both masculine and feminine names. Then, says Tapestry, “countersign with whichever signature agrees with your presentation and there you are!”

One other tip from Tapestry addresses the lingerie shop habit of selling names and addresses of male customers to similar clothing vendors. The magazine advises that if a wife wonders why her husband is receiving so many lingerie catalogues--even though he hasn’t bought her anything lately--he can “always say he bought it for his girlfriend.”

Brew With Attitude

Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) may want to stick with Bud when he hears that L.A.’s Pride Beverage Co. has been prospering for the past year with its Pride Light lager. Sold primarily in gay bars and clubs, part of the company’s profits go to gay causes, including the Campaign for Military Service and the Human Rights Campaign Fund.

Business has been good for the politically correct beer, whose ads include safe sex messages. A new ad campaign calls the lager “the enlightened light.”

The Last Word

One of Hollywood’s most developed art forms has always been the technique of giving compliments after a screening. This isn’t difficult when the film is good. It’s only when an auteur’s beloved project is excruciatingly awful that it becomes a full-fledged art form.

Add to the list of unique compliments the guest who, at a recent screening, came out of the theater and compared the film to something by Ken Russell, adding: “It’s bad in all the right ways.”

Spiraling Trend

Maybe this is just catalogue shopping taken to another level, but it’s become remarkably easy to buy custom synthesized DNA via the mail. According to ads in Science magazine, anyone can have small amounts of the building blocks of life delivered to their doors for about $7.50.

According to a Pasadena biochemist, there’s nothing dangerous about this the-genes-are-in-the-mail business. These amounts of DNA are “exceedingly small,” a person would need zillions of dollars of equipment to make use of it and, to him, DNA is “just another chemical.”

We thought it could be a trend. DNA: the Pet Rocks of the ‘90s.