So I'm doing the whole 'dress like a girl' thing again

Three years ago in March I was at a bar in North Tonawanda with Heather when I got a message asking me if I'd dress in drag for a charity event. Mildly unnerved, I shared it with her and asked her what she thought about it.

For all intents and purposes, we had just started dating and she liked to embarrass me at the time (you should see the things she used to write on my Facebook when I left my phone unguarded), so she encouraged me to do it. After checking with the powers that be at work, I agreed — somewhat reluctantly.

Three years later, I'm signed up again to be part of the Peaches & Creme Fashion Show, a charity event benefitting Relay for Life. This will be my fourth time in drag — well eighth, really if you count the fittings that come about a week before the show.

You see, all us guys go to Maurices, the main sponsor of the event, to pick out a ... wardrobe? ... costume? ... Um, I guess we'll just say "dress." We also get to pick out some accessories like jewelry and scarfs and whatnot. Then the night of the show, we put them on. Maybe some nail polish. Maybe a wig. Whatever makes us pretty.

I mentioned this is for charity, right? But that doesn’t mean I don’t take it seriously. Apparently I’m quite the diva, according to Heather. I mean, if I’m going to dress up and be on stage for the entire world to gawk at, I’d like to look nice. I know I’m going to make a fool of myself, but can I be a good-looking fool?

Anyway, we model our dresses for the crowd at the Palace Theatre and have a lot of fun while doing it. There's also a talent contest which I have heretofore avoided but am considering doing this year if my favorite Lockport bartender (Simon Chavers from the Pleasant Valley Tavern) will join me in making a fool of myself. He's signed on as a "model," but hasn't fully committed to the talent part yet.

The event is coming up on May 10 and it's going to be a lot of fun. All the guys involved have tickets for sale for $10 each if you'd like to come out and see me in drag in person. Or they’re available at the door for $15 at the door. If all you want to see a picture of said abomination, I know they’re floating around the Interwebz somewhere.

Yes, this means I’ll never be governor or senator or anything, but who cares about that. We’ve got cancer to cure.

Dressed for success

It’s good to step out of your comfort zone every now and then. Do something different — just because it’s different.

It’s even better to step out of your comfort zone for a worthwhile cause, which I’ll be doing this Friday night at the Palace Theatre.

Modeling is a career I’ve never considered, primarily because I’m ugly and out of shape. But it’s what I’ll be doing Friday as I grace the runway at the Palace Theatre as part of the Peaches-N-Crème Fashion Show and Comedy Hour, a fundraiser for Relay For Life.

As if being a male model weren’t out of my comfort zone enough, I’ll be donning a dress to do it in.

Yup, Scott Leffler in drag.

Fortunately, I’m not alone. There’s about a dozen other guys joining me in gender bending for a cause.

For me, it started about six weeks ago when I got an email from Anne Scinta LaSota, team captain of Maurice’s Relay For Life.

Anne told me she was trying “to recruit men that know how to have fun, have great personalities, are well known to the community, secure enough in their manhood to wear women’s clothes and willing to help me make this a great and profitable night.”

She went on, “While I was talking to people this evening your name came up as someone that not only fits the type of person we’re looking for but also someone who would love to do something like this especially for such a good cause. So ... (with my fingers crossed) what are your thoughts?”

I was at first taken aback by the fact that my name came up in a discussion of guys who might like to cross-dress. But after the initial shock passed, I thought, “Hey, it’s for charity.”

The reasonably priced tickets are available at a reduced cost in advance, or buy them at the door. They can be purchased at Maurice’s on Transit Road, Caruso’s Hair Salon, Peer Plumbing and Heating or from any of the MANgels (that’s what they’re calling us models).

The MANgels include myself, David Hinton, Jay Zimmerman, Dick Scinta, Jerry Buzzeo, TJ Gray, Tommy Shanley, Joe Runfola, Kyle Greiner, Brian Hopkins, Brian Bailey, Andrew Mullen, Zak Persichini, Mike Gagliardi, Andrew Rodems and Rick Leiker.

Although the event starts at 7:30 p.m., doors open at 6 to allow people to look over the baskets in the basket raffle, purchase 50/50 tickets and presumably get good seats for a show that I am quite certain will only happen once — at least with this particular cast of characters.

Aside from the fashion show, there will be comedy provided by Nick Siracuse, and the whole thing will be hosted by Kiss 98.5’s Shannon Steele.

And, of course, all proceeds from the event will benefit the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, to be held at Emmet Belknap on June 18.

So to summarize, if you want to see me in a dress, come out to the Palace on Friday night.

And to make sure I never live it down, we’ll be sending a photographer so there will be thousands of copies of it.

Hit me up for tickets at my email address found on the "contact page." And thanks.