Impulse Gay Social Club

Chris tipping a drag queen.

The Impulse Gay Social Club was a non-profit gay social club located on 1417 North Emmet St. in Charlottesville, Virginia. In mid-2015, it was an important social outlet for Chris, as he seemed to be the happiest he'd ever been in the years following his dad's death. However, he gradually stopped going. The Charlottesville location has been closed since 1 July 2020.

Initial Exploration

Chris dressing up as a filthy, unkempt hippie for Halloween.

In August 2014, Chris came out as a "Lesbian Identified Male," or as he eventually put it on his OKCupid profile, "a Female, Lesbian Soul in this Male Body; a Lesbian Transwoman (Very Interested in Women) (no operation)." In early October, Chris learned that troll sweetheart Catherine would be in Charlottesville for Halloween, and he began to make plans for them to wear matching costumes in public with a "Lesbians Through Time" theme. When Catherine bailed, Chris decided to make the best of it, and attended the Halloween party at Impulse alone.

He had a good time. Immediately upon returning home, he went to his Facebook page and posted a selfie of himself in the bathroom, captioned "Groovy 70's Lesbian Chic enjoying the beats at Impulse Gay Social-Club!" He also offered a review of the club:

“	The show tonight has been good; I've enjoyed the ladies here; great views. They could turn the speaker volume down a few decibels; that's what cost them that fifth star from me.	”
Chris

Continuing Fun

While his non-relationship with Catherine died shortly thereafter, it did have one lasting positive impact in giving Chris a new hangout. While the details remain unclear, he apparently began to show up to Impulse on a regular basis and even made what he considered friends. This did not become public knowledge until May 2015, when Kiwi Farmer Lucrid announced, "I just saw Chris at Impulse (Cville's gay bar)." Lucrid's account:

There was a drag show tonight at Impulse and I just happened to see Chris there. I've been living in Charlottesville now for a few years and this is the first time I ever saw him in person, so it was pretty unexpected, even though I've heard that Chris has attended events at this particular bar before. I didn't take any pictures or video recordings, though, so you'll just have to take my word. I arrived at the place with some friends at around 10:15, so it was about fifteen minutes before the start of the show. They had these long rectangular ottoman-like stools that people could sit together on as they watched the show. Chris was seated on one, and he wasn't talking to anyone, just sitting and looking at what I think was his phone. He was wearing a sleeveless blue dress with white flowers (it looked like something from Goodwill) over a dark navy blue T-shirt, sneakers, and normal glasses (he wasn't wearing the MLP kids' classes from the Gamestop incident video). His hair was the mess that it usually is. The lighting was pretty dim but it also looked like he was wearing bluish-purplish eyeshadow. So basically it was just the standard Tomgirl look. Chris hardly talked to anyone, though he seemed to be really enjoying the show -- he tipped all of the performers (it is customary to tip the performers that you like, so it is not that unusual, though Chris showed his appreciation for every single performer). I think there were at least ten performances in total, with an intermission in the middle somewhere. He stayed for the whole show, which means that he didn't get back to Ruckersville until well after midnight. Anyway, on the other end of the stool that Chris was sitting on, there were two (biological) girls. I have no idea if they are Christorians or just random girls, but I noticed Chris was trying to sit closer to them, and it looked like he was trying to listen in on their conversation without taking part in it. It was a little weird, but then I turned around later and he was talking to them. When he left, though, he wasn't with anyone else. After the drag show itself ended, people typically stick around and socialize. There was still music playing, and Chris kind of did a swaying-dance thing where he was standing (it wasn't on the dance floor...it was a quiet night so people weren't dancing there), and his eyes were half-shut (oddly enough the expression he made reminded me of how he looked in the "For J-R's Eyes Only" video). Again, sorry about not having any real proof. Though there isn't really much to say -- he went to a gay bar and acted relatively normal and didn't have any outbursts. I don't think people paid him much attention, either. But since no shit is too minor, I figure I'd share it with you all.

In the next few weeks, Chris all but confirmed this with public Facebook references to being at "the club last night," handing out business cards to the "ladies," and getting advice from his new "D.Q." (Drag Queen) soul-sisters. By July he had become such a regular that he could complain about the "light" attendance on a particular Saturday.

Videos

In May 2015, forum member heyyyJackiePie released three brief videos of Chris enjoying the show at Impulse and interacting with other human beings.

His account:

This a report from Chris’ visit to the club. What proceeds is a summary of the visit to include a description of events and interpretation. It's very long, but I like to be detailed in these reports so you guys can get the most out of it. For any field report, it’s impossible for the reporter to be completely free from bias and person interpretation. In these cases, I make it clear when there’s speculation with disclaimers, “I think” and “seems to be”, etc. This is to make sure that the facts and my interpretation are clearly identified. OK, now that the boring stuff is out of the way, here’s the report. The club entrance is between an Asian market and a convenience store in a small row of buildings. His car was parked directly in front of the club. This was a bit comical because the entire parking lot in front of the club and the Asian markets was empty, except for his blue car and Sonichu license plate parked right in front. Side note – everyone else parked to the side where it was harder to notice the cars). The club has an unassuming entrance and only apparent it’s a gay club – or any club – until you walk right up to it. The first floor is a small area to pay cover. It’s dark, but lit by lasers and fluorescent lights. The actual club is on the second floor. The club itself is neat and has a large bar and a seating area to the right in front of a stage area. A DJ is behind the stage playing contemporary pop music. There’s also a large, quiet smoking room with a high tables, air hockey, and pool tables. Most guests were in the normal seating area or at the bar. It’s a nice club and has several lights and lasers at different parts with good sound. The club was laid back compared to what you might expect from a typical gay club. People dressed normally and it wasn’t always obvious who was straight and who was gay. The patrons seemed to be friendly and like ordinary people. There were also several pretty girls who seemed to be straight. So in summary, the patrons didn’t seem weird or bizarre and it wasn’t very obvious who was gay and who was straight. This has become necessary to say because many comments in the thread had statements along the lines of, “the people must be crazy just like him if he fits in” Initially, I would have thought the same, but it was not at all the case. So what was Chris doing? Chris wore a pink shirt which appeared to be the same one in his Facebook post. Around his belly is a belt which had some form of pattern on it. He wore a high denim skirt which had a “ruffle” design at the bottom. He also wore white and clean (probably new) running shoes. He was seated with two young women and a man who were later revealed to be in college. More on that later. He initially seemed to be part of their group, but this later seemed not to be true. It wasn’t clear what he was saying, but at parts he was very loud. He didn’t seem to be socially aware of how loud he is or how bad his voice sounds. And his mood? He was immensely happy and having a very good time. I cannot overstate this. This very well seemed to be the greatest night of his life. He approached multiple groups of girls around the bar area and talked to them for about five minutes each. The girls didn’t seem put off or creeped out and were equally invested in the conversation. He talked to about four of 5 groups of girls before an MC announced the show would soon begin. It was like he owned the room or was one of the “regulars” that everyone knew and loved. Most people took seats and some left the smoking area to get ready for the show. The whole production was being filmed by the club staff with large equipment you see at sports games. Also, a few patrons were also filming the show with cameras. The MC was getting everyone excited for the show and making several sexual jokes about hooking up, 69, cock, etc. Everyone seemed to be enjoying it. He asked questions like, “any first timers here? Any virgins?” The MC then talked to a few people asking names and where they were from and welcoming them. The group Chris was initially with had a newcomer and when the MC walked over Chris stood up and yelled, “They’re in college!” Again, I cannot understate how loud this was. Because his voice is naturally high pitched, it was very piercing when he yelled. The MC even then said, “we hope to see you on stage soon, Christine!” It wasn’t clear how he reacted, but yeah, it was actually suggested Chris do drag. The MC then announced the host of the show was going to enter the stage. This person was dressed in full drag and said things along the lines of, “Welcome! We have a great show for you”, etc. It was a similar presentation to the MC and contained more sexual jokes. When the show started, the first drag queen came onto stage to a theme song, similar to a pro wrestler walking out to the ring. The dancer would dance to the song on stage and slowly guests would reach out with a dollar bill extended to tip. The dancers would walk out into the seating area singing and collecting dollar bills and dancing their way through the crowds. Chris tipped every dancer. Each show lasted about the duration of each song. There were three or four total dances like this before it was announced the first round came to an end. At the intermission, Chris made his rounds on more groups of women before resuming his seat. He was constantly scouting the area for women to talk to. Besides the college guy in his initial group, he never talked to a single guy. Also, when he returned to his seat, the fact he didn’t sit with the group of college people seemed to suggest he met them that night and wasn’t very close. After a minute or so, he then stood up and began to skip and prance his way toward the bathroom at the front of the stage, but only to put something, possibly a piece of paper or napkin, in the trash. He then skipped back again. He was beaming with happiness and glee. More on this late. A few minutes later he walked to the bathroom at the front of the stage. While he was in there, a woman started dancing by herself in the dance area, as women typically do in clubs. She seemed to be with a group of people her age (about40) and just wanting to have fun and dance. When Chris exited the bathroom, he beelined right to her and started to dance with her. I have a very disturbing – err horrifying - video of them dancing together, so I won’t describe it here. But, I will note that he appeared to say, “I’m Christine!” when he leaned in to talk to her and she appeared respond, “Oh hi!” After the video clip ends, Chris was very engaged in conversation with the woman, more so than any other encounter he had that night. This didn’t seem necessarily unusual because he was simply trying to see if she had any feelings for her and was just agressively leaning in. She was being very friendly in response too. It was only unusual in the sense that this woman was clearly straight, clearly with a group of people, clearly out of his league. She just seemed to play along with it for a bit. The MC soon announced the next round was about to begin with the male dancers. The MC made several jokes the dancers were “busy putting all their male junk away!” Chris reacted to the male dancers the same as the first set of dancers and tipped all of them. The first picture is him tipping one of the dancers if anyone didn’t realize it. I also have a video of him standing up and waiting for about 30 seconds for a dancer to acknowledge him and accept the tip. It’s funny because he’s awkwardly standing there and it’s one of those situations where you can’t really sit down as you’ve committed to it and you just have to wait for the dancer to see you. He tipped, sat down, and continued to enjoy the show. This concludes the field report. Now that the recording of events is complete, I will provide my interpretation and final thoughts. You may disagree with some of this interpretation, and that’s expected, but there are few more things I need to describe that don’t fit neatly into the narrative. As I said earlier, Chris was immensely happy and it was very clear he was enjoying himself. But this seemed to be more than just a great night out. It seemed as if this club means much more to him than just a fun place. It’s a place where he is welcome, where he can talk to women and try to make friends, a place where he can even dance with women, and a place where – maybe – he can meet a sexual partner. In many ways, I think it will become like a Manchester High to him. His happiness was very evident in the way he skipped to the trashcan. It looked foolish and silly and something a little schoolgirl or child would do. His Facebook post fit was horrifying to all you, but from my perspective, it reminded me of a situation where some teen girl who just had the most amazing night at the prom dance, etc., was trying to relive it in her memories the next morning. Also noteworthy, there were numerous sexual jokes and references of the X-rated variety which I think he thoroughly enjoys because he thinks if so many people there are having sex, so too, will he. In many ways, his overly sexualized Facebook posts are not surprising given his history. We know Chris has always been interested in sex, but he probably thinks it’s normal to post these updates because this language is so persistent at the club. It’s also clearly Chris’ autism and/or a variety of other factors that he can’t tell the difference between when this language is socially acceptable (hosting a drag show) and when it isn’t (Facebook). Also, many people seem to think Chris’ presence must have been a horrifying experience for everyone there. It wasn’t. Or at least it didn’t appear to be. While no one seemed to be interested in him beyond polite and playful conversation and dancing, no one seemed repulsed by him. I think there are a few reasons for this. First, gay clubs are welcoming to all people and are generally judge-free environment. Second, Chris seemed to come off as a silly, but fun-loving girly girl who is just so happy to be having such a great time. So while he might have looked foolish or silly, he was just so happy that people either feel a bit sorry for him or just seem to be happy he’s so happy.

Tip1

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Stardate	24 May 2015
Subject Matter	Homos Homos, Music Music
Performance Style	Reason Reason
Saga	Tomgirl Tomgirl
Other	Leaked Leaked
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Stardate	24 May 2015
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The Boom Boom Room

Chris with his new gal pal, who looks somewhat uncomfortable.

Chris claims to have gotten some phone numbers.

Twice a month, Impulse was entertained by The Boom Boom Room, a local burlesque variety troupe. Chris attended his first (and undoubtedly not the last) show on 12 June 2015, and had a blast. As soon as he got home, he got on Facebook and posted with pride and defensiveness about how all the ladies loved him. He even claimed to have participated in the show.

“	Do you know who Likes me? These Women Like Me! I was at the Boom Boom Burlesque Show Friday Night, and Zhora Nova was quite taken with my audience support and participation. On stage, I acted a drown quite well. I applied naraja lip balm with vaginal outlines. And I flexed muscles and booty. Not only was I awarded a couple of blow pops, but I also won the raffle, complete with a Trophy and a Tiara, among other most valuable prizes. And Kisses and hugs were shared with great delight.	”
Chris

See also

• Cville Pride

External Links

• Impulse website archive
• Impulse Facebook pagearchive

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Chris's videos

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