Our January event is always a special one. It marks the fourth birthday of our community. We first met in late January 2022, just seven trans and gender diverse people emerging from yet another COVID lockdown.
Since then we have grown so much as a community. So many new faces, stories, experiences and more. I love this community, while it has asked so much of me, it has given so much back. It gave me, ME. So it was a delight to celebrate four years together.
The fundraiser was a success with $190 raised! We are a very lean operation so this actually has pushed us into a tiny profit of $67.20 when compared to all of our historical costs and fundraising. Time to invest in something very small!
Our mission is not to merely provide a safe environment for new trans femmes to explore their gender, but also to give them a new social circle in which they can share experiences and knowledge. I look forward to many more years of meeting more of you and sharing your stories!
Francine Ellis Social Butterflies founder
See you soon! February 27th at Wheat, Wine and Whisky in Collingwood
Social Butterflies will be the closing act on TGV’s calendar as we meet on the 28th of November. This will be an extra special night as we introduce something new: a live makeup demonstration!
Francine and Chloe at the 2025 TGV Gender Revel Gala
Our mission is not to merely provide a safe environment for new trans femmes to explore their gender, but also to give them a new social circle in which they can share experiences and knowledge. We did not have those experiences such as learning how to apply makeup as a teen. Fortunately we have each other to learn from.
The live demonstration will be led by Chloe as she paints a volunteer’s face (Francine) for the first time! This will be in a casual Q and A format with a focus on troubleshooting, product theory, and technique so feel free to jump in with questions as she goes.
The tutorial will loosely follow the format as seen in The Complete Social Butterflies Makeup Set (see below).
The Complete Social Butterflies Makeup Set
A quick shopping list and tutorial on how to assemble a great makeup set and how to apply it.
September saw the Social Butterflies community arrive at our new home of Wheat, Wine and Whisky in Collingwood. This relaxed and cozy environment is a perfect match for our needs with warm lighting, low volume levels and ample seating. The food menu was popular too with many having dinner to kick the night off.
Overall this was a fantastic first night and a promising sign of things to come. We saw a cast of old friends and many new girls arriving at the Smith st location. The welcoming and calm tone is the perfect way to meet new people and to make that first step out in your true identity. We truly love this new location and the team who run Wheat, Wine and Whisky. Make sure to come around and see what this place is like.
See you soon! October 24th at Wheat, Wine and Whisky in Collingwood
Winter can be a time of quiet reflection. As the days get shorter and we spend more time indoors, it’s natural for our thoughts to turn inward. For many trans femmes and cross-dressers who are still closeted, this can be a difficult time. It’s when the parts of yourself you’ve been hiding become harder to ignore.
But what if you stopped ignoring that side of you and chose to embrace it instead?
At Social Butterflies, our goal is to help you take that first step. We understand that going out as yourself for the first time can be intimidating, but our community at DT’s Hotel is warm, friendly, and welcoming. Imagine the feeling of being truly seen and accepted for who you are, without fear or shame. It’s a life-changing experience, and we’re here to help you begin that journey.
Social Butterflies July
The July meet was fantastic, our discord lit up with delight the very next day. We saw the return on many we had not seen since our first year as well as some new faces. For such a cold night, the reception inside DT’s Hotel was warm.
A significant consequence of the July event is the return of a makeup specific channel to the discord. Key members of our community are on call in the Glow Up channel to provide makeup and fashion advice, all to ensure your glow up is as spectacular as possible. Access to this advice is exclusive to our private discord server. To request access, contact us here.
With Melbourne freezing over, the Butterflies still showed up and they brought baggage! The clothes swap was so successful that despite two large donations of coat hangers, the clothes racks were quickly overrun. The clothes swap will absolutely return in July as we work to get through the generosity of our regulars. Please don’t fear being greedy, if you see something you want, it is now yours.
It is always a relaxed night at DT’s Hotel in Richmond and always warm. Enjoy a conversation with a new or old friend.
If you are a trans femme, gender diverse person or a crossdresser who wants to meet new people who understand how you feel, please come down our July event. The volume is not too high, the butterflies are friendly and the experience of being surrounded by like-minded people is life changing.
We had lots of fun at the May Social Butterflies event. Plenty of new people appeared for their first visit which is always extremely exciting. Making those first steps is so scary, but once you are inside you realise the fear is not as real as the euphoria of being you.
Social Butterflies in May and June are usually slow nights as the cold sets in, but this year has been an exception, with strong numbers turning up no matter how hard it rains or how cold it is.
Fortunately it is always warm in DT’s Hotel and if all else fails: the clothes swap is there to provide extra layers free of charge!
It was such a fun night spent with both new and old friends. If you are a trans femme, gender diverse person or a crossdresser who wants to meet new people who understand how you feel, please come down to DT’s Hotel in Richmond. The vibe is comfy and the therapeutic nature of finally being surrounded by like-minded people is life changing.
For more on who we are and what a night out with us is like, see this interview with us on QNEWS.
We are returning to our usual schedule of the fourth Friday of the month. That has us meeting on the 23rd of May.
Raid your wardrobe and bring anything quality that deserves a new home as the Clothes Swap is returning! This popular new feature we introduced in January 2025 is in hot demand. We have donated all the clothes from this year which have appeared multiple times without finding a new home so expect a fresh round of offerings!
“It’s my first time out in public in women’s clothes and I’m scared”
If this is you, be you a cross-dresser or a closeted trans woman coming out for the first time; you’re in the right place. DT’s Hotel provide the perfect place to debut. It is not on a major road like most queer venues, so it is possible to park discreetly and enter the corner hotel without being seen. Inside it is relaxed and friendly and most importantly, the majority of the crowd are AMAB (assigned male at birth) femmes and non-binary people. They are just like you and have been there before making their own shaky first steps.
It is perfectly ok to come completely dressed as a man if you are still scared. Please note that if you approach the girls in man-mode, make it known to them you are also one of the dolls. The majority of the guests are femmes seeking friendship of other femmes, if a man approaches, they may fear you are a chaser. But once we know you are one of us, we are happy to provide you the advice and motivation to come next time as the real you. At worst it will be like going to the swimming pool without your bathers. But at least you will leave knowing the water is warm for next time!
The trans femme, non-binary and cross-dresser friendly socials continue in March. We are returning on the fourth Friday of this month: the 28th of March to be exact. Note that while this is our usual schedule, we can shift. Due to scheduling clashes: our April event will occur on the 11th of April. This will involve us teaming up with our friends at Melbourne Leather.
This is a perfect time and relaxed environment to meet new friends, connect with old ones, or if this is your first time being in public dressed as a girl, the perfect place to debut the real you.
Our clothes swap has been a huge success the last two months. We are grateful for every donation we have received, and overjoyed by the joy these free clothes have brought to our members. Together we raise ourselves up!
Despite some logistical challenges, the clothes swap is very much returning for March but will not in April. If you want to donate, please do so this month as there will be a wait till our June event. Otherwise we recommend you send your donations to the TGV Affirmation Station in Brunswick.
“It’s my first time out in public in women’s clothes and I’m scared”
If this is you, be you a cross-dresser or a closeted trans woman coming out for the first time; you’re in the right place. DT’s Hotel provide the perfect place to debut. It is not on a major road like most queer venues, so it is possible to park discreetly and enter the corner hotel without being seen. Inside it is relaxed and friendly and most importantly, the majority of the crowd are AMAB (assigned male at birth) femmes and non-binary people. They are just like you and have been there before making their own shaky first steps.
It is perfectly ok to come completely dressed as a man if you are still scared. Please note that if you approach the girls in man-mode, make it known to them you are also one of the dolls. The majority of the guests are femmes seeking friendship of other femmes, if a man approaches, they may fear you are a chaser. But once we know you are one of us, we are happy to provide you the advice and motivation to come next time as the real you. At worst it will be like going to the swimming pool without your bathers. But at least you will leave knowing the water is warm for next time!
Social Butterflies’ brand of social nights for trans femmes and gender queer people are set to return this February. This is a perfect time and relaxed environment to meet new friends, connect with old ones, or if this is your first time being in public dressed as a girl, the perfect place to debut the real you.
This event occurs after the end of the Midsumma Festival. It is therefore a typically more relaxed than usual enviroment as the summer social period comes to a close.
Back by popular demand will be the clothes swap. This was not advertised widely before the January event, for fear of being swamped with supply. This certainly happened and we recieved mountains of generousity from our girls n themmes. Still demand was huge and the joy on the faces of the girls who scored new clothes was enough to ensure a repeat.
For any crossdressers or closeted trans femmes coming out for the first time, this is a brilliant opportunity to not just be yourself in public, been seen and appreciated and recieve the massive confidence that comes with that. Now you can head home with a more complete wardrobe!
Please just take what you like and redonate anything that does not work. DT’s Hotel does not have adequate change room facilities, so please do not block the limited toilets to try on a new dress.
On January 24th, 2025, we celebrated our 3rd Birthday with a cast of new faces and old friends. This was a fantastic night and another milestone for our community.
We had way too much fun in the clothes swap, so now what was meant to be a one-off for the Midsumma Festival, is tendatively tiptoe-ing ahead towards being a regular feature. Keep an eye on DT’s back room at our next event for a room full of free clothes! Above is Francine and Bee, showing off with Bee’s absolute win in these outrageous thigh high boots. Her joy alone is enough for the clothing swap to return.
Here’s to another fun year of new friends and helping trans femmes and NBs experience their gender for the first time.
