Hey everyone!
Well I did it, first time out in public dressed, in the day time as well :O
Here is a link to the photo gallery where Ive uploaded a few pictures: http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/...37#post3768637
I have to say I had a great time, especially after a few beers and the worry went away.
I went into the city en drab and got changed in a friends hotel room, and then headed off to watch the parade with a group of friends, we were offered to be in it but none of us were in the mood to march, it was a very humid day and I was feeling a bit nervous, surprisingly though I didnt hesitate to go outside when the time came which I thought I would have. The different groups in the parade were representations of the various LGBT groups, all the political parties had a group and every major tech firm such as google, yahoo, facebook etc as many of them have firms in Dublin and were presumably looking to show their support for the community ( as well as get easy advertisement )
It ended at a public park where there was some live music and entertainment but we moved on to a street party where there was some alcohol which helped me ease up. Between the park and the party we had to walk a bit of a distance where there wasnt much LGBT activities going on so I got a few odd looks off people but I kept my attention to myself and my friends, it doesnt help that im 6'4'' so I tower over most people without drawing further attention. The street party was good fun but got very busy after a while so we headed for one of the other LGBT bars but it was so busy we went across the street to a regular bar which at first I thought would make me uncomfortable but it turned out to be very relaxed and we headed home after that since we all had work the next day which wasnt fun at all thanks to the ''small'' number of drinks we had.
There was no cat calls, insults or trouble anywhere to be seen which was great, I did get some compliments off people, ranging from how great I looked or to my clothes which was nice to have as well as being offered space at the bar which Id normally have to fight to get to. There were a number of people from my hometown that I noticed as well as 1 guy from my college course, not sure if any of them noticed me as it was very crowded but I sure spotted them, Had they come over or waved Id have struck up a conversation.
A few firsts that I had was wind+wig= Nightmare, since ive never been outdoors before I overlooked the concept of that and had to keep picking strands of hair out of my face but since evolution has taught us to adapt I noticed most girls tucked their hair behind their ears which made a big difference.
The flat shoes I had on also ate into the sides of my feet which im still nursing, sitting at home is fine but walking the city for hours not so much but live and learn, at least they werent stilettos I suppose!
Im proud of the fact I have a bladder like iron so I only had to use the bathroom twice for the day which is impressive, the first time was in an LGBT bar, I was concerned about which bathroom to use but since im under no illusion that im not male I went straight for the mens and got some funny looks while waiting in the que and when im came back out from the cubicle which I thought must have looked funny, The second time was across the road from the bar we couldnt get into, in a fast food place. There was 2 young guys in there before me and they looked shocked when I came which im still laughing about.
A few after thoughts though is that going anywhere dressed can be as easy or as hard as you make it, when you go with friends its so much simpler since they look out for you as well as occupy your attention so your not worrying the whole time, Im not sure I would be as eager to go back into the city without it being the LGBT weekend since safety in numbers but getting a taxi to the door of an LGBT club or somewhere very close to one wouldnt be so bad, I flagged down the taxi for the way home and the driver said next to nothing out of the ordinary on the way home.
All in all it was a great day, and a great experience and I personally feel an awful lot better about myself for doing it too.
Sarah x
**Original Post**
Yet another "first time out thread", there are many like it but this one is mine!
So tomorrow, Saturday is the annual LGBT pride festival in Dublin I mentioned in the events section, it seems there are few enough Irish girls here as no one else appears to be going, but I am!!
I've never set foot outside my door before and I seem like I'm diving into the deep end by going to a big parade/festival but it's probably the best deep end to dive into, a baptism by glitter almost lol! My two gay friends who I've mentioned many times are coming in, and my straight best friend who I never thought I would ever tell ( which I did last week). An old friend from school who is gay and a big proponent of establishing the LGBT community has booked a hotel for him and his boyfriend for the weekend and has said we can stop in for a coffee beforehand ( a very very Irish coffee) and that I can get changed there too meaning I don't have to walk around my home town and catch the bus dressed which was holding me back.
I'll add some before and after pictures when I get the chance but it's a whole day affair and I've to work Sunday, bit of a nightmare since I've to get home and scrub off my makeup and nail polish as well as try and get some sleep but nothing is ever easy. I'm also working late tonight so I have to roundup and organise all my stuff later on.
The events for the day are a parade from 1.30 that travels through the main streets of the capital and onto a square with a park where there will be music stages, entertainment, food stalls and merch vendors. It sounds like a blast and I can't wait but the butterflies are killing me already. I've a number of LGB friends who I'll hopefully get to meet during the day as well as a few people I know who are strong supporters of the LGBT community who come out for support, it'll be funny if I run into any of them ( surprise!!) I got to text my sister earlier to ask if she had green nail polish I could borrow to match my outfit so it's been a fun few days discussing this with a lot of the people in my life.
I'll leave it there anyway, I'll update and edit the post when I get the chance.
Originally Posted by Sarah-RT
