I'm not a mason, but one of my oldest and closest friends is, and we're going to their annual Burns Night dinner in a couple of weekends, so it was time for "the transitoning talk". He's taken it well, he accepts me as I am. He's worried the lodge master might not be quite so accepting, but he did agree to me wearing a ladies kilt and jacket to the event - as opposed to the long dress i'd have preferred to wear.
The upside is i always wanted a nice ladies kilt, the downside is its a bit of a public compromise, made in good faith to avoid my friend's embarrassment this time round. He knows future events will be me in an long black dress though, and is okay with that if he's running the event.
The bigger upside is that i've not lost a friend over the transitioning talk, and he's happy for me to be dressed with his wider family and circle of friends. There will be a fair number of former professional work colleagues present, so it's fair to say I'll be outed in that community as of then.
The big debate at home now is whether to wear 3" heels.
Now to the emotional side; this is the first time i've felt nervous about telling someone, because his friendship means a lot to me. I'm relieved and know I have someone local to count on as this year unfolds. Facing all those old engineering faces is going to be a challenge, but I'm up to it, it's a kind of Rubicon for me, really.
Pamela
