Debglam
06-25-2011, 04:57 PM
Well I have had another life experience I feel like sharing. . . I was OUT in public dressed as Debby for the first time. Not coming and going from a specific location but out on the street, shopping, etc.
This month, my local TG group was not having any events because they spend this whole weekend participating in San Francisco Pride. With no privacy at home given the kid’s schedules, meeting up with them in SF was my only option to get out this month. I discussed this with my wife and a day trip or two to meet the group down there, about two hours away, seemed the best answer. While this was a big step out of my comfort zone it was also one for my wife as well. While she had no problem with the trip per se, I asked her for some much needed clothing advice and this was a bit of a reach for her. While it would have been completely alright for her to say that she didn’t want to, I was tickled by the help she provided. Given my limited wardrobe, she gave me a top to wear. Her comment on the completed outfit (denim jacket, black knit top, khaki capris, & strap toe sandals) was “you really dress like a soccer mom.” I guess at my age, that is the goal! As usual, she ran interference so I could get out of the house.
The drive down was uneventful however hitting SF at Friday rush hour is always interesting. Parked in a garage and called one of my girlfriends staying at the hotel. She was heading out for some shopping so I met her on the street, about three blocks away. Walking the street by myself and then meeting up with D and browsing Ross was also uneventful, albeit surreal. I don’t think there was any sort of attention paid to us in the Friday afternoon insanity. We then went to the hotel to meet the rest of the girls and had a drink at the bar.
After the meet-up, we took BART to the station nearest the rally/march start and hit the streets. A pretty rough area and I have to admit I would have been uncomfortable walking around there dressed in my toughest guy clothes! We hit the park and another page is turned. . .
I am a pretty vanilla person, in either guy or girl mode, so the scene at this park was something to behold. Here I am with a bunch of nicely dressed girls – age and situation appropriate – and realize that “I’m not in Kansas anymore.” :eek:
A sea of people. There were women – GG & trans. IMHO, the transwomen were the most tastefully and stylishly dressed. I did get to meet Niya from the forum in person – yay! Sorry I didn't get to meet more of you out there.
There were MTF, FTM, and everyone gloriously(!) in-between! There were bare breasts. There was more skin than clothes. There were all the colors under the rainbow. There were ages ranging from teens to seniors. Being San Francisco, there were plenty of “interesting” characters, trans or not. The kids trying to sell me pot brownies did make me kind of sad.
The march was pretty well attended, although cold & windy. Nice crowds of smiling people along the route, including some business folks “trapped” by the event. The Latina contingent was absolutely awesome! How they did the whole march in those shoes – Ay, la belleza es tan doloroso! :battingeyelashes: Some scowls by some of the SFPD working the route but there WAS some police bashing by the speakers and who the hell wants to be working Friday evening. The march ended and we started to work our way to a restaurant by the hotel.
As we got further and further from the end of the march, the reactions changed. First, as a group we were clearly being read. Mostly head turns and an occasional comment mostly neutral or friendly. I did hear one “bunch of fags” comment from a guy I am certain I could have laid flat with one punch. Not worth it and certainly didn’t spoil the fun! Dinner was pleasant however one of the waiters kept calling us “guys” and a group of lesbians came and sat adjacent to us. Someone said “hi” and the response was “hi fellas.” A jab maybe?
Anyway, a very nice, and eye-opening evening. Trip back was relatively uneventful until I had to stop for gas around midnight at “redneck junction.” No problems ensued but I was probably more uncomfortable waiting for that tank to fill than I was at anytime during the evening! It’s funny because a basic safety/crime prevention technique is to have a "presence." Make eye contact and exude confidence. Well all I could do was stare at that damn gas nozzle and try and crawl inside myself with all of the hootin’ and hollerin’ going on in the lot! I’m imagining that maybe this is something like what a GG must feel unless her name is Sheena, Warrior Princess. Another lesson. . .
If nothing else - this stuff certainly makes life interesting!
This month, my local TG group was not having any events because they spend this whole weekend participating in San Francisco Pride. With no privacy at home given the kid’s schedules, meeting up with them in SF was my only option to get out this month. I discussed this with my wife and a day trip or two to meet the group down there, about two hours away, seemed the best answer. While this was a big step out of my comfort zone it was also one for my wife as well. While she had no problem with the trip per se, I asked her for some much needed clothing advice and this was a bit of a reach for her. While it would have been completely alright for her to say that she didn’t want to, I was tickled by the help she provided. Given my limited wardrobe, she gave me a top to wear. Her comment on the completed outfit (denim jacket, black knit top, khaki capris, & strap toe sandals) was “you really dress like a soccer mom.” I guess at my age, that is the goal! As usual, she ran interference so I could get out of the house.
The drive down was uneventful however hitting SF at Friday rush hour is always interesting. Parked in a garage and called one of my girlfriends staying at the hotel. She was heading out for some shopping so I met her on the street, about three blocks away. Walking the street by myself and then meeting up with D and browsing Ross was also uneventful, albeit surreal. I don’t think there was any sort of attention paid to us in the Friday afternoon insanity. We then went to the hotel to meet the rest of the girls and had a drink at the bar.
After the meet-up, we took BART to the station nearest the rally/march start and hit the streets. A pretty rough area and I have to admit I would have been uncomfortable walking around there dressed in my toughest guy clothes! We hit the park and another page is turned. . .
I am a pretty vanilla person, in either guy or girl mode, so the scene at this park was something to behold. Here I am with a bunch of nicely dressed girls – age and situation appropriate – and realize that “I’m not in Kansas anymore.” :eek:
A sea of people. There were women – GG & trans. IMHO, the transwomen were the most tastefully and stylishly dressed. I did get to meet Niya from the forum in person – yay! Sorry I didn't get to meet more of you out there.
There were MTF, FTM, and everyone gloriously(!) in-between! There were bare breasts. There was more skin than clothes. There were all the colors under the rainbow. There were ages ranging from teens to seniors. Being San Francisco, there were plenty of “interesting” characters, trans or not. The kids trying to sell me pot brownies did make me kind of sad.
The march was pretty well attended, although cold & windy. Nice crowds of smiling people along the route, including some business folks “trapped” by the event. The Latina contingent was absolutely awesome! How they did the whole march in those shoes – Ay, la belleza es tan doloroso! :battingeyelashes: Some scowls by some of the SFPD working the route but there WAS some police bashing by the speakers and who the hell wants to be working Friday evening. The march ended and we started to work our way to a restaurant by the hotel.
As we got further and further from the end of the march, the reactions changed. First, as a group we were clearly being read. Mostly head turns and an occasional comment mostly neutral or friendly. I did hear one “bunch of fags” comment from a guy I am certain I could have laid flat with one punch. Not worth it and certainly didn’t spoil the fun! Dinner was pleasant however one of the waiters kept calling us “guys” and a group of lesbians came and sat adjacent to us. Someone said “hi” and the response was “hi fellas.” A jab maybe?
Anyway, a very nice, and eye-opening evening. Trip back was relatively uneventful until I had to stop for gas around midnight at “redneck junction.” No problems ensued but I was probably more uncomfortable waiting for that tank to fill than I was at anytime during the evening! It’s funny because a basic safety/crime prevention technique is to have a "presence." Make eye contact and exude confidence. Well all I could do was stare at that damn gas nozzle and try and crawl inside myself with all of the hootin’ and hollerin’ going on in the lot! I’m imagining that maybe this is something like what a GG must feel unless her name is Sheena, Warrior Princess. Another lesson. . .
If nothing else - this stuff certainly makes life interesting!