TracyT
04-01-2017, 11:38 AM
As a follow-up to my post below (“Full Time”), I want to share a reaction I had at the gym the other day. As I mentioned, I am almost always en femme when I go to the gym, and I work out in an athletic skirt and woman’s tank top. As you’d expect there are a bunch of jocky guys there and I get my share of stares and double-takes. The employees are always friendly and professional, and I do get compliments regularly from the female members. Anyway the other day I was checking in at the front desk and the woman who swiped my card said “Can I ask you something? It’s kind of a personal question.”
I said “Of course.”
Somewhat haltingly she asked “I just wondered, do you identify as a man or a woman?”
Chuckling I said “Well I use the men’s locker room. But it depends on what I’m wearing.”
She said “I think that’s awesome!”
Yesterday she was at the front desk again when I arrived (wearing a skirt and white keds, natch), and I chatted with her a bit longer. She’s about 30, very attractive, and always greets me warmly. I told her I appreciated her question and she said “God it’s so awkward to ask but I just wanted to be sure I refer to you the right way. I think people should be able to be gender-fluid…”
“Well, I have a better answer to your question,” I replied. “I’m a man—I just like wearing skirts. I like the term gender-fluid.”
“Well you look very nice – “
“Thank you. You know, Caitlyn Jenner is a woman—she’s made the full transition. God love her, but I’m not doing that. I’m just a crossdresser.”
We went on to chat about her 14-month-old daughter, who’s named “Lyra” after Lyra Belacqua, the heroine of Phillip Pullman’s The Golden Compass. She wished me a good workout and I thanked her, again, for her interest. It was great to make a friend and to see her trying to kindly figure out the blurring lines of gender. I will wear my skirts to the gym with more confidence going forward.
I said “Of course.”
Somewhat haltingly she asked “I just wondered, do you identify as a man or a woman?”
Chuckling I said “Well I use the men’s locker room. But it depends on what I’m wearing.”
She said “I think that’s awesome!”
Yesterday she was at the front desk again when I arrived (wearing a skirt and white keds, natch), and I chatted with her a bit longer. She’s about 30, very attractive, and always greets me warmly. I told her I appreciated her question and she said “God it’s so awkward to ask but I just wanted to be sure I refer to you the right way. I think people should be able to be gender-fluid…”
“Well, I have a better answer to your question,” I replied. “I’m a man—I just like wearing skirts. I like the term gender-fluid.”
“Well you look very nice – “
“Thank you. You know, Caitlyn Jenner is a woman—she’s made the full transition. God love her, but I’m not doing that. I’m just a crossdresser.”
We went on to chat about her 14-month-old daughter, who’s named “Lyra” after Lyra Belacqua, the heroine of Phillip Pullman’s The Golden Compass. She wished me a good workout and I thanked her, again, for her interest. It was great to make a friend and to see her trying to kindly figure out the blurring lines of gender. I will wear my skirts to the gym with more confidence going forward.