Marlena Dahlstrom
06-28-2006, 03:12 AM
I've been working with a client for a couple months now, spending a good percentage of time on-site.
So Friday I was talking with S., the woman who's been my point of contact there, and the topic of weekend plans came up. I mentioned some friends of mine from out of town and I were going to see the SF Pride Parade (http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34250) on Sunday. S. mentioned she usually went to both the parade and took part in the Dyke March (http://www.dykemarch.org/) on Saturday, but couldn't go because her partner's relatives were visiting. So S. asked me to take lots of pictures.
Since we've got a good working relationship, I decided it was a good occasion to come out to her, since I'm gradually making my way out of the closet. Admittedly, it was a bit of leap of faith, since this is the first person I've told in my professional life and there's always the spectre of how it might impact my ability to make a living.
So today, when S. came over to look at the photos on my laptop, I started with some photos from the Trans March (http://www.transmarch.org/). S. seemed interested, so I showed her some more and said, "This is a friend of mine, who's a crossdresser -- and I happen to be one too."
S. replied, did I like boas and such, and I said not really, and showed her some of the pictures of myself en femme. S. was curious and we ended up talking for about an hour -- comparing her experiences as a lesbian to mine as a crossdresser. (For example, she was curious what sort of reception I got while out in public, since she's felt reluctant at times to engage in public displays of affection with her partner). Towards the end of our talk, S. apologized for the boas remark and I told her not to worry, since I just assume people don't know anything about crossdressing and trans issues.
So we'll see what happens. I did mention to S. that it was a leap of faith for me to come out to her because my concerns about how coming out might affect getting work. So, given her own concerns about being out as a lesbian, I'm sure she'll be discrete. But hopefully, it's one step in building up a set of friends who know about all of me.
So Friday I was talking with S., the woman who's been my point of contact there, and the topic of weekend plans came up. I mentioned some friends of mine from out of town and I were going to see the SF Pride Parade (http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34250) on Sunday. S. mentioned she usually went to both the parade and took part in the Dyke March (http://www.dykemarch.org/) on Saturday, but couldn't go because her partner's relatives were visiting. So S. asked me to take lots of pictures.
Since we've got a good working relationship, I decided it was a good occasion to come out to her, since I'm gradually making my way out of the closet. Admittedly, it was a bit of leap of faith, since this is the first person I've told in my professional life and there's always the spectre of how it might impact my ability to make a living.
So today, when S. came over to look at the photos on my laptop, I started with some photos from the Trans March (http://www.transmarch.org/). S. seemed interested, so I showed her some more and said, "This is a friend of mine, who's a crossdresser -- and I happen to be one too."
S. replied, did I like boas and such, and I said not really, and showed her some of the pictures of myself en femme. S. was curious and we ended up talking for about an hour -- comparing her experiences as a lesbian to mine as a crossdresser. (For example, she was curious what sort of reception I got while out in public, since she's felt reluctant at times to engage in public displays of affection with her partner). Towards the end of our talk, S. apologized for the boas remark and I told her not to worry, since I just assume people don't know anything about crossdressing and trans issues.
So we'll see what happens. I did mention to S. that it was a leap of faith for me to come out to her because my concerns about how coming out might affect getting work. So, given her own concerns about being out as a lesbian, I'm sure she'll be discrete. But hopefully, it's one step in building up a set of friends who know about all of me.