I'd forgotten about this until recently, but in retrospect it's kind of awesome.
The last time I went to my aunt's house (an eighty-mile drive across highways and freeways and up over a thousand feet from where I am, where it's really, really cold), I went pretty far with my guy clothes. Admittedly, in my case I am almost always dressed in guy clothes; it's mainly an issue of exactly how masculine they are. T-shirts = not very. Thick flannel sweater = pretty darned masculine.
I was dressed more for cold than intentional masculine presentation, but I had on men's jeans, the aforementioned sweater over my T-shirt, a hat that someone had bought for my dad, and enormous (over-glasses) sunglasses. I was also wearing a burgundy windbreaker, which doesn't exactly scream "dude", but I did have my ponytail tucked under three layers of clothing and the hat covered all of my hair so you couldn't tell it was long. Oh, yeah, and I wasn't wearing anything special to cover my boobs - just a worn-out sports bra that does hardly anything in any direction.
Anyway, we stopped at a gas station on the way there, and I had to use the restroom. They were both occupied, so I decided that I would just use whichever one opened up next; no one was likely to see me anyway. As it happened, the men's room opened up.
While I was using the toilet, I heard someone outside the restroom. It sounded like someone had come in to use the men's room and, finding it occupied, gone off to wait. I was a little worried at this point, wondering if the guy who needed to go was waiting outside the door, but I remembered the rule of "act like you belong there," so I just finished my business and left.
There wasn't anyone in the hallway, as it turned out. However, once I walked out of the hallway, I saw a guy standing nearby, a few feet out of sight of the men's room. He looked at me for a couple of seconds or so, then apparently concluded that the men's room was now empty and headed in that direction.
So you can guess what this implies...
I PASSED.
And yes, I am aware that passing isn't everything (unless you never pull it off and your entire sense of self hinges on seeing yourself as your gender; I don't, and it does). I am also aware that three layers of clothing + thick hat =/= practical everyday applications.
HOWEVER. Imagine if I took the object lessons here and adapted them. First, instead of hiding my hair, I get a good (i.e., flattering) masculine haircut. Second, instead of three layers of clothing, I wear something that can actually restrain teh boobies. Third, hats. Fourth, big-arse sunglasses that hide the most telling parts of my face.
Oh, and fifth, go places without my mother, who will invariably destroy any chance I have at being read correctly by referring to me as "she" and "(girl name)" in endless conversations that she has with sample station handlers and cash register operators and any other strangers that she happens to have something in common with. (Also by acting like I can't speak for myself, telling people in restaurants, etc. what "she wants." Soforth.)
And sixth, never open my mouth.
Anywho, I just had to tell somebody about this, because this is the first time EVER in the history of EVER that I can confirm being read correctly, AND I WAS WEARING MY PINK COAT. It was a magical day.
Oh, it was also magical because later we went to Wal-Mart for some groceries, and there was a guy standing in there who was wearing the same design as T-Shirt as me (a TMNT shirt). It was so awesome I had to unbutton my flannel and stand strategically so he could see (while acting like I didn't care, of course. Lo, I am a jerk.)