F e a r !!!

[Frédérique]

It's a cruel world out there is a common train of thought around here. Often coupled with "I could never pass in a million years so I won't go out dressed". But how many people separate that fear into the obvious 2 parts?
1] Being busted by people that know me or...
2] Being busted by total strangers. Each and every stranger, man, woman or child of any age.

It’s not so much fear as “I don’t wish to bother anyone with my incredibly interesting yet non-understandable hobby/activity/or whatever you wish to call it.” If I was “busted” by someone I knew, it would be highly amusing. If I was “busted” by a total stranger, it would be equally amusing, especially here in Kansas, since pretty birds like me are a rare sight indeed…

It’s a cruel world, all right, which is why I crossdress and derail the prevailing train of thought. Regarding the job, I would take it AND dress. I used to live in a town where nobody knew me, but that time has passed – now I can’t really go around unnoticed anymore…

[JocelynRenee]

I had to chuckle when I read this hypothetical situation. You've almost perfectly described my current life!

My wife and I work for a Fortune 500 company that is regularly recognized for it's forward-thinking LBGT policies. Since January of this year we have been part of a special project team that requires us to travel 3-weeks out of every month with the option of flying home every weekend.

Typically 4 or 5 of our colleagues will be staying at the same hotel and most of them are from other areas of the country so we did not have prior relationships. Since weekends are generally reserved for Jocelyn, that meant quite a few coming out stories our first trip. On the surface everyone was cool and I honestly don't care what they think privately.

For most of my life I lived in fear of my secret being discovered. The story behind my change in perspective is beyond the scope of this reply, but suffice it to say that I decided to take control of my own life. This life belongs to me and my wife; not to friends, family, co-workers, bosses, and certainly not random strangers. So, this is a roundabout way of saying that it doesn't matter to me which group knows. As for the job offer I took it because we are both on the project team and travel together. If it meant being apart, no salary would be enough!

[Karmen]

Being busted by people who know me scares me to death, because I don't know how they will react. Especially people I work with or some other people I know and I think they won't keep a secret for them self. Being busted by family it would be very embarrassing, but at least they won't tell anyone.
I don't really care for total strangers, but I'm still afraid that I will meet some of these strangers next day and they would recognise me, since I don't pass as a girl even when I'm fully dressed. Because of that even when I go out fully dressed, I try not to get face to face with other people or in the position, where someone could take a good photo or video of my face. That's why I only go out at night when dressed - less people on the streets, so I can avoid direct confrontation on most occasions and it's harder to recognise someone in the dark.

[Algoma]

If someone wants to set me up with that living arangement, I'm your girl. To be able to spens 24/5 as Algoma, would be a dream come true. What company is this? Algoma

[Dianne S]

1] Being busted by people that know me or...

2] Being busted by total strangers. Each and every stranger, man, woman or child of any age.

[1]: All the people I really care about (my wife, kids, mother, sisters and close friends) know I'm transgender and most have seen me dressed as a woman. However, I would not like to be busted by acquaintances or work colleagues; I'm just not ready to be out to them yet.

[2]: I don't care about strangers. I've been clocked before when out and about and most people either just smile or stare a bit; I've never had a seriously negative reaction.

As for working out of town, I wouldn't take it; I would not like to be away from my family for that much time.