I finally did it. I went out for my first time yesterday.
The local transgender group (http://www.transgendermichigan.org/) sponsored a picnic yesterday in Ferndale, Michigan, a town that welcomes LGBT people. It sounded like a good opportunity to get out and meet some other like-minded folks, the weather was great, and my wonderful wife suggested several times that I go. I was undecided at first, not because of getting out, but because I have a bunch of stuff to get done in advance of a vacation trip and the whole morning was already booked for a meeting.
Okay, I DID have one reservation about going. My openly gay daughter and daughter in law live 1/4 mile from the park. Another daughter and her daughter work with that daughter in law in a Ferndale pub, also 1/4 mile from there. There was the risk of being recognized and needing to disclose to them.
I put the box of MsVal's stuff in my big 4-door pickup truck and went off to the meeting which, thankfully ended a bit early. My hastily made plan called for changing clothes somewhere between the meeting and the picnic. There aren't a many places to get dressed here in the city, so I parked in a shady spot next to a restaurant that had closed. I'm a small person, so I had plenty of room.
I wore my new brown wig (Henry Margu, 'Debi'), a blue and white striped tee, a sheer white long sleeve cover, white capris, and white strappy sandals. I wore a two toned blue necklace and carried a blue and white striped bag. I put my prescription eyeglasses in the bag and wore large sunglasses. Once I was certain that no family members were there, I removed the sunglasses and put them on my head.
To say that Ferndale, Michigan is parking challenged would be an understatement. I left the truck in a neighborhood and walked several hundred yards through the park to the picnic. The only problem I had was the uneven ground beneath my slippery sandals.
The picnic was well attended, with over 100 people there. That's 100 potential new friends. I even ran into Samantha Rogers. She immediately recognized me and welcomed me with her big warm smile. Always the one for style, she looked GREAT. Sammie may have a photo to post.
[Note to leaders and members of other groups:] Two of the Transgender Michigan directors introduced themselves to me, lead me to the food, and answered my many questions. They had other duties to tend to, but took the time to make sure to welcome the newcomer.
The entire experience was wonderful. At no time was I anxious about anything. Quite the opposite, it felt good, REALLY GOOD to be among people with similar interests. I could dress and talk as I wanted without fear of rejection.
I WILL be doing this again.
Best wishes
MsVal
