I went to a local event recently as a benefit for gay marriage rights where people were encouraged to crossdress with a Halloween/cosplay theme. I went to this same event last year and it was what pushed me to accept that this part of me as something that isn’t going away. Because of that, I also decided to come out to my significant other. There were several positive things that happened because of that and since I had so much fun at the event, I was excited to go back to it this year. My fiancé and I went as a couple swapping genders with our outfits. When we finally went to the event, I was shocked to see some I knew was already there waiting in line to go in but hadn't noticed me. I knew this person from work and noticed that he hadn’t put nearly the effort into getting ready as I had. He was wearing a dress but hadn’t even shaved his face. I interpreted this as he supported the community but wasn’t really a crossdresser. I thought about it for a moment and decided that “Well, I could leave and ruin the evening or try to have a good time anyway and forget what anyone else thinks of it.” I decided that I might as well try to have a good time thinking that maybe he won’t even recognize me. Shortly after entering, he came up to my fiancé and I and started talking with us. We chit chatted a bit. It was a pleasant conversation talking like nothing was out of the ordinary. After talking with him, I was worried that it might come up at work but tried not to dwell on it. Suddenly I noticed another acquaintance from work showed up. This guy put even less effort into his outfit. This time I tried to hide myself a bit better because I didn’t want to talk with him. We stayed bit longer, had a couple of drinks, did a little dancing and then decided to go home. I did cut the night shorter than I would have liked because at that point, I don’t think I could have been myself when I knew people there. I’m not sure if the second guy ever noticed me but he didn’t end saying anything. It was weird as if my two lives were starting to come together. While I was a little disappointed to end the night early, I was happy to go out again (my third time ever). Weeks have gone by since that night with no mention so far of me being at a crossdressing event. It may not seem like much but for me it helps me to know that people care very little what’s happening outside their own lives. Thanks for reading.