This weekend was a lot of fun for my girly side.
On Saturday, I got all dolled up at about one in the afternoon and went downtown to meet with an LGBTQ Ladies happy hour group that was doing a social get together at a local cider brewhouse and pub. I wore a red blouse and red skinny jeans, with black high heeled boots, and had my makeup carefully done to be suitable for a daytime lunch crowd. There was one other TG girl there, plus five lesbian or bi GG's. The other TG girl was one who is transitioning but doesn't do makeup or particularly girly clothes, so she looks pretty much like a long haired guy, but with boobs. The GG's were all casually dressed.
It was a rather intimate pub, with a dining room about the size of a one car garage. We were soon surrounded by what looked to be a group of bridesmaids and a soon to be bride at one large table, and several couples or families with kids occupying the remaining tables. The staff made us all feel welcome, and none of the other customers seemed to notice us. I enjoyed a pint of hard cider, some food, and some nice conversations with the ladies in our group until after five in the afternoon.
I went home to fix dinner for my daughter, touch up my makeup, and had then planned to switch to a skirt and heels and go dancing at the local gay club. But when I checked the event calendar for the club, I saw they had a special event with a relatively high cover charge that night, and the event was not one I was interested in attending. So I just changed my shoes to more comfy wedgie sandals and went to the mall to shop.
At the mall, I bought some makeup at Sephora, and some earrings and necklaces at Claires. Ceera is becoming a regular at that mall, and the staff at both stores welcomed me as a valued returning customer.
I am due to get new glasses, and as I planned for the second time to get both a girly pair and a male set of frames, I decided to stop in at one of the mall opticians and try on glasses while en-femme. There was only one female sales associate there, and no other staff or customers. I told her I was shopping for new frames, and that I would need an appointment for the exam for new lenses. She let me browse through everything while she finished some paperwork, and when asked she offered her opinions on how some of the frames suited me. She was quite friendly. I must have spent a whole hour trying on glasses before selecting one girly set of frames and one plain set from the men's side. I set up the appointment for Tuesday, and she agreed to hold the frames for me. The whole time, she interacted with me as another woman, without a hint that she may have recognized my birth gender. Since my male given name is a unisex one, giving her my insurance card to establish the appointment didn't reveal my legal gender. I've never done any sort of medical appointment en-femme before, but by the time I left, I decided I will attend my eye exam as a lady.
After that, I went to Macys to shop for some girl clothes. Again, the SA's there recognize Ceera as a frequent female customer, and I had a fun shopping experience. Bought a pair of white jeans and a pair of white capri pants for my Spring wardrobe, tried them on in the ladies changing rooms, and left just as the mall was closing.
On Sunday, the same LGBTQ ladies group was going to attend a nature walk at a local park with an area set aside for plants native to the area. It was raining, so the guided tour got cut a bit short, but I had come well prepared, with a hooded rain coat, rain booties, and jeans, as well as a good umbrella. Only a few of our ladies group showed up, including that other TG girl. There were over a dozen other individuals or couples from the general community, and no one treated us badly or reacted as if we were 'unusual' among them.
After the nature walk, I went to a local pub with one of the GG's and the other TG girl. We all got food, and I had a couple of Irish Coffees while they sampled some local beers. The staff were all friendly, and the other customers paid us no real attention. Got one nice surprise when I went to use the bathrooms. That pub had switched their bathrooms to a pair of unisex one-person bathrooms, both with ample room for handicap access, as well as being clearly marked as being for any gender! And this isn't in any way a LGBTQ venue. Just a local pub near the college campus.
All in all, a great weekend of girl time!