For those of you not familiar with me, I have been cross dressing for just over four years, and I started HRT and living full time female about two months ago. I am fortunate enough to be able to either pass or at least be accepted at face value as female wherever I go now. I am 61, but as a woman I can pass for anywhere from 27 to 45, depending on my clothes and hairstyle. I am also widowed and I retired early, so no wife or job complications.
Still, some experiences as a woman can be an adventure, even for me. So, going back two weeks...
Road trip and dance:
On Saturday, 10/13/2018, I went to a rather small town about an hour and a half’s drive from home, to attend a ‘women’s dance’ and an all-women’s sleepover at a lesbian friend couple’s home. They run a bed and breakfast room rental via ‘air bnb’, out of their home. The couple drives to my town and back to host two women’s dances a month in my town, which I help decorate for, and I wanted to support their monthly dance in their own town. The dance was to be ‘80’s music themed, so I put together a classic 80’s ‘dancercize’ outfit, (with red leotard top, below), and wore that for the drive down. The dance would begin about when I would arrive, and I wouldn’t have time to change my clothes. Also packed an overnight bag, as a few of us out of town ladies would spend the night and return to our homes after breakfast. Had no idea who would be my roommate, though I knew I would be sharing a room with a cisgender woman.
This was a big step for me. While I have done several road trips as a woman before, to and through small towns, I had never shared a bedroom as a woman, with a cisgender woman, other than my accepting daughter. And this woman might be a total stranger to me!
The only problem on the drive down was that the red leotard was a ‘onsie’ without a snap crotch. Which meant if I needed to use the bathroom, it was like wearing any other jumper or onesie, and I would have to remove everything but my bra from my neck to my knees! Of course, with 25 min left to drive, I started feeling an intense need for the bathroom! Stopped briefly at a roadside rest area 10 min later, but decided after streaching my legs that I could press on and hold it for the last 15 min to my host’s home, rather than use that rest area’s toilets. I was very grateful to arrive at my destination! I was told I would share a room with two double beds and a shared hall bathroom with a lady from my town who also helps decorate for our dances. We knew each other only from both attending and helping at the dances. Their other rooms were all filled with air bnb customers.
The dance went quite well. About 20 lesbian ladies and one neighbor couple (a woman and a gender-ambiguous person) were there. Aside from the host couple, the only person I knew was that lady from my town. I helped set up a mostly-vegan potluck dinner, assisting in the kitchen on the salad the host couple was providing. We all ate first, at two large dining tables adjacent to the kitchen. Everyone accepted me as female, though one lady did politely ask if I was in transition, and I said I was, and I spoke openly about my recent changes and my plans for full transition. Everyone continued to accept me as a woman, and almost all of them danced with me.
Sleepover:
As the dance wound down, my roommate went to bed before I did. I gave her time to change, then went up to our room, got my nightgown and slippers, and changed in the hall bathroom, while she read a book. Kept my bra, breast forms and wig on. The night was uneventful.
In the morning, I got up first and went to the hall bathroom to take care of morning needs, shave, refresh my makeup, and get dressed. Wore a black skirt and cap-sleeved black Star Wars blouse and black sandals for the drive home. Went downstairs for coffee while she dressed, then we had breakfast with the host couple. Never did see any of their air bnb guests.
Had a very pleasant drive home, and stopped at a MacDonalds in a very small town for fries and coffee halfway home, and at a restaurant in my town for lunch before returning home. No problems or strange looks, even with a table full of high school cheerleaders near my table.
Halloween dance, 10/20/2018:
The next Saturday, my friends hosted a Halloween themed women’s dance in my town. I love Halloween, and I own lots of decorations and costume stuff, so I was in charge of decorating it. I brought five large storage tubs full of decorations! I even set up a rear-projection screen with videos of dancing monsters! When everything was set up, I changed into my costume. I was a bat, with huge, fully articulated wings that I designed and made. (See below) Everyone loved my costume. I danced for three hours in 4” heels, and had a blast. One 20-something lady there really liked dancing with me, and she wants to go to some other dances and raves with me in the future! She was really cute and energetic.
On my way home from that dance, at 10 pm, I stopped at a Shari’s restaurant near my home, for a late dinner. I had taken off the bat costume, and was wearing a long sleeved black leotard top, short black denim skirt, black foothess tights and flat-soled black sandals. I arrived just as a swarm of high school kids who had just been to their homecoming dance arrived. The boy who opened the door for their girls also kept it open for me. None of them seemed to notice me, otherwise. The hostess said she wasn’t sure, at first, if I was with the younger guests! (See selfie in black leotard top) Surely I didn’t look that young to her? Or maybe she thought I was a mom or chaperone? Had a pleasant dinner, then went home, without incident.
Costume contest, 10/21/2018:
The next afternoon, a charity group was hosting a “Halloween pin-up” costume contest, at a local tavern. The host group does things like ‘body positive’ fashion shows, and at one point ran a clothing boutique for women of all sizes. I had been to one of their fashion shows about a year and a half ago, and had fun. I didn’t know anyone in the group, and had never been to that tavern, but the event listing on Facebook sounded like it could be fun. So I put on my bat costume, and went!
Tavern was a small pool hall and bar in the parking lot of a strip mall. Mostly working class white guys in their 20’s to 40’s and their wives/girlfriends, shooting pool and drinking beer while watching football and monster truck contests on TV. Half a dozen ladies in costume on the far side of the bar, near the empty stage, were obviously the group I was seeking. I was the only trans person there, and probably the only queer person, but everyone was friendly, or at least neutral. No strange looks. My wings roll up and hide whan I want them to, so as I walked though the bar, I was just a lady in a long black dress.
The people there for the contest were mostly 20-somethings, and it turned out that the contest was more for “pin up model” outfits than for Halloween theme. Also, judging was by popular vote, so if you had friends there to vote for you, your odds were much better. The others all seemed to know each other, and I knew no one there. Still, all the people there for the contest, even the young males, all welcomed me. We ended up with about 15 contestants. I got lots of complements on my costume. I didn’t win anything, but had fun anyway.
