Good Evening everyone! It has been a long time since I have posted anything but wanted to share a recent experience with everyone about a trip my wife and I just recently took to Las Vegas. We are coming up on an anniversary and both had some time off from work that we had to take so we decided even with the pandemic we needed to get away. Vegas was OK for the most part, not a big fan of the pot smoke everywhere (I don?t have a problem with marijuana, I just don?t want to share it with everyone who does it). The big difference with this trip is that I left all male clothing behind as we are working towards transition and just recently started HRT, so we figured lets see what happens. My wife also surprised me with a renewal ceremony at one of the Vegas Wedding chapels! So before we flew I did a lot of research about presenting as a female for TSA, and the airlines and found that TSA has taken a lot of steps to ensure we are treated better, but there are still many articles out there about being mistreated by TSA. My experience was very good. At the airport, I already had my boarding pass and my wife checked one bag. We went to security, the TSA agent, scanned my credentials and asked me to pull down my mask and he said here you go and have a great day without missing a beat. I think he did a bit of a double take as my drivers license picture is horrible and it still has my male name on it, but he didn?t make anything of it. Next my fear was the body scanner. After reading the stories about how the TSA agents pick a gender when you enter the machine, I took an extra precaution of making sure I had a good tuck with a tucking kit from unclockable, so that my extra parts would not be hanging loose just in case the system made a big deal out of it. After leaving the body scanner, a female agent approached and did a quick swipe under my bra strap and in my abdomen, which is a common occurrence for me since I have had a lot of surgical issues in that area, and it seems I always set the scanners off there. After that, she said ?have a nice flight ma?am? and we were off to the flight! I was ecstatic. I know there are others who have had stories online about TSA agents making them expose themselves or being treated badly and I am sure that has happened, but I believe it is becoming less common these days. We got to Vegas, rented the car and then spent a few nights at Treasure Island. The prices in Vegas right now are amazing and the entire trip was a lot cheaper than we expected. As I mentioned, my wife also surprised me with a trip to a wedding chapel downtown where we renewed our vows, she wore a black suit and she got me a white dress, it was absolutely amazing and even included new rings, we are now Mrs. and Mrs. I used to joke with her that she needed to make me an honest woman, and anytime the Beyonce put a ring on it song came on, I would wave my hand around, so she fixed that. The chapel is one known for serving everyone and is very LGBTQ friendly, they made the ceremony very special it was a wonderful day for all of us and while I can?t feel much closer to my wife than I already do as she is my rock and the love of my life, the ceremony and the depth of meaning in those few moments really meant the world to us. We spent the next few nights enjoying Vegas and the day before we flew out, we got dressed up and went to a nice dinner at the Lakeside Grill in the Wynn and enjoyed the waterfall show there, and the food was amazing. We also got out in the desert and went up to Mount Charleston. On the trip back, TSA at Vegas was as cool as they were starting out, and making a connection in Minneapolis TSA did a spot check when we were boarding the airplane where this young TSA agent, had to check my ID. He looked at my ID and then looked at me, then looked at my ID again, and I said yes, that is me in a quiet but deep voice, and he said OK, but with a bit of a blush on his face he said that I looked amazing, and he never would have guessed. For me that was another moving moment in this journey I have been on. As I said before, I had not a stitch of male clothing the entire time, and at no time did anyone ever say or do anything that would make me feel uncomfortable, other than at the Wynn when there was this guy that was apparently trying to get our attention, my wife was worried that he was going to buy us a drink and said he was trying to flirt with me. We also did see another couple like us at the Bellagio one night with a few exceptions, they were a bit more apparent, my goal is to pass and just be another lady in the crowd, they were a bit more out there, more color, high heels and a lot more makeup, however, they did not really stand out because it seems everyone dresses a bit up when they are in Vegas anyway, and they were apparently having a great time, and even though it was not something I would wear in public, they both looked great! I just try to stay a bit age appropriate and again just want blend in. For those of you considering a journey like this, or are worried about TSA or the airlines, all of them have very strict rules and procedures for assisting us, and if you think about it if they mistreat anyone of us, then they could have egg on their face. It is just like every store that I have ever been to when dressed, they want and need our business, and usually treat us really well. I am also at that point in life where I have accepted myself and don?t care that much what people think anymore. While I have not come out at work and don?t think I will anytime soon, if it does happen that someone finds out I will just deal with it, but as far as the rest of the world is concerned, I am just another woman trying to live my life, what I guess I should say Married Women since she finally put a ring on it!!!

Here are a few pictures from the trip.

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This was at the airport before boarding

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At Bellagio


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Getting ready for the wedding, the wife hates my jean jacket! I love it, I didn't wear it for the ceremony.


Love to all of you and hope this message finds everyone well!

Mattea