Trans on Mass Transit

[Sometimes Steffi]

For the last two weeks weeks, I've returned to Working From the Office (WFO) 5 days out of every 2 weeks.

I take a Bus to MetroRail from my home to Rosslyn, VA, which is the last stop in VA; the next stop is Foggy Bottom in DC.

Anyhow, in the last two weeks (just 4 days of WFO) I've seen two trans girls on the MetroRail trains. The trans girl I saw today, I should really call NB. By my definition, NB is some from Column M and Some from Column F. She sat kitty corner from me, so I got a good look at her for about 30 minutes. At first glance, "she" looked totally male. Then I noticed that she was wearing a denim dress and that her hair was braided in back and well below her shoulders. Her arms and legs were hairless. But she was a big girl and wearing shoes that I can only describe as "army boots."

She was sitting with a friend who I assessed to be a typical guy, just a little shorter than your average guy. "He" had hairy arms and legs, so I didn't think much of it. After they left the train, I started to wonder if he was a trans man on hormones!

Last week I saw a trans woman. She wasn't terribly attractive (are any of us?), but she was dressing the part, wearing feminine clothes but no makeup. She also had several strands of beaded bracelets on her right arm. She was probably a trans woman or maybe another NB.

It's quite unusual to see 2 definite trans women, in addition to another possible/maybe at a restaurant two weeks ago. He was dressed in a jacket and tie, but eating dinner with 7 or 8 women. Again, slightly unusual. The only possible/maybe is that he could have been underdressing in a bra. There was just some wrinkling of the suit jacket where a bra might have been.

Lastly, I saw a GG on the subway who just may have been wearing one of those hip/butt enhancers usually marketed to MtF crossdressers. The shading on her bike pants was just a little off, kind of showing a hip/butt girdle underneath.

I'm starting to wonder if my imagination is going wild or if it's more common for trans men/women to be more visible after getting comfortable with themselves during the COVID lockdowns.

[Mackem Sue]

I'm increasingly seeing non-binaries and trans to be honest. A non-binary gets on my bus to work on morning. I saw two crossdressers some months ago on my local mass-transit system - a bit gobby in a "look-at-me" way, but whathever.

And I agree, some are becoming more confident.

I'll add that I did my post-grad studies at a local University where three lecturers came out as transsexual. They were allowed to continue with their roles regardless, though with a humorous incident where one of them had 30 enrolled but 60 turned up to have a look. The one who remained at the university later developed premature male-pattern baldness post-op - her affair. Beyond that, my own line manager within the Uni. was a known cross-dresser, with no idea I was one too (coincidence only discovered just before I was about to leave). On the chin so to speak...

It's out there and if anyone takes offence over something that does not affect their daily lives, then it's their problem and not that of the person that decides to express a different persona. That said, circumspection on both sides is probably a good plan too. Do what you want, but don't push it in peoples' faces (if that makes sense).

It comes down to this. If a person's actions and lifestyle do not adversely affect anyone else. then what is the problem? Jog on kitty.


Sue.

[Deborah G]

Since the pandemic, I would say locally I am noticing a four-fold increase in people being comfortable enough to dress as they wish. I am keen to watch reactions and I do not see where this is creating a major rift. I will add that I do not see anyone pushing an agenda, but just saying OK, this is who I am and I am free to express myself as I wish.

[alwayshave]

Steffi, I work and use to live in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of DC. Seeing someone NB or trans is a daily event.

[GretchenM]

Seeing pretty much the same thing occurring here in Denver, but Denver is quite liberal and very welcoming to LGBTQ people. Colorado Springs, 60 miles to the south, is very conservative and I have heard there is an increase in people going public with more non-binary people and even more fully CD's and TG's. And without a lot of friction either. I interpret all of this as the achievement of some degree of social momentum in behaving in this way as a bit of exercising a right and finding that the general public has come to generally accept those rights of expression. Crossing a threshold? Maybe. Only time will tell.

[abby054]

I lived in Colorado Springs for a full year back in 2010. I found it to be tolerant and pleasant. If anything, like everywhere else, it has grown more so since. I lived in the north suburbs, not downtown or in the liberal enclaves near Colorado College, and shopped en femme in many places like Briargate and the host of suburban strip malls. I used the dressing rooms, getting lots of help from SAs, and receiving compliments on my selections from other customers. I went to garage sales, big and small, looking like the rest of the women. I was a femme tourist in nearly every tourist attraction, museum, theater, and concert. I did my morning walks for exercise wearing femme athleisure nearly every day. Not a single difficulty. I also lived in Denver for two months after finishing my work in Colorado Springs. I found Denver, or more specifically the western suburbs, to be about the same on this issue.

[Aunt Kelly]

They're everywhere! Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to be treated like everyone else.

[traciJ]

I notice the occasional Transwoman/CD on my local train, I think I would like to try an outing on the train en femme myself.

Traci

[audreyinalbany]

it seems to be very much in the culture these days & the younger you are seemingly the more accepting people are. For us oldsters it's still a huge hurdle to overcome