Isha -In some ways I could wish you didn't ask these questions as they seem to throw up so many more than they answer! Not to mention turning an afternoon lapsing into the fantasy of a CD-controlled, alien-backed world government into something more mundane and, well, hard to think about... but anyway... for you... :D

I, like Donna, was also a bit confused by the apparent contradiction in your OP... surely you would still 'hope' that folk would see you as a woman, even if you felt the probability was low (which I couldn't comment on, as no direct experience) because if in that fleeting glance - whether received when shopping, in a dimly-lit restaurant or sunlit Starbucks terrace.. - you 'pass' (as in: no immediate alarm bells ring and you have effectively blended in just passing hurdle #1 - the 100msec fleeting glance at 20m), you have achieved what you set out to do? That being, the ability to go about your normal business, as normal. Because, as normal, no one would engage me in conversation about my hair, makeup or gender orientation... (not saying that you actively seek 'stranger engagement', but you seem much more willing than I probably would be.. ) - no more than they would a GG doing their thing... So I do believe the OP and your response to Donna needs a bit more - analysis? (Dare I say it...?)

But back to your OP questions - as they are brain-achey ones... :facepalm:

Who do I see in the mirror...? Man or woman....? <aaaargh!!!!> I have to say: I think I see a woman...
That clearly needs expansion... I don't kid myself that I am a woman... what I think I properly see, in my mind's eye, is the woman version of me... same personality, likes, dislikes, sense of humour, weaknesses, etc, etc. But how I would want to look, if K**** was Katey... And presenting as woman allows me to relax my posture, relax my 'guy doing stuff', thing... to express more femininely, and that makes me beyond happy... because it embraces a large element of escapism in the transformation process... and that's just with me as an audience...

Would that change if I were out in public? I dunno... I know that if I were I would want to pass hurdle #1, if for no other reason than it avoided any further scrutiny. Beyond that, I think I'd agree with your premise that under more specific observation, few of us would pass hurdle #2 (I'm going to define that as specific evaluation <5 sec at <10m ) - but again as you've said, if you're a good person (which I read as polite and respectful to others) and you are dressed appropriately, most people will accept that... perhaps will think it quirky or weird, but not reaching for their pitchforks yet... I'm sure I wouldn't want muggles to really believe I was a woman, however flattering that might seem...

So... is that just another reset for everyone to reinforce the 'who do we think we're kidding' perspective...? If so, I think you're probably right, because for fleeting moments that image in the mirror can be decidedly girly... but then there are others when I still just see me, and that's often a bit eeeewww...

Hope that helps towards the doctorate...

Katey x