By Teresa H.
I attend my painting group every Friday morning, it should start at 10.00am but I like to set up and start just after 9.00am. Afterwards it gives me the opportunity to attend to other jobs around the town. This morning I had to return a blouse for a larger size (don’t we just hate admitting that !) and drop off a couple of old PCs and scrap wood at the recycle centre. I don’t overdo my dressing for painting, I’m not a messy painter but if acrylic paint gets onto clothes it’s difficult to remove. It was a lovely sunny day so I slipped on a straight navy skirt and a Cotton Traders T-shirt in Pacific Blue (lovely colour), basic jewelry of a neat lady’s wrist watch and a silver chain necklace and my usual makeup, not forgetting my sunglasses .
The conversations with other artists are always interesting and usually amusing. After I popped into Matalan and swapped my blouse and chatted with a SA I hadn’t seen for some time, we both agreed they do some really nice everyday clothes at a very reasonable cost. So finally onto the recycle centre. As I was unloading my scrap wood a reasonable looking guy about my son’s age (40ish) unloading his car glanced at me and said, “you’re far too glamorous for the recycle centre ! “. I waved my hand as if to brush the comment aside but he continued to look at me, so I told him what my morning had consisted of .” No matter ” he said, ” it’s good to see things are looking up even at a recycle centre “.
I must admit I did feel flattered, the guy was very pleasant and his comments friendly and not at all malicious. I had to smile afterwards because perhaps I might have reminded him of his mum.
It again raises the question of ” passing “, my lighthearted comment about looking like his mum or possibly another family member could have been true. Perhaps you should think harder before considering if you pass or not, other people will often see you as something different to the way you see yourself. The fundamental point to me is stop thinking about being exposed as a man, burying those thoughts takes you much further along the road.
That’s it, another “normal day” with a touch of humour and friendship.
Many best wishes , Teresa
2 Responses
Great update, Teresa and I love the outfit.
And who’d have imagined that such positivity could happen at the recycling centre?!
Amanda,
Many thanks for your comment . The outfit shown in the pic was taken by an artist friend at my previous art group , so it’s not the outfit described in the text . It’s ironic but I asked my friend to take the pic because some of my trans friends didn’t believe I was out full time , the room had about twenty people at the time of taking .