When I arrived at the DMV (in another town some distance away - we don't rate one where I live), it was well before opening. I'd arranged to be there early, so I'd be at the front of the line. Three local residents were ahead of me, but that was close enough to the front to keep me happy. As it turned out, I was the first in line for driver's license renewal. Yay! And as the crowd grew larger, we were talking back-and-forth about all sorts of things. My appearance didn't seem to bother any of them. Of course, the age group represented was all late teens to early 40's. (No older folks in the lot...well, except for me, but my makeup disguised a multitude of little appearance flaws.)
And I'm pleased to say that my attire (below is the outfit I wore, complete with a purse, and all my usual permanent feminine cues, plus makeup and lipstick, but no earrings (I don't have pierced ears and/or small button type earrings), made a good presentation, girly but good for the occasion. (Sorry, the picture's color is a bit washed out.) I kept fussing with my hair during the wait, to keep it as noticeably feminine as possible.
After reading some of the stories on-line about transgenders or crossdressers in other states who went to their local DMV, and had problems because they looked "different from their gender-of-record", I was more than a little bit apprehensive. And, I didn't want to end up having totally wasted the morning if problems developed because of my attire. Thus, I made sure I put a bag with a less-feminine outfit (women's shorts and a polo and fisherman sandals with closed toes), and a pack of makeup remover sheets, in the trunk of the car. Just in case. But as long as my face resembled my real appearance, I suspect I could have worn a dress...because nothing except possibly the collar, would be revealed in the facial picture.
I chose to use my regular voice during the visit...no disguising that today.
And the good news is: I had no problems whatsoever. When addressed by the clerk, who had my old license with the "M" on it, and my records on the screen in front of him, he used "Sir" and "Mr." appropriately, in spite of my feminine cues and outfit. What I wore (or looked like) was a complete non-issue, for which I was very thankful. He had no concern whatsoever that I looked somewhat different from what the gender listed on my license might indicate. (Though my every-day appearance is just like I was presenting.) This was a fabulous turn of events.
Had it been necessary for me to go back out to the car, retrieve my alternate outfit and retire to the restroom for a change and clean-up, that exercise would have put me at the end of the line for service (about 30 more folks had come in behind me at that point), and instead of being out the door with a new license in hand in about 20 minutes, I could conceivably been there two or three hours... I'm so grateful that didn't happen.
The fun part is - afterward, I went to a big box store to check for a couple of items, and a grocery store to pick up some breakfast cereal on sale there. In both cases, the female clerks addressed me as "Ma'am." And when I visited Mom that morning, she didn't notice that I was wearing makeup...
Those incidents all came together to "make my day"...
More later,
Mandy
Nice!!!!!!Congratulations :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! It was fun, but a bit nerve-rattling. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, though!
DeleteMandy
Seems like a great day as you experience more and more non-encounters all the time. Folks really are becoming more accepting of people straying outside the traditional norms.
ReplyDeletePat
I was pleasantly surprised by the reception I received. As you know, I have had concerns about being trans on the conservative Delmarva. But this was a wonderful reception. I hope it's a sign of good things to come.
DeleteLater this week, or on the weekend, I hope that I can get out for a couple of days. More on that as plans develop.
Mandy