Well, this is a fun thread.
Yes, I've met my share of Yosemite Sams also (although they tend to be more of a cross between Yosemite Sam and Marvin the Martian... "oh dear!" 
)I think "Yosemite Sam" may be a bit of a misnomer (these folks, although very curious, have never treated me like a "flea-bitten varmint"). Their curiosity is no different than anyone else's when it comes to trying to figure out what we're supposed to be, exactly. They just don't hide the fact that they're curious as well as other people. In the end, we can't really know what their motives are until that moment they actually approach us and interact with us. Not everyone who's approached me (like an alley cat, eyeing me sideways) had bad intentions in mind. Some were honestly (and benevolently) curious. Others, well, suffice it to say that, as some of you know, I've taken a beating at the hands of three drunks. Not so benevolent. (Until you've suffered violence at the hands of someone else--not because of what you said, not because of what you think, not because of what you did, but just because of who you are--it's very difficult to understand why tolerance and acceptance must be the cornerstone of a humane value system.) This is why I try to never shy away from those Yosemite Sams who are genuinely curious, in their own puzzled kind of way, as to what and who I am. Of course, the implication, here, is that they've read me... they wouldn't otherwise be craning their necks. I'm okay with the fact that someone has read me and, if they make as if to know more, I'll tell them more. I won't beat them over the head with my transgenderedness and I won't shove it in their face, but if they want to learn more, I'm more than willing to tell them. This is how you can make a Pepe Le Pue (well, within reasonable limits
) out of a Yosemite Sam.Love,
CJ
