Last night my SO and I were out doing the dinner thing when one of my colleagues called regarding a problem at the office. "No problem. I can be there in a few minutes.", I told her. I wasn't presenting as female that night, though I was definitely androgynous in appearance (long jean skirt, black t-shirt, sandals, nail polish). When I arrived at the office, I noticed that another of my co-workers had also stopped by to help out. He's never surprised or concerned by my appearance, but this was the first time my female colleague had seen any aspect of "my better half".
A little while later, my male co-worker stopped by my cube and told me she had asked him "the question". The question being, "Is he gay?". He replied, "I doubt it since his girlfriend is waiting for him in the lobby." It's not being thought of as gay that bothers me, it's the lack of common sense that such questions are borne of that is the issue. Why would I be dressing like a woman to attract men who aren't interested in them?
So far that makes four employees who have raised the same question. It's kinda funny, since I think they would find the truth to be a little harder to digest. Still, the TG community has a ways to go in educating the masses. I guess if I were a bit more confident that my colleagues would be able to deal with it, I'd "come out" entirely and help them to understand. Maybe I can start the discussion without completely letting the cat out of the bag.
It's always not the easiest way to live, but I wouldn't change a thing
Angie
