I’m still fresh off in my transition, but the day is growing nearer that I am “visibly trans” in public. I live in a very rural town and although I dress very femme, I feel like my growing breasts are going to end up attracting a lot of attention.
I’m lucky to not have been faced with direct bigotry or transphobia but I’ve definitely been around “friends and family” who have shared hurtful and terrible viewpoints about my identity. These people are no longer in my life for obvious reasons, but that isn’t something I can control with strangers in public.
My best defense is to not let it get to me in the moment and ignore any comments I may hear. That, and the pepper spray attached to my purse. ✌🏻
I always struggled with masking my emotional responses at work. One person I worked with was an absolute master at playing the politician in a way that felt unbelievably genuine. I got them drunk as I possibly could and asked them how they did it. They told me when they were young, one of their parents had told them to play life like a game of cards. Never show your hand unless you have already won the game. Whatever you feel in the moment is irrelevant; bluff. You are feeling the effects of the ‘card’ the other person played. In the big picture, life’s major opportunities are usually given to the people that hold the right cards. Most players are cheating, and collecting cards is hard. Every time you show your true emotions unfiltered, you are playing out your hand at a disadvantage.
It might work in getting ahead in a career, but you’ve gotta find an outlet to express those emotions instead of suppressing them your whole life. Not doing that will lead to a lot of trouble in the future.
I’m still fresh off in my transition, but the day is growing nearer that I am “visibly trans” in public. I live in a very rural town and although I dress very femme, I feel like my growing breasts are going to end up attracting a lot of attention.
I’m lucky to not have been faced with direct bigotry or transphobia but I’ve definitely been around “friends and family” who have shared hurtful and terrible viewpoints about my identity. These people are no longer in my life for obvious reasons, but that isn’t something I can control with strangers in public.
My best defense is to not let it get to me in the moment and ignore any comments I may hear. That, and the pepper spray attached to my purse. ✌🏻
If in the USA, I would remain armed.
I always struggled with masking my emotional responses at work. One person I worked with was an absolute master at playing the politician in a way that felt unbelievably genuine. I got them drunk as I possibly could and asked them how they did it. They told me when they were young, one of their parents had told them to play life like a game of cards. Never show your hand unless you have already won the game. Whatever you feel in the moment is irrelevant; bluff. You are feeling the effects of the ‘card’ the other person played. In the big picture, life’s major opportunities are usually given to the people that hold the right cards. Most players are cheating, and collecting cards is hard. Every time you show your true emotions unfiltered, you are playing out your hand at a disadvantage.
…but they were pretty drunk…
It might work in getting ahead in a career, but you’ve gotta find an outlet to express those emotions instead of suppressing them your whole life. Not doing that will lead to a lot of trouble in the future.