My Bests

I started this series of passing success stories almost a month ago with Passing is not important, but.... In that post, I wrote, “passing is not important, but it sure feels good when you do!” and I asked you to send me your best passing success stories.

Now that I have posted all your stories, I will conclude with my two best passing success stories.

Tall Girls' Day Out

One of my best femulating moments was when I was browsing the racks at the local Nordstrom and a saleswoman nearby spoke up, “You’re tall. I’m tall, too. How tall are you?”

I said, “Six foot two.”

She replied, “I'm six foot one.”

And she engaged me in a discussion about being a tall female. She asked me how I liked being tall when I was a girl. (“I loved it.”) She admitted that she had some difficulties during her school years because of her height, but as an adult, she was happy with her height.

After we exchanged a few more words, I excused myself and walked on air for the rest of my day at the mall.

I used to worry that I could never pass because of my height. That day at the mall convinced me otherwise.

A Born Woman

Ten years ago, after doing outreach at a Human Sexuality class at Southern Connecticut State University, a female student approached me. 

She said that when I entered the class, she thought I was a woman, not a trans woman, but “a born woman.”

Thank you, I thought to myself. But then she added that besides thinking I was a born woman, I was also the most beautiful older adult woman that she had ever seen in person!

I thanked her profusely as she examined my presentation real up close now. She thought I was about 45 years old and she was very surprised when I revealed that I was 60.

Then she told me something very personal that I will not repeat here. I thought I detected her eyes beginning to well up.

The encounter became so emotional for me that I cannot remember if I gave her hug or not. (If I didn’t, I should have.)

Those few minutes with her were priceless to me and I will remember her forever.

Wearing Ricki VanDusen. Note the limp wrist.
Thank you Paula for finding this image.

Alec Guinness femulating in the 1949 British film Kind Hearts and Coronets.