No Way to Femulate

By Jenny Shaw

Christmas and New Year’s are already a passing memory! 

On Christmas Eve, I celebrated a year of living openly and predominantly as Jenny and it’s been absolutely wonderful – so many new experiences and so much acceptance and affirmation from friends old and new. 

One new and unexpected experience took place on 10th December. I had driven to a nearby village to accompany some carol singing for elderly residents. I had just tuned my guitar when I had the most awful tummy pain and broke into a massive sweat that thoroughly soaked my clothes and wig.  

A friend, who is a retired doctor, insisted that I be taken to the local hospital. I was duly driven there by his wife, interrupted by a short stop for me to be sick en route. Following a CT scan, I was diagnosed with pancreatitis caused by gallstones. I was then taken by ambulance to the County Hospital in Lincoln (UK) where I was put in a single-bed room and a gang of nurses helped me to defemulate. My sweat-sodden clothes, wig and prosthetics were stuffed into a plastic bag and all I had to remove my makeup were wet wipes – not very efficient! In the end, the irreducible minimum of outward femininity were my red toenails! 

I was there for nine nights, the first eight in a private room. It was some time before I realized that the private room had been assigned to me out of consideration for my transgender status.  Furthermore, although the paperwork was all in my male name, I was consistently addressed as “Jenny” throughout my stay - even after several days of facial stubble had accumulated.  

I have to return for two follow-up appointments in the next few weeks, but for simplicity will go in male mode.  I can happily report that the contents of the plastic bag were all restored to A1 condition after I returned home. Also, despite feeling under par, I did manage to spend a very lovely Christmas with some of my family.

It was a new experience en femme, but not one I would have chosen! However, as an object lesson in how the NHS in the UK treats transgender patients with respect and consideration, I couldn’t be more impressed or grateful.

Wearing StyleWe

Longtime follower of Femulate, Paula Davina Kennedy AKA Paul David Landry and feline friend. Femulate is the “first page I open in the morning.”