How do you know when people clock you?

[Mahsa Tezani]

There are also a few girls I know that pump themselves with silicone and have done a whole lot of "drag" shows (Because in some places here in Orlando, you practically have to go full blown ->-bleeped-<- if you wanna do "drag" in some places here. But thankfully not all of them.) and a great deal of them carry themselves like sassy flaming gay men and that usually gets them clocked right away.  Aside from passing physically, I believe that a great deal of our success in passing comes from the way you carry yourself in public. Take notes from cis girls(Mother, sister, best friend), because most of them have done it a lot longer than you have and you'd be an dummy if you didn't head their advice/observe how they act and socialize.

Yeah, if I go to BADLANDS and act quiet. None of the gay men pick up on it, if I start changing my intonation to my "gaycent" they pick up on it right away. As for the drag queen ones, they all work at Macys, Bloomies, etc...the voices gives them away right away.

I mean I act very femme and relaxed in public. Being in the bay area, people still pick up on who is trans and who isn't. But voice is extremely important, I know if combined with a femme appearance no one will say anything.

[Mahsa Tezani]

If you don't know what it is, how do you know what you are looking for?

I'm sure that the Bay Area has a very high percentage of people (much higher than say Omaha) who 'know' someone who is transgendered.  Be it someone they work with, someone who works in a store where they shop, or who rides the same bus as they do - some sort of casual familiarity.  And the more you know....   So it makes sense that more people in that area are conditioned to know what they are looking for, and at.

My GG friends can generally spot TS people, because we all work in cosmetics. But out in suburbia, it's not that easy. I mean there is definitely a higher proportion in Concord, Contra Costa county and the South bay than in Alameda county. I never see any who are... and I am out often. I already went on about how I can spot them...especially since I hang out at the LGBT center and go to LYON MARTIN clinic.

But in general...those are the ones who stick out. There are plenty who could be the person next to me and I wouldn't know in a casual interaction with them.

[Julie Marie]

To the original question...

Julie and I were just talking about this yesterday.  I said, "If someone doesn't look at you funny, suddenly change their attitude towards you or treat you like you have leprosy, you probably passed."

She agreed and then said, "That's kind of sad."

Yes it is.  But after one experiences the kind of rejection so typical when one transitions, what else can one conclude?

[Heavenlywind]

My GG friends can generally spot TS people, because we all work in cosmetics. But out in suburbia, it's not that easy. I mean there is definitely a higher proportion in Concord, Contra Costa county and the South bay than in Alameda county. I never see any who are... and I am out often. I already went on about how I can spot them...especially since I hang out at the LGBT center and go to LYON MARTIN clinic.

But in general...those are the ones who stick out. There are plenty who could be the person next to me and I wouldn't know in a casual interaction with them.

I can't speak for everyone who sticks out. In my personal experience I never know if people are looking at me because they are clocking me, or they are looking at me because the style of clothes I wear. Or maybe because something is on my face . I've only had one experience where people clocked me and they were rather vocal about it, but that was in another country. But generally no one says anything to me after looking. Even if they do clock me, I just go about my business.

[xxUltraModLadyxx]

i've actually had more trouble being a convincing male. anyway, if people find out your transsexual, who cares? it's just a lesson learned. i saw a ticket lady at the grand ole opry with tons of yellowish facial hair. at first i thought she was transsexual, and it kind of catches you off guard to see someone who doesn't hold up the gender binary. next, i thought it could've been many things like hirsuitism, polycystic ovary syndrome, or something like that. you can't know for sure unless you get strip searched. people are just rude and have poor manners, but they'll learn to get over it some day.