Could you ever tell how someone gendered you without using "sir" or "ma'am"

[Jane's Sweet Refrain]

I have a quick question. At five months, I've certainly become an in-betweeny. Usually I'm gendered male, but the number of times I've been "ma'amed" while still presenting male has increased. In Starbucks the other day, when the barista asked me for my order, for some reason I felt prompted to respond with my woman's voice rather than with my male one, although she had said neither "miss" nor "ma'am." I'm willing to grant it was my imagination, but there was something about the warmth or the complete lack of guardedness in her voice that told me she was reading "girl". I'm wondering if others who are or have been in-between ever had similar situations where you knew to proceed in your new target gender even if you weren't dressed that way.

[lydia_s]

This is something I deal with on a daily basis. I've been on HRT for 3 months and I often dress more femininely and wear makeup. But because I'm not fully passable and don't have much of a voice I usually express myself as a male. However I have been called "miss" many times. But usually I can tell. I think it has to do with harshness of voice. Male = harder, female = softer. Men often tend to speak softer to women.

[Jennygirl]

This is something I deal with on a daily basis. I've been on HRT for 3 months and I often dress more femininely and wear makeup. But because I'm not fully passable and don't have much of a voice I usually express myself as a male. However I have been called "miss" many times. But usually I can tell. I think it has to do with harshness of voice. Male = harder, female = softer. Men often tend to speak softer to women.

Ooh yeah I've been noticing that a lot as I start to become more comfortable presenting in a feminine way (and almost 2 months on HRT).

Especially at work. The male contractors have all started using much softer higher pitched voices with me. It's kind of nice, I like it. Side note: today was the first day I wore heels (boots) to work

I know people aren't reading me as necessarily female (I don't fully pass either) but they are definitely seeing the femininity oozing out like rainbows. Also I've noticed softer conversating a lot at the supermarket checkout line from both males and females.

By the way, lydia: you are gorgeous! Don't pass huh?? Ha!