Bathroom dsyphoria?

[emilyking]

It has gotten to the point where I am hating going to any public bathroom.  I can't go in the gents but it feels so weird to go to the girls room.
There's like three places where I've used the girls.

Any ideas?

[Jill F]

Just do it.  Own it.  It's yours.  No big deal.

[LittleEmily24]

I agree. You just have to do it and not think about it. I felt the same way at first, i would put the bathroom on this pedestal of fear, rejection or legality. But now I use the women's bathroom with no problem Sometimes i get looks that are strange or curious whether its from my appearance or a slip-up from my voice, but in the end they just ignore me because they can see that its obvious im only there to do what we all do in a bathroom and not to be a pervy-peeper lol.

[suzifrommd]

The first time I went into the ladies' I was freaked out. I tried to hide my face, and practically dove into the stall to make sure no one saw me.

Now I'll just march in with my pre-electrolysis three-day stubble. No one has ever given me the slightest trouble.

(Except once. During the legislative hearings on the trans rights bill in our state, I had the good fortune to encounter one of the witnesses for the opposition in the statehouse bathroom. All she did was glare.)

[Sydney_NYC]

The first week of using the women's room, I was scared. I started a few days before driving from NJ to FL, stayed 5 days, drove to TN, stayed 2 days and drive back to NJ. By the end of the trip, I felt confident an didn't have any issues. I did have one scare that was purely in my head. Late at night we were 2 hours from our destination in TN. In Cleveland TN we stopped and Love's truck stop. (My wife was asleep in the car.) I was coming out of the women's room when a female Sherrif's officer started walking my way. My heart stopped thinking a situation was about to arise. She just smiled said hello and I responded with a nice feminine hi and she continued past me into the women's room. I was so relieved and happy when I realized that I even passed with her

[apriljo]

I felt weird at first using the women's as well. I did it anyway since the thought of using the men's was much scarier. Over time I got more comfortable. Like everyone else said, we're all in there to do one thing. Ever since I started using the women's I've never once had anyone say anything, even when I'm pretty sure I wasn't passing.

[Ms Grace]

Two things amazed me when I went into a large public women's rest room... women speak to each other when they're in there... plus no line up of guys peeing against the wall, all studiously avoiding eye-to-eye and eye-to-penis contact...

Wow, do I prefer using the women's!

[apriljo]

women speak to each other when they're in there...

I work in a fairly small office and a lot of the management there would talk to you while you did your business in the men's room. It was super awkward and you'd just want it to stop. Now that I'm in the women's room at work, other women talk to me while in there but for some reason it's not awkward. I'm not sure what the difference is, maybe the topic or the timing or the expectations of bathroom conduct?

[Autumn]

I used the women's restroom for the first time in public yesterday. I was so nervous, almost too nervous to go about my business lol. I didn't die, so I guess it was an okay experience.

[HoneyStrums]

I Keep having to point out to my freinds im not legaly female yet. their allways trying to push me but i stress to find an neutral toilet. but its funny from my freinds point of view those pictures dont stand for man and woman but hunter and prey. and that im prey wether a legal doc tell people.

[Joanna Dark]

It's hard at first but you soon realize it's nothing, except some women are gross and pee all over the seat from hovering and then don't wipe off their pee. Eww. But, i've had zero weird encounters and no stares. Nothing. Nada. I have no choice but to use it now, as I thought I looked really manly the other day and used the men's and a cleaner came in and told me to use the right one. I was mortified. I like the convos in the women's room when I have them/ I've only had one long convo with a woman in there, which went on for like 15 mins.

[Eva Marie]

Its takes a steely eyed determination the first few times you march in there but eventually it just becomes routine. I am almost to the routine part now but I still tend to be a little bit nervous and on guard lest I slip up somehow and out myself, which I thought that I did recently (whoops! - https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,163946.0.html).

I recently attended a support group meeting with a friend and I needed to go to the restroom before we got there but we were running late so I chose not to go and we headed straight into the meeting. When the meeting was over I made a beeline for the ladies room and then the female facilitator of the meeting came in right behind me and started up a conversation over the stall walls. Well that was new to me and I knew it was eventually going to happen so I wasn't surprised, and I tried not to use my guy voice while we chatted. Like Ms. Grace said it's WAY different than guys lined up peeing against the wall, all studiously avoiding eye-to-eye and eye-to-penis contact LOL....

This is a strange new world that we are encountering 

[noleen111]

I remember the first time i used the ladies room, i was nervous and scared.. but it was not that bad... there was one other woman in there, she just smiled and greeted me... i smiled and greeted her in my best female voice. she suspected nothing.

now i think nothing of it...

[Allyda]

Before going full time I would use the ladies room off and on depending on how I was being percieved by other people around me, ie: as male, or female. I had to be this way because some of my "dress downs" weren't good enough, and, I'd get strange looks and comments when using mens restrooms. Better yet during the latter period before I went full time 5 years ago, I'd use unisex bathrooms whenever possible. Never had a problem with it -that is, until I went full time. During my first year of being full time I'd always worry I wasn't dressed well enough, or passed well enough, etc. After that first year went by without incodent though my confidence had built up, and using female restrooms became natural. I've never had a problem with it.

Ally

[stephaniec]

I hope I can get use to it because I have to do it now.

[TaoRaven]

I'm not there yet. We went out shopping last week for several hours, and then to Olive Garden, and I danced and teetered the whole time. It's miserable.