I was going to quote you, but "I kept myself from doing because it seemed like something women do" shaped my life for many years. If I hadn't had a few beers, and been in exactly the right conversation with my wife, I wouldn't be here now. After the dominoes started falling, I talked to her about all the things I felt I did that were feminine, and she said that she had never even noticed... Once I let myself become more comfortable and let go of trying to hide my femininity, she started noticing and asking why I never did things before, like the way I cross my legs now even. I know that men do it to, but I've always seen it as feminine. The biggest reassurance that I've had so far, is when I finally wore a pair of 5inch caged heels in public... I have been looked at slightly weird, stared at by a teenage girl, and complimented by a woman for them. I realized then that I have experience all those things while even repressing myself. So, how is it all that different? And let me tell you, last month my wife and I had our anniversary weekend.... Left the kids with my sis, and went out of town where I dressed outside for the first time. I had planned on going farther than flared jeans and heels, but not much, until I was wearing a skirt, with fake nails on, toes painted, and got locked out on the back balcony of our hotel room at 2 am. I had to climb down, walk almost 2 miles to another hotel to call the night manager. I was scared as hell, but after not being treated poorly, I decided that for our dinner that night, I'd wear obviously feminine clothes and makeup (nails still do e of course). All this with my 4 inch long beard. The waitress was super talkative to us, and the busboy went out of his way to make conversation as well. I know it was obvious that I was a man in women's clothes, but I was treated like a person. Society has hope, and is getting better about not teaching bigotry, but so many men feel threatened by our (our their) femininity, that they won't stop the cycle of teaching kids that there are only two genders, one on one end, and one on the other of an infinite spectrum. Maybe the next generation will be better, but that is up to people like us (or those like us braver than I).
Awesome talking with you, can't wait to continue!!! Sorry about being so long winded LOL....
Tasha
