Yeah, getting 'clocked' is no fun. Getting 'The Look' can hurt, and worse, having some lout shout it out to the world can feel dangerous. Leaving a train station heading to my car one evening recently, I heard behind me, "Look, it's a transgender!" Just keep moving, don't break stride, keep smiling, head down, maybe they're pointing at someone else, the car's just ahead... It's unnerving.
Fortunately most people are nice enough not to make it obvious when they do read us. I'm in a pretty friendly region, and for the most part people don't respond differently than they would to an older (I'm 62) ciswomen. As I continue to age, I'll probably reach the point where I'm just another old person, with facial features that fit well on the elderly of either gender.
My biggest fear is that social acceptance will swing the wrong way in the current political climate, and we'll be right back in 1960 grade school h*11, where it's OK to beat the heck out of anyone who's different (and that was just the teachers), and treatment for gender issues will be legislated to the old standard when I was 15; electro-convulsive therapy and faradic or chemical aversion treatment. I'm so not pining for the Good Old Days.
I just want to quietly live my life.
