how muh longer can I go as male

[sarah1972]

When I signed up for gym they set me up as female even though my ID stated male. I pass reasonably well but I am always on alert in the locker room and seek out areas where I am mostly by myself. I have showered once there but in general I will shower at home and only change before from normal cloths to gym cloths, on the way out I only buy on my street shoes. I do think this will all change later this year after I had surgery.

So far I have not had any problems and no one has ever given me any looks.

I did research the gym chain and while they do not have a written policy, one of their executives has defended a trans woman using the female locker room in a different town a few years back.

I do make one big exception: if I have hair removal week and need to grow a beard I show up fully dressed and skip the locker room altogether. But that is soon over since I am on the home stretch.

Hugs,

Sarah

Showering at the gym is always a challenge for us when we are in the middle of transition. If we have a large chest but still are genital pre-op, we really are not comfortable in either locker room.

If possible, ask your gym owners if they have a private shower. If not, then the only safe option is to go home and shower there.

[Roberta W]

Ok but I was talking about Roberta's man card getting cut up despite presenting as a guy for her wife.

To be able to pass both ways and not one or the other would require being androgynous. However to be too far in the middle would simply confuse people and their reactions would probably be telling as to if they read you or not. I suspect since it doesn't sound like this is happening you look more female then you think. Maybe not enough to be read as female yet but the time could be soon when you too will get read as a woman even when it would have benefited you to be read as male.

You're right.  I've given up an ever trying to present as male ... I have my permanent makeup, I have no facial hair and my head-hair is longer ... And my nails are always painted ... So no matter what clothes I wear, people always read me as female.  I'm sure we've all see a girl working in overalls somewhere, but we still read that person as female.  So for the dances where my wife wants me to "present as male", the best I can do is wear jeans & a top instead of a dress, but everyone will still read me as a woman dancing the man's part.  I'm good with that!

[Linde]

You're right.  I've given up an ever trying to present as male ... I have my permanent makeup, I have no facial hair and my head-hair is longer ... And my nails are always painted ... So no matter what clothes I wear, people always read me as female.  I'm sure we've all see a girl working in overalls somewhere, but we still read that person as female.  So for the dances where my wife wants me to "present as male", the best I can do is wear jeans & a top instead of a dress, but everyone will still read me as a woman dancing the man's part.  I'm good with that!

I am slowly approaching this point, too.  I male failed several times over the course of the last two weeks, and depending what being without testicles now is doing to me, my guy days might be over sooner than I want them to be over!