I was READ...

[Hazumu]

Saturday I had some shopping to do.  I was near an Ulta (cosmetics superstore,) and decided to check it out and 'catalog' what it had.  I was checking out instant-stick nails -- the kind that only last 3 days -- when a 10-year-old girl came up next to me to look at the display.

She saw some packaged nails with the words 'living nails' or 'life nails' on them and said:

"Ewww, what do they do with those?  Take them from dead bodies?"

"I don't know. Maybe," I answered.

She did a double-take and said "Are you a GUY?!?!?"

"I'm transgendered" I answered.

Well, we were both embarrassed.  I would have liked to talk a bit more, but she was a minor, and I'm sure her mother-bear was in the store.  I won't talk about TG issues with a minor without KNOWING the parents are okay with their kids learning about the topic.

I recovered my composure, and continued around the store.  I caught her staring at me several times...

Karen

[Steph]

Children are very intuitive and they speak their mind.  I remember that it's happened to me in the past when teaching school bus safety to grade one's through eight.  I'm a little surprised by your answer as well.  How old was the other girl, and did she understand what you meant by transgendered? and why was she embarrassed?

I've never tried to get technical with the children and I simply reply to the question you received by saying "of course not, why do you think I'm a boy".  Invariably it was due to my voice, and I simply explained it away.

Yep you're so right that we have to be so careful when dealing with children.  Parents get very protective and are not always able to rationalize issues when they see the need to protect their children.

Be very careful when dealing with children.

Steph

[Melissa]

Well, I did have 1 kid that knew and I asked her if I seemed more like a girl or a boy and she answered a girl.  If I had some complete stranger come up to me now and ask me if I was a guy, I would probably answer "I used to think I was".

Melissa

[Maud]

Strange, I always pass to small children and always have done since pre transition, it always hurt when my father would correct them :/.

The only two times I've been read (to my knowledge) were once by an FTM though I read him too so it probably didn't count and once when I was trying to get the attention of a clerk he turned around and said yes sir in response to me trying to get his attention when he wasn't looking at me and my voice was not very good at the time, I just visited my new GP for the first time and she watched me walk past her window as I walked allong outside, she was very impressed with my passability and just offered once critique that I should try not to make such massive strides when I walk, with 40" legs this is difficult.

[Sheila]

I have been asked by kids all the time. My answer to that is " What? Of course not." What a question to asked a women. Then they would say that you look or sound like a man, boy or guy. I would say yes I know, but we can't all look as beautiful or as handsome as you. Depending on the age, older they would say I'm sorry, younger ones would just look and the next person they see will say thats Sheila, she looks like a guy but she really isn't. Or she sounds like a guy but she really isn't. Usually the teacher or teachers will back me up by saying something like oh salena, that wasn't very nice. You don't have to get any technical than that.
Sheila

[Melissa]

...she was very impressed with my passability and just offered once critique that I should try not to make such massive strides when I walk, with 40" legs this is difficult.

LOL, I had the exact same thing happen to me with another person who knew I was TS.  Same suggestion too.  Since then I think it's been fixed.

Melissa

[LynnER]

LoL,  I had to jump on Brianna for the same thing too.... she just walks too quickly with too long of strides....   And when Im in heels and shes not its allmost impossable to keep up...

[Brianna]

Yeah, yeah, Lynn. I run 40 miles a week, for an hour a day. My body is a running machine - it's hard for me to be slow.

Karen, as best as I can figure out, it wasn't visually that tipped this girl off. Do you think it was voice?

Bri

[Melissa]

Well, considering the girl did a double-take right after Karen spoke, I would venture to guess that yes it was the voice.

Melissa

[LostInTime]

I got read for the first time in ages while visiting my family over the holidays.  I had forgotten about reactions, both their's and mine, when it happens.  Good wakeup call.

I worked for a retail chain for a bit and was talking to a little girl (around 6 or so) while her parents were right there (waiting on a service).  The girl was cute and had a lot of questions about the items we had.  Somewhere along the line she asked me why i talked like a boy.  Shocked me and I had to laugh at the situation.  I do not care for my voice now but I have come a long way since then.

[Joseph]

Kids just have no way of policing themselves and say some of the most shocking (and hilarious) things.  Recently a kid came up to me and asked in front of a bunch of people whether I was a boy or a girl.  It has been a LONG time since this has happened so I was pretty amused.  I asked him "well, what does it look like to you?"  He said "boy."  And I said, "well, that must be correct, then."    Of course, everyone around us was extremely embarrassed for me.  I asked the kid why he thought that, and his first response was "your socks."  socks?!  They were plain white cotton socks that could have easily been worn by a male or female.    People around us chided the kid and kept trying to apologize to me.  I found the whole thing to be pretty funny.  Yes, kids ARE intuitive and speak their mind!

Joseph

[Maud]

Kids can be cruel.


This is not quite the same as being read but it was a similar situation, on christmas day my father had invited my cousin over and his children, my cousin knows about me and is fine with it, uses the correct name and pronouns after I had a word with him but he haddn't told his children, it was somewhat awkward, I took his daughter aside and explained it and she understood perfectly, the boy I explained to while we were sitting at the dining room table talking and he just went beserk yelling "you're not a woman" again and again and again, I have a fairly thick skin but this completely tore me to pieces and i just shut down until my sister dived in and briskly took him away, he didn't talk to me again for the whole day.