Community Conversation => Transgender talk => Topic started by: Lesley_Roberta on April 06, 2013, 08:04:03 AM Return to Full Version
Title: To me or not to me (today)
Post by: Lesley_Roberta on April 06, 2013, 08:04:03 AM
Post by: Lesley_Roberta on April 06, 2013, 08:04:03 AM
So today it is a dinner gathering at sister in laws. They were not able to gather for Easter, and see no problem doing the dinner this weekend, even though, well you know, this is NOT Easter any more. The bunny is already gone for the year, and Jesus has left the building.
This is now merely Saturday April 04 2013 and has no significance at all.
Personally, I think if you miss an event, well, you missed it get over it there will always be next year.
But I never pass up a turkey dinner, and that is really the only reason I am going.
Buuuuuut I am going and I am going as me.
The wife got brave and told her sister about 'me' the other day. And as I make no effort to hide it she knows that was always possible. Hey I'm not going to brag or carry a sign eh. People find out when they do, and never if I am not actually in their presence and in need of an explanation.
The sister was like 'oh wow' if I have my wife's comment correct.
But her husband is a Pentecostal Christian. Nothing specifically important about the distinction. We got married in his church some long time ago :) My only real knowledge of their slant on Christian is I didn't care for the misogynist slant of all the marriage class questions I had to go through. I'm not saying the entire Pentecostal Christian crowd is like how this church felt, but they sure were.
I have no idea how he's going to greet being told his brother in law is his sister in law.
But I do recall he's been a bit odd in the past. There was a past incident.... parenting thing.
He likes to say grace before meals, and I have often prompted him to do so. Hey I don't hate the guy nor his need to promote his faith before dinner. I'm just being polite.
But I do find myself wondering.
The wife asked me, rather concerned like, if I was planning to wear my jewellery to the dinner.
I told her, I was and I had no plans to pretend I was someone I wasn't. It's a small town I told her, no one hides forever. He can find out now for all I care. Aside from two daughters of my niece that are still quite small, everyone else is adult age and can make their own choices. The thing is, the kids are just that all grown and also in most cases have moved away. Once it was easy to gather the wife's side for a meal. It was a large group and a lot of kids. Now they have spouses and lives and they live in some cases no where near by either. Dinners now are harder to arrange and often not even on the correct calendar date. Not as much trouble finding a seat either.
I will be me when I go today. I will have had a nice bath, I will smell nice, and I hope look presentable, and wearing my favourite (ok currently only) jewellery. My hair is rapidly getting a lot longer and not even remotely like I used to wear it (atypically male and short). I carry a purse, and it sure is a purse. Nope it is NOT a man bag.
I see no reason to think anything bad is going to happen. I am not going to make him a villain until he does it himself.
I plan to do nothing odd, no odd actions, no attention grabbing behaviour. But uncle Les is not going today.
They might do a slight nod to my birthday with a card. They frequently limit that to dinners and it is often a group birthday with several who have had one not far off. Mine was end of March.
I'm not going to say or do anything to correct incorrect cards ie not going to mention it should be happy birthday aunt Lesley.
Heck if they can't connect the dots, not my problem eh.
But I do hope I am not posting about some manner of mangled result later tonight.
I am not weak willed in this area.
If someone acts rudely, I WILL just get up and leave.
Won't bother me in the slightest.
I'll be pissed and hurt of course. But I doubt I will make a scene. I hope I am not dumb enough to make a scene.
This is now merely Saturday April 04 2013 and has no significance at all.
Personally, I think if you miss an event, well, you missed it get over it there will always be next year.
But I never pass up a turkey dinner, and that is really the only reason I am going.
Buuuuuut I am going and I am going as me.
The wife got brave and told her sister about 'me' the other day. And as I make no effort to hide it she knows that was always possible. Hey I'm not going to brag or carry a sign eh. People find out when they do, and never if I am not actually in their presence and in need of an explanation.
The sister was like 'oh wow' if I have my wife's comment correct.
But her husband is a Pentecostal Christian. Nothing specifically important about the distinction. We got married in his church some long time ago :) My only real knowledge of their slant on Christian is I didn't care for the misogynist slant of all the marriage class questions I had to go through. I'm not saying the entire Pentecostal Christian crowd is like how this church felt, but they sure were.
I have no idea how he's going to greet being told his brother in law is his sister in law.
But I do recall he's been a bit odd in the past. There was a past incident.... parenting thing.
He likes to say grace before meals, and I have often prompted him to do so. Hey I don't hate the guy nor his need to promote his faith before dinner. I'm just being polite.
But I do find myself wondering.
The wife asked me, rather concerned like, if I was planning to wear my jewellery to the dinner.
I told her, I was and I had no plans to pretend I was someone I wasn't. It's a small town I told her, no one hides forever. He can find out now for all I care. Aside from two daughters of my niece that are still quite small, everyone else is adult age and can make their own choices. The thing is, the kids are just that all grown and also in most cases have moved away. Once it was easy to gather the wife's side for a meal. It was a large group and a lot of kids. Now they have spouses and lives and they live in some cases no where near by either. Dinners now are harder to arrange and often not even on the correct calendar date. Not as much trouble finding a seat either.
I will be me when I go today. I will have had a nice bath, I will smell nice, and I hope look presentable, and wearing my favourite (ok currently only) jewellery. My hair is rapidly getting a lot longer and not even remotely like I used to wear it (atypically male and short). I carry a purse, and it sure is a purse. Nope it is NOT a man bag.
I see no reason to think anything bad is going to happen. I am not going to make him a villain until he does it himself.
I plan to do nothing odd, no odd actions, no attention grabbing behaviour. But uncle Les is not going today.
They might do a slight nod to my birthday with a card. They frequently limit that to dinners and it is often a group birthday with several who have had one not far off. Mine was end of March.
I'm not going to say or do anything to correct incorrect cards ie not going to mention it should be happy birthday aunt Lesley.
Heck if they can't connect the dots, not my problem eh.
But I do hope I am not posting about some manner of mangled result later tonight.
I am not weak willed in this area.
If someone acts rudely, I WILL just get up and leave.
Won't bother me in the slightest.
I'll be pissed and hurt of course. But I doubt I will make a scene. I hope I am not dumb enough to make a scene.
Title: To me or not to me (today)
Post by: KaylaW on April 06, 2013, 08:21:17 AM
Post by: KaylaW on April 06, 2013, 08:21:17 AM
Well, for a lack of a better term and one that's not happily accepted in our circle most of the time, you're more brave than I am. If I had the courage that you have, if I had the respect for myself that you have and several other things I can't think of the words for right now, I'd be just like you and I wouldn't be hiding myself like I'm ashamed of who I am. I'm not but I feel like it most of the time because I keep Kayla hidden from the world because, well, I just don't have the guts yet (I guess) to let myself be me.
So kudos to you for being true to yourself. I hope later you tell us how interestingly good things went and not how you threw a turkey leg at your sister-in-laws husband, knocking him stone cold with turkey skin covering one of his eyes. But if you do... take a picture before you storm out cause that will be some funny stuff.
So kudos to you for being true to yourself. I hope later you tell us how interestingly good things went and not how you threw a turkey leg at your sister-in-laws husband, knocking him stone cold with turkey skin covering one of his eyes. But if you do... take a picture before you storm out cause that will be some funny stuff.
Title: Re: To me or not to me (today)
Post by: StellaB on April 06, 2013, 11:48:38 AM
Post by: StellaB on April 06, 2013, 11:48:38 AM
Hope it goes well for you and the turkey is the one on the table.
Title: Re: To me or not to me (today)
Post by: Lesley_Roberta on April 06, 2013, 11:52:26 AM
Post by: Lesley_Roberta on April 06, 2013, 11:52:26 AM
I've always been more bold than any one person needs to be :)
I guess it is an Aries thing. They say were are courageous and blunt, all the compassion of a rock :)
Never ask Lesley for an opinion, I actually don't mind telling you the truth.
I guess it is an Aries thing. They say were are courageous and blunt, all the compassion of a rock :)
Never ask Lesley for an opinion, I actually don't mind telling you the truth.
Title: Re: To me or not to me (today)
Post by: Devlyn on April 06, 2013, 11:57:17 AM
Post by: Devlyn on April 06, 2013, 11:57:17 AM
I hope you have a nice dinner.
+1 for the thread title! Hugs, Devlyn
+1 for the thread title! Hugs, Devlyn
Title: Re: To me or not to me (today)
Post by: Kaelin on April 06, 2013, 11:59:33 AM
Post by: Kaelin on April 06, 2013, 11:59:33 AM
Congratulations both on having the courage and and on having a group you might be able to successfully socialize with. I've done some of the "courage" thing with family but have been rejected most (but not all) of the time in the process.
Good luck and have fun. :)
Good luck and have fun. :)
Title: Re: To me or not to me (today)
Post by: Lesley_Roberta on April 06, 2013, 01:54:36 PM
Post by: Lesley_Roberta on April 06, 2013, 01:54:36 PM
Fortunately, I won the most important battle already.
Wife son and my mom. Without them I wouldn't be alive today.
Friends and extended family, well, it's nice when they come along for the ride of course, but, I married my wife, not my inlaws :)
Wife son and my mom. Without them I wouldn't be alive today.
Friends and extended family, well, it's nice when they come along for the ride of course, but, I married my wife, not my inlaws :)
Title: To me or not to me (today)
Post by: KaylaW on April 06, 2013, 05:04:57 PM
Post by: KaylaW on April 06, 2013, 05:04:57 PM
Quote from: Lesley_Roberta on April 06, 2013, 01:54:36 PM
I married my wife, not my inlaws :)
Absolutely. Exactly.
Title: Re: To me or not to me (today)
Post by: Lesley_Roberta on April 06, 2013, 05:24:38 PM
Post by: Lesley_Roberta on April 06, 2013, 05:24:38 PM
This just in, absolutely nothing happened :)
I went, I eat turkey dinner I ate dessert, I chatted to everyone, and nothing odd happened.
I think that qualifies as ok.
Nooooooooow what they might say in private among themselves later, well everyone has that right I suppose eh :)
I went, I eat turkey dinner I ate dessert, I chatted to everyone, and nothing odd happened.
I think that qualifies as ok.
Nooooooooow what they might say in private among themselves later, well everyone has that right I suppose eh :)
Title: Re: To me or not to me (today)
Post by: Devlyn on April 06, 2013, 05:33:42 PM
Post by: Devlyn on April 06, 2013, 05:33:42 PM
No news is good news! How was the bird? Hugs, Devlyn
Title: Re: To me or not to me (today)
Post by: Lesley_Roberta on April 06, 2013, 07:47:58 PM
Post by: Lesley_Roberta on April 06, 2013, 07:47:58 PM
Meal was great like always. Sister in law always does a good meal. I usually chip in on the cost of the food.
Title: Re: To me or not to me (today)
Post by: Blaine on April 06, 2013, 09:46:13 PM
Post by: Blaine on April 06, 2013, 09:46:13 PM
Glad to hear it went well and there wasn't a second turkey to store away. ;D
Title: Re: To me or not to me (today)
Post by: StellaB on April 07, 2013, 05:14:13 AM
Post by: StellaB on April 07, 2013, 05:14:13 AM
Quote from: Lesley_Roberta on April 06, 2013, 05:24:38 PM
I think that qualifies as ok.
Nooooooooow what they might say in private among themselves later, well everyone has that right I suppose eh :)
Congratulations. So pleased it went well.
I wouldn't worry about what happens later in private (but I put $10 on you wishing you were a fly on the wall, right?) but just chalk it up as a success.
One of the reasons I feel God makes some people trans is that He has a sense of humour and enjoys freaking the narrow-minded people out. It gives their heart and circulation a workout and keeps them interested in life.