Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Community Conversation => Transgender talk => Topic started by: Tessa James on November 17, 2014, 02:08:07 PM

Title: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Tessa James on November 17, 2014, 02:08:07 PM
It turns out that I am not a very good liar as it seems to require a better memory than I currently possess.  I generally assume that I am out and obviously trans and don't shade the truth of my past.  That said I had occasion to be out to dinner with some professional acquaintances and apparently i was passing better than I thought.  One senior gentleman was clearly intrigued and as we walked back to the hotel talking about growing up I mentioned attending an all male, catholic, military high school.  He cleared his throat several times but never said another word and walked just a little further from me.  I thought it was pretty funny and it reminded me of that T shirt saying "I'm transgender and nobody knows"

I can barely keep the true story straight some days.  How about you?
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Jessica Merriman on November 17, 2014, 02:12:02 PM
Before full time:

Ever forget to remove nail polish?  :embarrassed: :embarrassed: :embarrassed:
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Tessa James on November 17, 2014, 02:14:51 PM
Yes and the betting at work was that I was gay. Only half right!
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Jessica Merriman on November 17, 2014, 02:17:49 PM
Well, it was at my parents during a visit. I had to tell and then they said "We would be OK if you could just be gay".  ::) ::) ::)
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Edge on November 17, 2014, 02:19:11 PM
Yeah I generally assume everyone can tell I'm trans because I barely ever pass. One of my friend's friends was very confused when he overheard me and her talking about childbirth.
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Jess42 on November 17, 2014, 02:38:57 PM
Quote from: Jessica Merriman on November 17, 2014, 02:12:02 PM
Before full time:

Ever forget to remove nail polish?  :embarrassed: :embarrassed: :embarrassed:

Nope, never. Fact of life: I wear nail polish sometimes. Black usually but also metallic blue or chrome. I love coral and dark red though and wear that in femme mode. I always have dreams of wearing pink and forgetting to take it off and my ex isn't my ex in the dream. Or red and visiting family.
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Jess42 on November 17, 2014, 02:40:34 PM
Quote from: Edge on November 17, 2014, 02:19:11 PM
Yeah I generally assume everyone can tell I'm trans because I barely ever pass. One of my friend's friends was very confused when he overheard me and her talking about childbirth.

Sounds like you pass pretty good to me Edge.
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: big kim on November 17, 2014, 02:43:26 PM
My Chemistry teacher was also a lay preacher and took the service at Church one Sunday.After the service he met the congregation and I told him he taught me Chemistry.
"What was your maiden name?"
"Brown"
"I remember Kate and Maureen which one were you?"
"Jimmy"
Nothing like outing yourself big style!
He was a perfect gentleman and it  never bothered him though he now knew why I was such a brat at school
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: gabimoneratt on November 17, 2014, 02:56:37 PM
One day I was out on a date with a guy that didn't know, it was more of a friendship since I wasn't in the best moment to date... Anyways. I was talking about my prom and I completely forgot where the corsage is put on girls and I froze a bit and ended up saying it was on the same place as guys  :laugh: he was like: "isn't it on the wrist?" and I was like: "oooooh yeah, sorry, it's been a long time...." it had only been 2 years lol oh well... This was the only time, though hahaha
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Jill F on November 17, 2014, 03:31:57 PM
I haven't, but my wife has.  Actually, it was pretty funny. 

We were having dinner at a nice place for our anniversary.   The waitress asked what the occasion was, and my wife replied, "It's our anniversary."  No big deal, right?

The waitress asked, "Oh, from when you met, or?"

"No, wedding."

"So, first anniversary?" 

Same sex marriage in California is pretty new, so good guess there, but my wife let it slip that we have been married for 20 years.  The waitress looked at us in disbelief.  I raised my hand and told her that I used to be a dude.  The look on her face was priceless.   At least she was cool with that.
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Tessa James on November 17, 2014, 03:50:00 PM
So far,  so fun...

Thanks for sharing
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Jess42 on November 17, 2014, 04:02:51 PM
Quote from: Jill F on November 17, 2014, 03:31:57 PM
Same sex marriage in California is pretty new, so good guess there, but my wife let it slip that we have been married for 20 years.  The waitress looked at us in disbelief.  I raised my hand and told her that I used to be a dude.  The look on her face was priceless.   At least she was cool with that.

Really? OMG Jill that sounds like something I would say just for the shock factor. You are my Heroin. And not the illeagal kind. ;)

I have but when under some influence and no one took me that seriously. Even though they make so much fun of me for my legs, gynecomastia and long hair.
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: NathanielM on November 18, 2014, 01:21:56 AM
Yes! :p I'm pretty open about being trans, especially at school because I find it easier then constantly squirming and being in far they'll find out. And also sometimes things happen like last week one of the namelists hadn't been changed and the teacher called out my old name. So after a month I sort of assumed that my class of 16 knew.

And I was sitting next to two girls during anatomy and because of the subject of the class they started talking about periods and unexpectedness, and suddenly I heard myself say " Yeah it totally sucks when that happens, I know". And apparently one of them didn't know yet :p Oops.

But hey, I'm just really bad at censoring myself :p And I've assumed people knew before, when it turned out they didn't. Or I've talked about wearing corsets and stuff like that. It's one of the reasons I'm pretty open about who I am, because otherwise I'd have to think about what I was saying all the time. And I've done that for years, not doing it again.
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Tessa James on November 18, 2014, 12:21:27 PM
Quote from: NathanielM on November 18, 2014, 01:21:56 AM
Yes! :p ......I'm pretty open about who I am, because otherwise I'd have to think about what I was saying all the time. And I've done that for years, not doing it again.

I'm with you Nathaniel, self censoring doesn't work for me either.
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: jakken on November 18, 2014, 05:22:33 PM
I don't remember the exact situation, but my mom once told my dad something where she said "your daughter", and I instantly thought of one of my sisters and asked my mom what she meant, because it didn't really make sense to me. Turned out that the meant me and I just forgot that she didn't know I was trans and therefore still saw me as her daughter, lol. That was pretty awkward, but luckily I didn't have to explain it furtherer.
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Eva Marie on November 18, 2014, 05:47:03 PM
I used to regularly turn up for work with last nights eyeliner still present and showing AFTER I had scrubbed furiously the night before. I was lucky though and each time I did that I would think to go check myself in the bathroom mirror and I'd scrub some more lol.... I always got it off before anyone saw me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Sheila Grace on November 18, 2014, 08:02:04 PM
I have worked out at the same club for years and know all the staff. I occasionally get a massage there as well. I came in for a massage one afternoon from a woman that I had received treatments from over a long period. I took off my shoes and forgot that I had spent a LOT of time painting my toe nails the night before. I just sat there and looked at them and thought about coming up with an excuse and leaving. But, she walked in and I just looked at her and said, "Hey, I noticed I did a great job on my nails. I wish you would not share this with others, but I am transgendered and really proud of it." She smiled and said, "I am really happy for you, and thanks for sharing that with me. It makes me feel really good that you would." Honesty is the best policy in my life. Blessings, Sheila Grace
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Amy The Bookworm on November 18, 2014, 08:45:35 PM
Yeah I've outed myself ... in a way.

I'm not full time yet, so obviously I wasn't full time during this.

So I had surgery (Nasal tissue reduction and septum deviation). Some of the staff had been alerted to me being transgender, because I was referred there by my speech therapist and she mentioned I was seeing her for low resonance speech therapy, which apparently is a very technical way of saying voice feminization therapy. One nice nurse who had my speech therapist as her instructor was kind enough to ask for my name and referred to me as such every time I saw her.

Anyway, they brought me out of surgery and I was out of it. The one nice nurse and another nurse were trying to wake me up. Shaking me, and so on. The other nurse kept referring to me by my given name. After a bit, apparently, the nice nurse used my name. I sat straight up instantly, extremely fast in a panic trying to figure out where I was and what was going on (which isn't an uncommon reaction for someone coming out of anesthesia).

...

My wife says I was jabbering only half coherently all the way to the car while in the wheelchair lecturing the nurse who kept calling me by my given name about transgender people and to use my name next time.
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: King Malachite on November 18, 2014, 08:53:12 PM
I was in the car with my two sisters and we saw a panhandler on the street.  I told them that some panhandlers can make between up to 36 grand a year and then I said that would be an excellent job to help pay for my top surgery.

Mind you, I'm still living as a female.  I talked about the trans thing to one of my sisters, but that was over a year ago, and I wasn't ready to bring it up at that time (and I'm still not ready to bring it up again).

As soon as I said that, I said "I MEAN....Anime Expo!  Yes!  Anime Expo....."

Surprisingly, they didn't respond.  I don't think they even heard me, which was strange because I wasn't whispering.
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: spooky on November 18, 2014, 09:24:10 PM
I was at a guy club and this straight guy was flirting with me all night.

Toward the end of the night we started talking about other venues in the city that we liked to go to.  I eagerly grilled him on the best clubs in town, as I was at a point in my transition where I was feeling courageous enough to start leaving my comfort zone of gay clubs.

His favorite spot, he said, would be great for me because women get in for free.

"Not girls like me," I said.  He didn't understand.  "Not after they see my ID, at least," I explained.  He was still confused.

I realized that he didn't know.  So I pulled out my ID, showed it to him, and couldn't stop laughing at the look on his face.
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Sydney_NYC on November 19, 2014, 12:43:38 AM
About 2 weeks after I had my name/document changes, one of our friends asked us to come along dancing with their friends who were a lesbian couple from Kentucky that came to NYC to get married. So they wanted to visit The Stonewall Inn and Henrietta Hudson (lesbian bar). We danced and drank and I thought for sure my voice would out me given how loud I had to talk. So at the end of the night (about 3am) one of them asked how long my wife and I had been together. Both my wife and I responded 19 years, married for 17. She looked confused and asked how that was possible. I told her I was trans and she didn't believe me. I then showed her an old picture on my phone and she still didn't believe me saying that it had to be my brother. Finally I took our friends and my wife to convince her. The look on her face was priceless and she gave me a big hug :)
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: LordKAT on November 19, 2014, 12:53:40 AM
Yes, it made a lesson well learned about staying sober when out with strangers.
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Luna Star on November 19, 2014, 07:13:37 AM
I once put on some eyeliner the night before and kinda fell asleep with it forgetting to take it off, I didn't realise and still had some on the next day and only noticed by the time I had to leave for school.

I had my math exam that day and looked to the ground the whole day, when I went to give in my paper to the teacher she was really surprised by my eyes probably. (Stunned of course  ;) )

And when I got home and it was dinner already suddenly my mother brought up while lauging

"Your eyes look like you put on some eyeliner haha", response... "That's because it is"

and everyone got really silent then haha :P (they didn't knew about me being trans at that time)
Title: Re: Have you ever unintentionally outed yourself?
Post by: Sheila Grace on November 19, 2014, 09:14:59 AM
I forgot about a recent episode where I tried out some really "young looking" glitter mascara. It seemed like a good idea, but when I went to take it off, small bits of glitter were EVERYWHERE! MY SO was mortified, as I am not OUT to the community. But, everywhere we went for a week she would look at my eyes and make sure none of the glitter was showing. I only had one person comment, and I just looked at them and said, "Wow, that's really strange isn't it." lol
(Tessa- can't email yet, but I really appreciate your note!!!!!) Hugs and blessings, Sheila