Hey everyone
I have been full time for 3 or 4 years (usually passable.. or at least non-gendered to even harsh critics). I've never really had an issue inside the ladie's room, but yesterday was close. I was in a Walmart bathroom around lunch time, in Tennessee.
It sounded like 2 or 3 of the 4 stalls were occupied by young children and an adult. There was a small line of 2, plus a middle age woman who was part of the kid's group. It was this woman who did a double-take of me. I politely looked away until I realize she was staring. I met her gaze for a moment and she just kept cutting looks at me fearfully. When one of the stalls near the front was free she moved to block me from going further in where the children were, but offered the open one pretty awkwardly. As I was undoing my clothes, I saw her pass by and glance through the cracks of the door as she walked past.
It has always made me anxious when children are near me, because I am worried what misinformed adults may do to 'protect' or 'correct' an uneasy moment. Besides scaring me, it just makes me feel miserable the rest of the day afterwards, for r a variety of reasons.
The idea that someone would think I would harm a child or be of any danger to one, makes me feel physically sick. I have been fulltime for only a few months and I still have anxiety about using public toilets.Here in Adelaide, where I am, I have never had an issue but I also have not had to use them that often.
That kind of thing can make you feel awful for ages....Hope you are feeling better about things.
Ignorance is a menace. Along with stereotyping ( the two tend to be bedfellows). I'm so over it but I can't avoid becoming a victim of it.
Let this incident pass. Don't mull over it. It's not worth your time and energy.
I sorry this happened. Living in rural WV like I was pubic toilets were always a bit of a concern for me. Especially at 6ft tall and usually well dressed in a world filled with 5'4" tall blue-jean wearing women. Luckily the only close encounter was just the slightly uncomfortable too long of a stare as I was checking out my face on the way out and the other woman came in.
With all the wild rhetoric I hear, even now in NYC, about perv's putting on dresses just so they can rape little girls in bathrooms or locker rooms.... OIY
Still, I have to remind myself things are FAR Better today then they were for me some 40 years ago
Thanks for wishing me well. I had to vent a little ! I guess it could have been worse, there could have been a man outside the restrooms that she could have called for. Yikes.