In preparation for me sitting zazen "en femme" with the sangha I attend sometimes, I asked my wife to mention to the primary teacher that I'm transgender. Then, on Thursday 3/10 she'll announce to the sangha as a whole that I'm transgender and that I should be addressed as "Connie" when I arrive "en femme."
The teacher didn't react all that much. He's an MD, and during his practice had seen TG patients in varying stages of their transitions. His only surprising reaction, and I really shouldn't be surprised by this, was that he asked that I give a Way Seeking Mind talk to the sangha about my transition.
Egads, but I'm suddenly nervous about this.
It's not that I'm afraid of being rejected by my sangha. It's that I feel this talk would put so much focus on me.
Eek.
It would.
All he is asking (all, hah) is that you think this through to the point that you understand it well enough to explain it to others. That's all.
Yeah, I figured that's what the teacher is after. It's still freaking me out, though.