Hey there, guys. I'm having a dilemma here.

The day after taking my first testosterone shot, my girlfriend and I signed up for six month gym membership. My goal is to lose some weight and shape my body to look more masculine and we've been going about every other day so far. The problem is, I'm swimming a lot which means I have to use the locker room to enter the pool area. I'm not even three weeks on T, so I don't feel confident to use the men's locker room because I don't pass well enough, but I don't feel comfortable in the women's locker room. I feel out of place and almost disrespectful being around naked women. The only reason why it's bearable is because during this short time in my transition, I'm able to go to the sauna with my girlfriend after taking a swim.

But once the testosterone really starts kicking in, I'm not sure what to do, because I won't feel like I belong in either locker room. I don't know why, but I have this fear in my head that if I use the men's locker room and someone found out or I don't pass well enough yet, I might either be beat up or sexually assaulted. I know that probably wouldn't happen, but I can't shake the fear out of me. I already get odd looks in the women's locker room, because I'm the only one with unshaved legs and armpits, wearing swim trunks and a t-shirt with a binder but no one has questioned me yet. I don't know. What should I do, where should I go?

I know maybe it isn't going to feel great right now. Don't know what to say to this. I don't use a gym, but some people stop going for awhile or don't change at the gym. But this period is kind of short. It took me a little longer because I started very low dose, but it might have taken me 8-9 months before I got read as male most of the time. Many guys belong to gyms after they are read as male. I think they will answer so I won't try to.

--Jay

Do you have to use the locker room because the only entrance to the pool is through them or something else?  What I would do personally is try to go during an hour where there is very little traffic in the gym and scope out the men's locker room so you can get an idea of how everything is set up.  When you go swimming, wear your trunks under loose pants and then once in there just take off the pants, put them and whatever in your locker and head into the pool area.  When you are done swimming, don't bother putting dry clothes on, just wring out as much as possible and then leave after grabbing your stuff from the locker. 

Although this isn't the best answer, switching from swimming to something else would probably be the easiest option. Just change before you go  and shower when you get home.

I'm lucky enough to have membership at two different gyms. I've been a member of both for about 6 years now, and I'll be honest with you: the gym changing rooms were the straw that broke the camel's back and made me decide that I had to transition. I don't generally spend much time in the company of women (I never have, really) so being forced to change in the women's changing rooms, with all those naked females socialising with each other made me feel incredibly out of place and it brought my dysphoria to a head. Ugh, it makes my skin crawl just thinking about it.

So when I decided to transition, before I'd even started T, I went to the manager of each of my gyms and told them that I would transitioning and asked what accommodations they could make. Luckily for me, both gym managers were sympathetic and keen to help in any way they could. At the one gym, they let me use their staff changing room so that I could have some privacy. The other gym has a disabled changing room which they let me use for as long as I needed.

I felt it was important to tell the managers because if anything untoward happened on the gym floor or in the changing rooms, they would be better able to deal with it effectively if they knew the score, and any altercation would be more likely to wind up in my favour if the manager is on my side.

Once I had top surgery, I felt confident enough to use the men's changing rooms and I've never looked back. The worst thing that's happened so far was when a guy who was kneeling down next to me kinda huffed in indignation when he noticed I don't have a bulge (my only thought was: why are you looking there, dude? Ya interested?  )

I don't really have anything to add - just second the notion of avoiding locker rooms overall.

I just try to avoid locker rooms, but for now just use the womens until the T kicks in, once it kicks in, go in the mens, no one should bother you, just go in, change up and leave

I use the men's. I'm not on T but I had my top surgery. When you walk around half naked people don't question you.

I just avoid locker rooms altogether.

I'm pre-T and pre-op but am read as male about 95% of the time, so use the men's locker room. I change either in a bathroom stall or in a shower stall so no one sees anything, and no one's really looking in my experience.

They don't have any other entrance to the pool?  How odd.

Do they have a family locker room?  You know for dads/moms who take they're other-gendered kids?  I know the one gym with a pool I went to had one.  They also had an additional pool entrance though.....

I always used the mens locker room in gyms before I had top surgery and I was never given a second glance. I never took my shirt off,and never took a shower if it was crowded or the curtains weren't up so I can't speak for that but many people just change shirts in the bathroom and go home right after. I guess it depends on the environment of your gym and how safe you feel.

Quote from: Nygeel on April 30, 2014, 12:52:43 AM
Although this isn't the best answer, switching from swimming to something else would probably be the easiest option. Just change before you go  and shower when you get home.

This is what I did.

Change from home insteed of in the gym locker Room or ask the staff to help if theres a privat locker somewhere you Can use or certaib times at the Day Where theres very fem People. Probably not the answer you Want to hear but if you live nearby clean Water then go for a swim outside. Its free and Likely more healthy, just bring your partern With you in caise of anything shold happent.

I go to the fitness center on campus at the end of my day on campus and go home to shower.  This is the only way I can use the fitness center.  I have used the restroom in the men's locker area with no problems at all, even walked through the changing area without stopping, have seen a few guys in all states of changing.