Ok so, I'm a truck driver and have been one for 3 1/2 years, and for about 3 of those years I was male.  I've been transitioning for close to 9 months now and beyond the constantly being called ma'am, lady, her, she I've just recently today experienced some new, a bit sexist I think.  I got to where I'm suppose to deliver and walked into warehouse with my paper work, full makeup, cute hair, hoodie and jeans and fur boots over jeans.  The man I handed my paper work looked straight at me and said "do you have a man with you?" I said in surprise "what!?" He said it again, so I said "um..no, do I need one?"  He said oh well the bolt seals are hard to cut and he said it's ok just back up to the dock and he'll cut it for me.  I was laughing in my head because I can cutt them just fine.  But instead I said "thank you so much, and asked if I could use the bathroom.  He said "it's right there, knock first then go in and lock the door behind you".  O.O um..which kinda made me nervous if he meant som it would come in and rape me or something.  But once again that made me laugh, so..I guess either he's blind or I'm doing better at passing.  But it all felt so sexist to me and yet the old me woke up in my head and was like "use the guy voice and stand your ground".  But I just said ok and did just that, knocking, peaking in to see if a guy was in there and then going in and locking the door behind me.  Even though there was both a urinal and a stall.  As in 2 people can use it and it's a unisex bathroom.  Just blown away by this new experience, which I know seems trivial to everyone probably.

Welcome to the other side. And yes, you (and women generally) do really get treated that way.

By the way, looking at your avatar photo, you're going to have to start carrying a stick to keep the hounds at bay soon. Be prepared. One woman I know who is also a truck driver wears an engagement ring or a wedding ring, depending on her mood. It keeps most of the other folks around her at bay. Most, but not all.

Wow, well that would explain why a guy hollered at the man I was chatting to while getting unloaded said "stop flirting with her and get to work".  I blushed caused I didn't know he was doing that.  I've never had a guy just chat away to me.  I mean I thought I would pick up on flirting but apparently not.  Carry a stick? XD rofl "down boy! No!"

On the truck driving, I always thought that it would be a mans world and women were just weird if they did that job, until I met a woman who later I became friends with who drives horse floats, doing Melbourne-Sydney-Scone-Sydney-Melbourne once a week. Scone is the horse breeding homeland in Australia, much like Keenland in the US. She was telling me who well she's looked after, its almost a bit over the top, but the men treat her the same if not better than other men.

I've met a lot of female drivers and are quite good at the job.  Granted yes men do seem to assist us occasionally compared to other guys.  My best friend who is MtF from high school is a boat captain and a welder.  And she is going to stick with boat captain profession.  I'm actually soon to swap jobs as I'm about to start school for RN nurse ^_^ good money, still feminine and no running all over the country.  Though my statement wasn't based on my job, it was the fact he thought I wasn't strong enough to break my seal on trailer and asked if I had a man with me to do it.  I was like.. shocked and said, "umm, a man? No". It's like he never seen that I was trans.  Felt different then the normal looks I get.  Like..he was chatting me up and was quite obviously interested.  Made me a little nervous, as I'm afraid to be called out in public.

Quote from: CrissyMarie on November 25, 2014, 02:09:09 PM
Just blown away by this new experience, which I know seems trivial to everyone probably.

While sexism is bad I can totally understand why you enjoy it given the circumstances...

Sorry which bit was sexist, the bit where he offered to help you as generally women are physically less strong than men, or the bit where he tried to make sure you could use a bathroom without a man walking in on you?

These kind of things happen to me all the time. When I am presenting as male I'm taken more seriously in stereotypically male things. For example when I enter a hardware shop or gas station to get something for my car or when I'm setting up a computer system nobody thinks I need help in what I'm doing and the staff only talks to me if I ask them something.

As soon as I'm presenting as female people react to me like I'm unable to use a screwdriver without help so they are offering their help and opinions without asking.
The two most recent examples are from the local trans* events where I was assigned to handle the technical side of things. The first hour with the building's technicians were about me persuading them about my skills, until they finally let me do my job without looking over my shoulder. I guess this is a good sign, they saw me as female but it can be annoying.

I could write a book on sexism, the kind you simply, in our society, have to deal with, and things like being passed up for every promotion I deserved, being hired in at significantly lower wages, even when I was more educated, more experienced.....being female carries with it so many societal disadvantages. I hope that those of you that are mtf will speak up, help make the change that is needed. You will be encountering some of the basic facts of being female, and they will be starkly apparent. Worrying about being taken advantage of sexually is, not to make light of it, but it is truly one of the last things you'll encounter, if at all. Being taken advantage of in financial and business situations is a given. Take notes. Speak up where you can.

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