I know we all likely have horror stories about some reactions when we came out.  I want to hear about the happier ones ...

What was the funniest or most unique reaction you had when you came out?

I am a supervisor at the school bus company where I work.  I told a very few number of people before I came out to everyone.  One of the ladies I told literally jumped up and down and said, "Oh my God ... Really?  That is so cool!  When are you starting (meaning hormones)?  This is going to be fun!"

She was also the one who walked into my office a couple weeks later.  I was 2+ months into HRT and had been out working in the heat.  I was sitting in my nice, air conditioned office relaxing when I hear her voice say, "A bit chilly?"

She was pointing at me with a huge grin on her face.

I glance at my chest and realized how noticeable my nipples and tine boobs were.  I blushed so much, but was also thrilled.

For me, it was friend who sent me links to alternative sex sites since I was now "open to trying out new things."

When I told a couple of people they thought I was a girl who was transitioning to male. I took it as a compliment that they thought I already looked fem enough that I was born that way.

Well, I got 'What took you so long?' and 'Tell me something I don't know.', amongst other similar comments, but I think my favourite reaction to coming out is still 'Derrr!'.

"Oh sweetie, I always knew" from a female friend I'd known for about thirty years who I expected wouldn't want anything more to do with me. The next day she gave me a new key ring (a silver butterfly) engraved "Grace". It was a lovely and touching gesture.

My friend Tina: "If you're going to do that, you need to get boobs." 

I had a lady buy me a brick of chocolate and said, "If you're on estrogen you'll need this."

I was already a chocoholic before HRT - mind you probably moreso now.

"That took some serious balls."

My guys friends was like "When you get your boobs done, can I touch it?" LOL

When I came out my parents they thought that I didn't know that two women can be lesbians so they assumed that's why I'm changing my gender. Well, that was really weird.
Another time I came out was to my nurse doing the shots. I told HRT is sth I have to do in order to transition. And she was like "You wanna be a girl?" (even though it said clearly testosterone on the package) and I wanted to slap my face. But I explained everything and she's the nicest nurse so far, calling me a guy despite my legal name, which is very nice.
When I told my girlfriend using Laverne Cox as an example (she was a mtf character in her fav tv show) she assumed I was a boy before and now I'm a girl. I was laughing so hard.

I always thought I had hidden everything so well. My spouse didn't know. My children didn't know. My siblings didn't know.

But apparently I wasn't as diligent as I thought. A cousin from childhood (we were very close from a very young age) and a friend I've known since 1998, both cisgender women, had the exact same reaction when I came out to them. There was a brief pause followed by, "Well, now it all makes sense!"

In each case I asked them to explain what they meant. When they did, I guess it was obvious that some traits were always just leaking through.

After I had come out to one of my best friend I had for a few years now, I felt comforted enough about doing so since he's bi, he told me with a look of *duh you nimwit* "It's about time! Jeez you really are a queen!" To this day, he takes the gold in my book for being the most sassy and accepting response.

Quote from: Jill F on May 31, 2015, 06:54:27 PM
"That took some serious balls."

lol!  My brother took it in stride when I told him I was trans.  But I got a very similar response last week when I told him I was about to come out to eighty-some people at work:
"Wow. Alright. This might sound weird...It take huge balls!"

Many of my male friends and co-workers said something to the effect of "It takes a lot of guts to do that!". None of the women I came out to said anything along those lines.

When I came out to my Mother and Father in law, I did not get the reactions I expected.  I thought my mother in law would be okay and my father in law might be upset.  Instead, My Mother in law cried.  My father in law said he was fine with it. He reiterated a few minutes later, with a big smile, a big thumbs up, and "We're good!"

FWIW, my mother in law has been very nice since.  She (and my father in law) gave me jewelry for my birthday.

Kim

I recently came out to an old college friend girl of mine. We were meeting up at a very large and busy mall, and she hadn't seen me in about 20 years. I told her she wouldn't recognize me.

She had no idea I was trans or ever cross-dressed.

I spotted her easily and she was so oblivious to me that I went up to her while she looked at the mall directory and made a smartass comment to her and she stood up and just stared at me while I smiled at her with a big welcoming grin. I then said her name and she stood there with a blank look on her face.

So I finally repeated her name saying "It's me!" in my male voice and smiled again and her eyes pop'd out of her face as she went 'HOLY SH*T! OMG!' then gave me a big hug.

When I asked her about it later, she said "I had no frigging idea and was wondering who this blond bitch was that was giving me a hard time!"

LMAO!!

"Are you going to cut off your vagina?"

First thing my dad said was "okay. Im not gonna pay for the surgery though" lool. Whats ironic is now he would in a heartbeat.

A colleague called me to discuss a new research project over a coffee. I explained that I was now Cindy and a woman (didn't want to shock him ).

He paused and then said, that's great Cindy -- You do still drink coffee?

One of the first to add my new Facebook profile was a Catholic priest. I wasn't really that surprised, but it's worth mentioning. I also received a very supportive message from another priest, and some other priests sent me neutral but friendly messages. I know through third parties that others have been less positive, but at least they chose not to say anything to me. In general, I have been positively surprised with how friendly people (both lay and cleric) in the Church have been.

One of my aunts, who I believed would need a few months to come around (if she ever would), sent me a very nice text message admitting this was "unfamiliar", but clearly expressing her intention to be accepting and to do her best with name and pronouns. We have also been more in contact (no big conversations or things like that, but small things like commenting more on social networks and so on) since then, than we had been in a long time.

Classmates from high school, who I barely knew even then, contacted me to express their support. As did my former boss - who I haven't spoken to since I disappeared out of the blue because of depression.

Oh, and lastly: Another aunt of mine decided to tell my first homeroom teacher (they're friends, and she still gives her updates about me) by saying "I have lost a nephew, but got another niece". Instead of connecting the dots, she feared that something bad had happened to me, and when my aunt explained that no, no need to worry, that I was perfectly well, but that I was transitioning, she started laughing and said "Oh, it's only that!". At least she had no problems processing the news. And my aunt learned that she should use a less dramatic line next time.

Quote from: KimSails on June 01, 2015, 11:42:48 AM
lol!  My brother took it in stride when I told him I was trans.  But I got a very similar response last week when I told him I was about to come out to eighty-some people at work:
"Wow. Alright. This might sound weird...It take huge balls!"

Many of my male friends and co-workers said something to the effect of "It takes a lot of guts to do that!". None of the women I came out to said anything along those lines.

When I came out to my Mother and Father in law, I did not get the reactions I expected.  I thought my mother in law would be okay and my father in law might be upset.  Instead, My Mother in law cried.  My father in law said he was fine with it. He reiterated a few minutes later, with a big smile, a big thumbs up, and "We're good!"

FWIW, my mother in law has been very nice since.  She (and my father in law) gave me jewelry for my birthday.

Kim

There is an old Betty White meme (and Betty White did NOT say it in reality) that goes: "Why do people say to grow some balls! Balls are weak and sensitive!  Grow a vagina! Those things can take a pounding."

(The actual author was some stand up comic but I've forgotten his name, but the meme floats around to this day with Betty White's image attached to it.)