Today was a visit to my eye doctor. This is the first time he got to meet me, though I've been going there for ten years. I dropped by a few months ago to get my records changed, and the girl behind the counter warmly congratulated me. This time there was no weirdness with any of the staff as they did the preliminary stuff before the doctor came in. One even looked at me and said, "Miss Bensinger? Please come with me."
The doctor and I passed in the hall and said a quick hi, then I sat in the room waiting for him.
When he came in he seemed a bit hesitant. He asked how I was doing, and I told him, "Better than ever!" using the best voice I could muster.
"Better than ever, eh?"
"Oh, yes."
He fumbled around getting logged into his computer, and we talked a little bit about how computers are supposed to make our lives easier. He was quieter than normal, and he read me off the results of my tests (all good).
He then said, "Please forgive me if I'm being indelicate. The long hair, the painted nails, and..." he gestured, indicating the cute outfit I was wearing, "...are you transitioning?"
With a big smile I told him, "I Am!"
"Okay. I'm from the south where I learned to use sir and ma'am, so please forgive me if I get it wrong sometimes."
I told him that while I'll never get used to it, I certainly understand. He told me that while the name is correct in the records, it still showed the gender as male, and he'd make sure that got corrected. A few more tests and questions, more relaxed now, and it was off to the front desk, where he discreetly told the office manager to fix the records. I talked with her a bit about how difficult it is to get your name changed everywhere, we wished each other a good day, and I was out of there.
I'd been wondering how it would go, and having mixed-up records confused things, though apparently the staff never looked at the gender marker, based on the way I was treated. All but one seemed to be new since the last time I was there, so they don't know anyone but who I now present as. All in all it was a positive experience, and I had no embarrassment at all. It was actually more amusing than awkward.
Stephanie