Well...
I had another very cool encounter yesterday. It was time for my second annual Ma'am O'Gram (must be Irish). In case you don't remember, my first one last year was pretty cool. I wrote about it here:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php?topic=228563.msg2099975#msg2099975Judy had made me promise that I'd come back to see her this year, but I had little hope that she'd still be there after all this time, especially since the lab had been bought out by a different company in the interim.
Yet there she was behind the counter as I checked in, beaming like sunshine. I sort of looked at her sideways with a smile and said, "You remember." Her smile got even bigger and she said, "Yes, I do!" She didn't let on to the lady checking me in
why she remembered. After filling out the boringly redundant paperwork, a different lady led me to the exam room. I was disappointed that it seemed that I wouldn't be seeing Judy again, but it turned out that it's now a two-person operation, and Judy was already in the room waiting.
She was like champagne, all bubbly and sweet, but she apparently hadn't clued in the other technician either. As the tech ran down the list of questions, she asked about my last period, and with a glance at Judy, I just matter-of-factly told her that that doesn't apply, since I'm transgender.
Last year I was quietly secretive and nervous about telling Judy, but this year it was just a fact, presented as such. I approached it with a sense of humor, and everything was just fine, though I think the tech's cheeks did get a little pink. In the meantime Judy was watching with her big smile. When we talked about whether I was "passing" or not, the tech told me the same thing that Judy had last year: that she never would have known if I hadn't told her.
Judy pulled a notebook out of the cabinet and showed me guidance that she'd just received on Monday concerning care of the transgender patient. It was a single line buried in the middle of the manual, stating something like transgender patients are to be treated like any other patient, as referred by their primary doctor. That's it. Just another set of boobs to stick in a vice.
Once everything was out in the open we talked about how things have gone in the last year, how I've grown in knowledge and confidence, and about the traveling I've done. Judy was so genuinely happy for me, and the tech got into the spirit as we chatted and joked and giggled together while I got crushed and x-rayed. And there was zero misgendering as the two talked together.
When we were done we shared big hugs and I promised once again to come back next year. It's surprising that something that most women dread as a necessary evil is such a wonderful experience for me. I'm looking forward to returning again.
I don't have many cis-woman friends that I feel completely at ease with. I wonder if it would be inappropriate to invite Judy out for coffee and a chat some time?
Stephanie
PS: When we got to Trivia in The Villages, all the streets were closed off to celebrate Mardi Gras. I realized that I'd just gotten done showing my tits, and I hadn't gotten any beads!
