I'm just back from another short holiday with my wife at a coastal resort. I wore my usual holiday clothes, denim shorts, pastel t-shirts and white trainers and had some more misgendering incidents. In an outdoor market with my wife we got "welcome young ladies" (we are both 79), "how are you girls?" and "are you ladies all right?" It was an insight into how patronising some men can be to women.

Later, on my own, a woman told her daughter to "wait until the lady has finished" to stop her walking in front of me as I was taking a photo.

My wife was rather bemused by all this and asked me if I was often misgendered when I was alone. I opened up a little and told her about some of the problems I have had growing up as a rather androgynous looking and effeminate man and suggested that if I'd been born 50 years later I might have been labelled 'non-binary'.

The next day I went to the toilets at a stately home we were visiting. When I came out she joked "I'm surprised they let you into the gents"

The catch is definitely off the closet door.

I was misgendered by the TSA at BDL shortly after 9/11.  I had a full beard back then.

BDL is Bradley International Airport.
The TSA is responsible for airport security and may search passengers.

Quote from: Christina152 on August 28, 2025, 04:40:59 AMThe catch is definitely off the closet door.

I love this!   

It has been quite a while since I posted on this forum. But I really had nothing of note to write about. I settled into a comfortable routine, a touch of makeup every morning, dressing in my expanding wardrobe of androgynous clothes and remaining entirely in boyish mode and covert except for the occasional times my wife was out.

That all changed three weeks ago when my wife had a fall and had to spend a week in hospital. It was very unfortunate but every cloud has a silver lining and apart from a couple of hours hospital visiting every day and some shopping trips, I was Christina full time. It was a euphoric week as I experimented with makeup and wore my skirts or dress most of the time.

I also spent a lot of time people watching. I realised that most elderly women, at least in my neighbourhood, give very little attention to their appearance when they are routinely out and about. They wear very little makeup and they rarely wear skirts or dresses, more usually leggings or jeans. They 'pass' as cis only because of their hair style, physical shape and accessories such as handbags and jewellery. By the end of the week I realised that at my age external appearance doesn't matter, internally I am a woman.

My wife came home a fortnight ago. She is fine but has to rest up for a few weeks. So fate has cast me in the role of housewife, cooking, washing, ironing, cleaning, shopping, tasks I would probably have resented doing a few months ago as not being 'manly'. But I have found the experience strangely satisfying, reinforcing my femininity.

I will find it difficult when normal domestic life resumes and I have to be the 'man of the house' again but a happy life requires compromise sometimes and I am happy to accept that to keep my family together.

Your correct my dear, I only wear skirts out for food shopping if it hot the rest of the time its a dab of tinted face cream, splash of rouge and eyebrow to hid my grey brows . Jeans, a pretty top and that is it for the most part. Going out for a meal or event is a different matter though!!