Valerie: don't worry, i'm not going to carry, it does seem like more of a liability. I actually do know what it's like to handle a gun in a stressful situation. I had to pull my gun on someone in a road rage incident. He was approaching my car with a tire iron in his hand. I'm very glad I had all of the training I did, or I may have accidentally shot the guy. In retrospect, I should have just run him over. Honestly, the worst thing about adrenaline is when the situation is over and you need to scream, cry, throw things, break ->-bleeped-<-, lose your mind, etc.

Alex: man legs? seriously? that's insulting.

Thank you, Valerie, for this post.  You speak wise words, woman.  And Jane, your point is well taken.  (And thank the stars for the person who called the cops after hearing your screams.)

I grew up in an inner-city neighborhood and have lived in quite a few of them around the US.  I resumed firearms training again after deciding to become Kate and have received some excellent coaching.  But the gun certainly has its limitations and should never replace COMMON SENSE (as Alex said).

When I lived in Iceland I had a two-wheel drive car.  Many of the roads are just tracks that go off to who-knows-where and the weather can be horrendous even on the good roads.  I often think that it really saved me a lot of grief by not having a four-wheel-drive car because I was much more cautious where I went and when I would venture out.

I try to remember that a gun can be like having four-wheel-drive – it can give you confidence that will get you in trouble.  If you carry, know how to use it but act and consider your situation like it isn't there.

Stay safe.  The world needs more transitioned TS's who are alive.

- Kate

I agree with the others who say you need to listen to what the little voice in the back of your head says.  Also, the thread seems misnamed-  it didn't seem like the real trouble started until you didn't pass.

Wow. Yes the "go nuts" route is a good one, it so often works because that's your body's natural way of defending itself. It's what animals do and it often works.

Taking the busier route wouild have been best of course.

1966, you were legally male back then? You must have been one of the very first FTMs. A real pioneer.

It's strange how much people mess with me now... I used to be much more paranoid, i carried my Glock or the .38 on my person at ALL times, yes even at work. I could draw and fire in about a second, I even trained how to shoot an assailant that was on top of me. Every other weekend, training, training, training. I was a (mostly) lean and muscular 205 lbs, worked construction, and was taking Aikido too. If those guys had encountered me as I was three years ago, THEY may have crossed the street. Well, that being said, I hated playing at being that person. The reason i was so paranoid, alienated and disgruntled was due to being trans and NOT transitioning and all the self-loathing that goes along with it. Probably also due to being psychologically, and physically abused until I left home.

Now I weigh 167 lbs,(I'm still 6ft tall, so that's pretty skinny) and the estrogen has worked very well at feminizing me. Honestly, I looked in the mirror the other day, and to my surprise(and joy) the only part of me that doesn't look female is the bits down there. I have undergone a (almost) complete transformation. NOW, people eff with me all the time, like it's a sport or something.

I guess I'm rambling because yesterday I had ANOTHER INCIDENT! It was not super scary like the other, but...
I was smoking a butt, waiting for my friend outside the store in Queen Anne neighborhood. I observed this bum with an open 40 oz in a paper bag just walk out into traffic, causing a bus to have to jam on the brakes. Of course he made a bee line for me to ask for a cig. As soon as he heard me say "no", he said "oh, you're a dude!" (yeah, my damn voice gives me away every time) I told him to leave me alone, but he kept harassing me. i started walking away, but he followed and kept taunting me. So, I pulled out my phone and said loudly "I'm calling 911!" He FINALLY began to walk away, muttering under his breath. So, when my friend came out and I told her what happened, she said I should have actually called 911, because the bum WAS harassing me and they would arrest him. So next time that's the first thing I'm going to do. 911 is a girl's best friend!

---

Post Merge: September 12, 2009, 01:17:37 PM

---

It may be due to the economy, but whatever it is, this city is getting CRAZY!!!

No insult meant about "man legs" but it sounds like you're likely, even with weight loss and feminization, a better runner than most gals. Bet you can throw a mean punch too. It's just plain old muscle memory.

Just because I'm a dude doesn't mean I'm gonna forget how to sew on a button!

Bums just love, some of 'em anyway, to get confrontational. Heck I'm 5'4" and weigh about 150 these days, T seems to be making me a bit bigger but it ain't gonna help my height or the fact that I'm a pretty small person. I face down bums all the time. They mostly leave me alone because they kinda pick up the vibe that I won't take any guff.

Max Wolf Valerio in his EXCELLENT (as in run some more, over to the book store, and get it!) book The Testosterone Files, points out that he became MORE susceptable to violence from guys after he was passing 100%. Rape became a remote fear, but the chance of just plain old getting beat got to be large.

I'm surprised these guys still pick on you after figuring out your a dude, everyone knows transgirls look like girls but can still hit like a guy.

Yeah, being 6ft tall means I have LONG legs, and now that I'm skinny, i can run like a effin gazelle!

I can't hit like a guy, i never could actually. The reason I've been taking martial arts since I was 11, is because I used to get beaten up on an almost daily basis as a kid. After i beat the tar out of a few kids who were bigger than me, they all mostly left me alone. I wasn't a good puncher, but I could kick like a mule!

Wow. There's a gal at my gym who's like Superwoman or something, tall, I think 6ft, muscled all over but not masculine type muscle like I'm trying for, very nice fit female type muscle.

Being on this site has been so enlightening, it makes me wonder if some of the gals there at the gym were born gals. I think it's great.

Quote from: Alex_C on September 12, 2009, 12:39:47 PM1966, you were legally male back then? You must have been one of the very first FTMs. A real pioneer.

Thanks Alex but not FtM, MtF. Yes, I think I have a 2 digit serial number   

This is a topic I have definitely been thinking a lot about.  Being a truck driver, truck stops at night are not the most 'lone-woman' friendly places.  As I only dress and have not gone fulltime yet i still have time to come up with a plan.

I'm not trying to be sexist, but being a fellow girl I want to look out for your own good.

Girls like us are genuinely weaker then men who are even the SAME WEIGHT AND HEIGHT AS US.

So besides the people here who complained about you and the situation, I want to envy you for running away.

No matter if you had a gun or not, a man runs faster then a women, usually has a better reaction time and would most likely take your gun from you and aim it back doing so.

In flight-or-fight stage caused by an adrenaline rush; Men typically fight while women run! So you have the flight-or-fight stage down. And men being in fight stage, his muscle mass and amplified with the adrenaline boost--He could of done some serious damage!

Next time, bring a friend--Either male or female, better if male; Then other males won't bug you! Or...Simply like others have acquired to say: Follow your gut feeling!

99% of the time it's right!     

Wearing high heels makes it very difficult to run. If they are a kind of boots, then you would not have a chance to take them off. Even men could be vulnerable if they wear heels.

I tend to be more careful when wearing heels, but again here it is safe to wear them at any time. Only problem is that my family and colleagues do not like it.

You see my recent photo in Nashville, TN, USA. You know why I wore sneakers instead of heels  .

Barbie~~

Bit of a scary time, but nice to see that it ended well enough and without incident.
I agree, I don't think just crossing the street would have really made to much of a difference to them. Except to maybe warn them in advance that you were scared and possibly giving them even more reason to act.

Quote from: FairyGirl on September 11, 2009, 12:21:55 PM
a woman needs to be aware at all times of her situation, where she is, and the potential dangers that could arise from it.
It's quite different from being a guy and going pretty much anywhere you want anytime you want. Stay safe!

Being a guy doesn't automatically make you safe.
I wholeheartedly agree with what Telka says below.

Quote from: tekla on September 11, 2009, 12:30:52 PM
There are lots of places where even strong guys don't walk.  And if you think its bad in NYC, LA (OK, no one walks anywhere in LA, still) or SF, or London (London has more places you can't walk, then places you can), you ought to try the third world.

Quote from: tekla on September 11, 2009, 12:33:42 PMThe rule of thumb is the richer the area, the safer you are, but the more likely to talk with a cop.

Wow - I like you already, we do seem to think a like.

Quote from: finewine on September 11, 2009, 12:22:49 PM
What did old Bruce say in Enter the Dragon?  "Boards don't hit back"

Bruce [Lee] also once said: Even I can't dodge a bullet.

But I do have to agree, there is a big difference between the range and the real world and just how fast things can go from bad to worse.

Just remember the Samurai code.
They would not draw their sword unless they had to.
And if they did, is was to kill someone.
Being able to hit a target is one thing.
Being mentally able and prepared to [possibly] kill someone is something different.
Could you really do it?
And more importantly, could you live with yourself for doing it?

Years ago a friend and I were standing on the sidewalk in front of a fencing school we went to and talking, and because we were out on the street but not in cars, the cops kept checking up on us. People get arrested for not being in a car in Los Angeles, among them writer Ray Bradbury and chess champion Bobby Fischer.

Riding a bicycle in LA is pretty much like wearing a bacon necklace to a PETA convention.  Your a target, you know, so do all the drivers.  And there's not a lot of bike lanes.  Strike that, I never found any lanes anywhere I wanted to go, except along the Coast - Santa Monica had a great ride along the ocean up on the palisades.

But ya' in LA without a car your already guilty - they just need to figure out what the charge is.  Of course that's pretty much all LA Robocops all the time.

Quote from: Alex_C on September 24, 2009, 01:03:22 PM
Years ago a friend and I were standing on the sidewalk in front of a fencing school we went to and talking, and because we were out on the street but not in cars, the cops kept checking up on us. People get arrested for not being in a car in Los Angeles, among them writer Ray Bradbury and chess champion Bobby Fischer.

The comedian David Brenner used to riff about the car culture in L.A., and had a joke about cops seeing a guy walking down the street and pulling up to him: "Hey! What do you think you're doing moving your legs like this (makes walking motion with two fingers) ya pervert?"

Quote from: Samantha6000 on September 24, 2009, 12:51:34 PM
Being able to hit a target is one thing.
Being mentally able and prepared to [possibly] kill someone is something different.
Could you really do it?
And more importantly, could you live with yourself for doing it?

Yes and yes.

I also would not draw my weapon unless I absolutely had to. If I did draw it would be only to defend myself.

I've actually had a lot more training than I've let on. I've fired thousands of rounds during defensive pistol training. Drawing and firing while strafing, firing from a vehicle, firing at targets in a vehicle, extreme close range firing, firing after being knocked to the ground, firing at targets moving toward me, clearing malfunctions, reloading, etc. 

I used to be much more paranoid and fearful before I began transition, that's why I felt the need to train like that.

The instructor said that the most important part of defending one's self was to always be alert and also to avoid any potential situation if at all possible. Definitely wise words.

Personally, I think it's disgusting that a woman (and, to some extent, a man) cannot walk down a street at night because of some Neanderthals who still live in the stone age. If I have to go out at night when it's dark, I make sure I don't scare any lone women (even though I'm not a threat, they will probably see me as one due to my being male-bodied) by not walking behind them or anything.

I read something about how women could shout out a man's name as if he were close by, and that could scare off any would be attackers.

In my opinion, women should use any attack they can to defend them (kicking the groin, gouging the eyes etc), and if they are confident enough, to carry a gun where it is legal to do so. I would also recommend taking kickboxing classes - I know two very talented kickboxing women who are very good at it.

You don't even need kickboxing if you've ever kicked the heck out of a soda machine etc. just remember in the real world, kicks are rarely delivered above the waist, their knees, groin (duh) and feet/ankles are targets. Have the confidence you had when you beat Max The Soda Machine and you'll have a real advantage.

QuoteBeing mentally able and prepared to [possibly] kill someone is something different. Could you really do it? And more importantly, could you live with yourself for doing it?

That is something I had to give serious thought to a few years ago.

Three people had killed an RCMP officer some distance away and made their escape by car. They had stolen other vehicles when their's ran low on gas and from the locations of the thefts they were coming my way, apparently trying to make their way to the city rather than be caught by the police "where there were no witnesses". Since I live alone in the country with no close neighbours, I had to consider what I would do if they showed up in my yard. They were obviously armed and dangerous and having killed a cop, they had nothing to loose by additional killings.

After due consideration, I loaded a double barrelled 12 Ga. and kept it close until they were captured (just as I imagine most farm people were doing).

Could I have shot? Yes. Would I have shot? Yes. And as a competitive shooter, I would have hit what I aimed at, even in the dark. I am just glad I didn't have to do it. If they had not already killed, it would have been a lot harder to make that decision.