Trans Women and the Public Eye

[Atrum_Anima]

Hey, everyone. I haven't been on Gaia for a looooong time (I got an account about 10 years ago) but I decided to pop in. Recently I've been trying to figure out how to express my gender identity. I was assigned male at birth, and slowly I'm trying to wear more dresses, skirts, and things marked as "girl clothes". It's been kind of hard to get the courage to walk around in clearly gender non-conforming clothes.
I was wondering, how do other trans women (as well as trans men, androgynous individuals, and gender non-conforming people in general) deal with being in public? I'm 6'4 so I definitely don't "pass" as a cis woman (and I don't want to) so I always feel like I'm getting stares. Not to mention, it's not always safe for trans folk to walk around wearing whatever we want. How do you gauge situations and stay safe?  

[Kalgara]

"Boys" Clothes "Girl" Clothes nah, I bought them they're *my* clothes I go out wearing whatever I want for the given day. I don't live in a fantastically safe area for a transwomen but I really don't care, I'd personally rather live my life and face the danger then be shackled by someone elses view of normality. Do you girl do you!  

[AmeliaParadox]

I wish I could give you some kinda answer, it is different for everyone. having confidence is the main thing I think. in my experience 99% of people, if they see you are trying, they will be accepting, its just that 1% that will ruin your day. though that was high school and 2006 times. but even as a female in general, I wouldn't go walking around at night alone.

another thing to note, cameras are everywhere now, point that out to people if they ever bug you. cat_3nodding  

[Isabella Kiyoshi]

Like what Amelia said, if you have confidence you'll be faced with significantly less bs from people (they tend to focus more on those who look weaker). As far as what I do as being agender/gender fluid, I wear what feels comfortable regardless of what gender it's marked for..  

[Xponential Zoltage]

In terms of gauging safety, how well do you know the people/location? Is a public space where people generally mind there business? It more private where some personal questions and interaction will happen?

In general, I don't give crap about other people's thoughts or reactions at this point. I'm a good person and my clothes should not be another's concern. I have a few "shut up" response like a variation of a reverse attack to prove they're allergic to my clothing pattern and a few short explanations of gender identity for people who are actually trying to understand, but unsure of how to react.

That being said, I avoid a lot of things and live in a safe area. If I lived in Cinncinati again, or any very unsafe area, having a totally neutral outfit on hand would be a good idea. A professional contact may not be the person you want to practice explaining your identity to. =