STORY TIME

so i went to a social distance potluck yesterday outside and it was nice to see some ppl that i hadn’t seen in months, but i sure hope none of them had covid. it’s not like there were temperature checks on the way in. there were more people there than i had expected.

it’s always kind of nerve wracking as a trans women to be in one of those situations b/c you may trust your friends and you may even trust your friends’ friends, but can you really ensure that your friends’ friends’ friends won’t be transphobic pieces of shit? they weren’t, tho

it was still a little awkward. a few glances from some people. but in general, everyone was incredibly just... normal. i was treated like any other woman. one of my friends dropped a “.., man” and someone looked at him funny.

i wasn’t misgendered even once by anyone, which was new, and exciting. and it makes me feel like i have turned a corner a bit. i feel like now at least, i’ve reached a stage where people are viewing me as the woman that i am. trans, for sure, probably. but still a woman.

at one point i spilled red wine on my top and one of the girls who lives there was like omg hun let me grab you a new top. and i was like i don’t think—and she was like nonsense! she appeared with a new top that i put on and she gestured to my boobs and said “it looks good on you

the dynamic has definitely changed. i spent all my time hanging out with these super rad women, but i hardly talked to the guy friends that i knew for the whole evening. it does make me wonder if one of them might be having a hard time with the new dynamic shift.

by the end of the night i was cuddling with a girl on the couch (the one who lent me her top) and we exchanged phone numbers, and she’s super cute but who knows where that will go. it’s just nice to make new friends. she wants to see me again.

i just hope no one there had covid

a bit more to the story. they have an enby friend ash, who brought their sweet but skittish dog charlie to the party. charlie doesn’t like men, apparently, and when i first went to introduce myself she backed away, and i was like, “aw damn.”

a bit later in the evening, i approached charlie again and this time charlie smelled my hand, and then started licking my hand, and let me give her pets behind the ears. everyone was like... UM WOW. WHAT? apparently this never happens to any stranger she meets for the first time.