Scheduling my life

 

This is a sample page taken from my online calendar.  It shows the appointments I've made where I show myself as Marian and the appointments where I show myself as Mario.  You'll notice that most of the time, you'll find me out and about as Marian (shown in green). While at other times, I am out as Mario (shown in red).  If I didn't have this calendar, I'd screw things up and appear as Marian when people expect to see Mario.

Controlling where and when people see a selected gender presentation is essential for many transgender people who are testing the waters of being out to the world.  It is not always easy- especially when one is employed and has only so much time to present as one's authentic self.  However, my use of an online calendar makes this a manageable issue, instead of one that could blow up at any time.

There will always be some risk when one lives in both masculine and feminine spaces.  People are expected to live on one side of the gender binary or the other.  But this is not always possible for the transgender person who explores his/her authentic identity.  In my case, my neighbors do not much care which version of "Me" they see.  But I live in a "Blue State" that defends my right to live as my authentic self.  Others who live elsewhere might not be as lucky as I am.

Being retired gives me many advantages.  I do not have to worry about keeping a job.  Nor do I have to worry about rushing to change from Mario into Marian when I want to socialize as a female.  Another TG person I know has moved to a "Red State" and is often mistaken for a female when presenting as a male.  Yet, this person knows her limits and lives within them.  And we are among the lucky ones. Others live in fear of what their family, friends, and employers will do if their transgender natures are exposed.  I know of one transgender woman who flip-flopped between male and female presentations until she presented as female when her client expected to see a male.  How did things work out for her? Let's say that she still has a business and that she explores her transgender nature in public.

In the end, a schedule can be an essential tool for a transgender person.  If you haven't used one to keep track of your gender presentation for the day, you should consider using one.