I was having breakfast at a restaurant, and seated at the table nearest to me were two older ladies, one of whom was loud enough that I could hear what she was saying.

She was saying “females” need to do more to reach out and grab opportunity like they used to (I assume she was referring to second-wave style women’s lib, breaking into the workplace, etc.? very confusing tbh). This was after some comments about female athletes that I caught the end of, she was saying how crazy the world is now and I think she was saying now that trans women are being included in women spaces.

I’m sitting to her left, and more than anything else I just wanted to ask her if she thought I was a woman. Instead I sat and listened to her talk at her friend about how much a victim Zelenskyy is because he didn’t get enough support from Biden (!?), and that the U.S. military has fallen behind other countries and we’re losing arms races (!!??), how she prays to God about it all, etc.

I think there’s something wrong with me if my reaction to publicly aired transphobic comments is the desire for validation from the transphobe.

First of all, she’s clueless and didn’t clock me so I should have some sense of whether she perceives me as a woman, and second of all, her opinion is worthless precisely because she didn’t clock me.

I tell myself what I want to know is what I’m doing wrong, so I can finesse my passing or at least be aware of my limitations & weaknesses and mitigate them. I’ve realized most cis people (and maybe especially older, conservative, or transphobic people) notice minor gender differences less and are more likely to overlook those differences.

But maybe this is less rational and more psychological, maybe it’s just more satisfying to pass in front of a transphobe, maybe it’s more emotionally validating if the person who thinks the world is crazy for letting men into women’s restrooms sees that “man” is a woman.

Sorry, this story feels self-absorbed. I think this is like a confessional or something.

Some possible discussion topics:

• tips or observations on how to overcome these insecurities?
• any stories of interactions with transphobes of your own you want to share?
• thoughts on Biden’s absolutely tragic failure as a president to provide sufficient aid to Zelenskyy in his moment of need?

EDIT: oh, and I remember her talking confidently about how the pilot who crashed the helicopter was a DEI hire