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I’m Traveling as a Gender Convertible
On the Road as Transgender Traveler: Packing for Two
As a prequel to my solo transatlantic cruise (I do like the “trans” connection), I realized that I had opened a Pandora’s box of wardrobe issues. Cunard is famously known for formal dress and gala evenings replete with women in gowns and men in tuxedos.
And I had to dress for two!
I am a transgender female who must to continue to pass as male for personal and professional reasons. The cruise I’m on is my first opportunity to be entirely female. Bringing males clothes would provide a safety net in case my female courage failed.
The process of wardrobe selection became a farce for me.
I was packing men’s clothes that I didn’t want to wear and women’s clothes that I loved but was afraid to wear.
My deepest fear was not passing.
Passing is the bane for every transgender woman, particularly if they transition late in life. “Passing,” for those who are unfamiliar, is the generally brutal experience for transgender individuals to be recognized for their true gender, not the one dictated by the genitalia they were born with. Essentially all transgender people were born with a birth defect that most of society has decided isn’t real. Social rejection…
