Had a nice encounter with a young transgender worker at the local make-your-own pizza place ...
It was really busy and there was only 3 people working apparently ... and this young lady was flustered and apologizing to me about the wait and just being generally sheepish. She was taking my money, cutting my pizza and putting the final after-cooking toppings on my pie.
Since we're all in masks, it took me a second to ascertain a preferred pronoun ... they're all just in jeans and a loose t-shirt ... but hers looked like women's cut jeans, she had earrings in both ears, and a wristband in rainbow colors ... so I was pretty sure I had right.
After one of the last apologies I was like 'You're all good girl!' ... hoping I wasn't mistaken.
She said "Thank you!" in a normal way, and then stopped and like looked straight at me, and quietly added "and thank you so much". I knew what that 2nd one was for.
This is a VERY red area, I can only imagine what it's like for her on a daily basis.
I walked out happy, hoping I'd made her day a little better 
= new reply since forum marked as read
Always trying to make other people’s days better.
And speaking of cool ... I do generally go thru life trying to make the random people I come into contact with feel better than before they ran into me.
You know, if the occasion arises ... which it often does, cause I chat up random people fairly often 
I mean, why WOULDN'T you. Esp. as a male, who has less to worry about re: a policy of this nature?
I totally inherited and/or learned this trait from my old man, he loved just starting up random, friendly convos with people he doesn't know ... wherever he was. He was an old hippie, and perhaps on a related note, I'm 99% sure was bisexual, even though he never copped to it to me directly, there were enough hints lol.
Anyways in 2015 ... my 'male' officemate (like, literally my officemate ... it was 2-person office) for the previous 7 years one day up and told everyone else at the office ... "I am a woman".
I had NO idea until that day.
Over the next 2 years I spent 8 hours a day with Krista as she slowly transformed away from being Todd.
I had been familiar with men dressing in women's clothing since I was little kid, and always just thought it was like cute and funny. Real awareness (and semblance of real understanding, or so I hope) of actual trans folks (as opposed to trans-dressers) and their various struggles didn't really come until I watched Krista go through it, more or less before my very eyes.
It is NO friggin' joke, trying to change your whole identity and body (as much as you can) to the opposite gender. It's actually pretty scary-sounding in many ways.
I have much more respect now, now that I've witnessed it. Nobody would just do it if they didn't deeply believe they needed to do it ... and that's just the most obvious observation.
I was just meaning I could certainly understand females being naturally a little more reticent re: beginning convo's with strangers ... than a man typically has any reason to be.
I think it's nicer if nobody is ever afraid to do so, to be clear
I am somewhat unlike a lot of women in that I'm often quite willing to start talking with an man I don't already know.
I'm going to remember this and emulate this approach whenever I get an opportunity!
P.S. I just realized that we need a smilie with a pink and blue trans flag! 
(Sorry for all the edits. Sometimes I get really fussy about how I word things. 
With their standard spicy red sauce and mozzarella.
Felt like something traditional that day 
