Living as a Transman in North Carolina
First I will say that I love NC and life is good here, but NC did not always love me. I moved here from Georgia back in 1989, I was about 20 years old. I was just trying to find a place that I could be happy at.
The police had already ran me out of Georgia, I could not get any peace from them. Once they found out that they had a freak in their little small town they would not leave me alone. Also because of my own mistakes I stayed in trouble. I had a very good friend that I had met in Georgia and we took off to NC together.
I went to work at a little restaurant outside of Raleigh. It was a really nice place to work and the people were very friendly. Well that was until word slipped out about me. Still to this day I am not sure how that happened. Than all of a sudden I was a disease. Oh people talked and they even pointed fingers. Oh believe me it was so bad I almost picked up and moved away again. Before I could move away again someone sat me down and said to me, "Tony I am so proud of the way that you have stuck up for yourself and still walk with your head up". I thought about that and I realized that I had just as many friends as I did enemies here.
It turns out that I was the first TS experience for most. Many people had a lot of questions which I was happy to answer. I always said if someone is really curious than I will be happy to talk to them and help them to understand. Its just these people that try to be mean that I don't give the time of day. After all unless you have been in my bedroom what they think they know is only a rumor.
Turns out I had a really good boss as a friend. I didn't know it until later that she had a private meeting with the entire staff except me. In that meeting she stated that if she ever heard another single negative word about Tony that she would fire that person. Well that explained why the talk slowed down.
I stayed working at that restaurant for many years. Funny thing and I know most all TS will agree with me: You just know when someone has been told about you. When new people would come to work there I would usually hit it off great with them. In a few more days I get that stand back and looking at me look. That is when I know that they have been told. Some people just refused to believe it and some just did not care. The old school regulars were just unforgiving, Hell fire and brimstone, just an unnatural freak of nature. I can't believe HE is touching peoples food (I just wanted to tell them that its not contagious - I don't think).
Well here we are some 20 something years later and occasionally I will hear it still being mentioned. I still have not run away! Most people in my life know about me. I am the boss now so not many people will say anything about me. At least not where I will hear about it.
