We recently got a new maintenance person at our apartment, and we needed some work done.
He got here a short while ago and replaced our screen door. A bevy of grrl punk (like X-Ray Spex) provided the soundtrack while Foo watched intently, and swatted at the screen door when it moved.
He's kinda cute, but it was hard to guess his age. He asked about the blind in the bedroom that needs either replaced or put back up, so I led him back to have a look.
I'm not sure if I passed or not. (Which usually implies not.) That or the guy was kinda strange or stressed out. Or maybe I just made him vaguely uneasy. It happens.
On the way out from examining the window frame, he stooped down near the new screen door to pet Foo.
"Nice little cat."
"Yeah, isn't he cute? We just got him a couple weeks ago."
"Not very old. Male?"
Well, actually, Foo's intersexed and of indeterminate gender. "Yeah."
"Males are the best," he remarked without a smile. And after an almost imperceptible, very possibly uncomfortable pause, he went out the screen door without another word.
Heh, thanks. I would normally tend to agree, but there's a good reason to care. I almost wrote an entry about it.
Passing isn't everything. Sometimes, intentionally not passing can even be a lot of semi-wholesome fun.
But when someone knows (or thinks they know) that you haven't always looked this way or lived that way, they don't treat you or react to you quite the same as they would if they didn't think anything was up. It's not always (usually?) a conscious decision, it just kinda is, however well-intentioned the person.
So, since needing to be treated as one's true gender is a major part of the reason for transitioning in the first place, passing and people's opinions both matter. In that context, at least.
But yeah, a strange reaction is always better than a poor reaction. =)
Males are the Best - 08/26/06 03:18 PM
We recently got a new maintenance person at our apartment, and we needed some work done.
He got here a short while ago and replaced our screen door. A bevy of grrl punk (like X-Ray Spex) provided the soundtrack while Foo watched intently, and swatted at the screen door when it moved.
He's kinda cute, but it was hard to guess his age. He asked about the blind in the bedroom that needs either replaced or put back up, so I led him back to have a look.
I'm not sure if I passed or not. (Which usually implies not.) That or the guy was kinda strange or stressed out. Or maybe I just made him vaguely uneasy. It happens.
On the way out from examining the window frame, he stooped down near the new screen door to pet Foo.
"Nice little cat."
"Yeah, isn't he cute? We just got him a couple weeks ago."
"Not very old. Male?"
Well, actually, Foo's intersexed and of indeterminate gender. "Yeah."
"Males are the best," he remarked without a smile. And after an almost imperceptible, very possibly uncomfortable pause, he went out the screen door without another word.
Posted in misc by Milla | Comments (3)
Foot in mouth? Or just strange handyman syndrome?
Either way, that Foo's a winner :)
Posted by patita at August 31, 2006 11:35 AM
Aw, s/he's a cute kitty!
As for the handyman: eh, if he behaved himself, who cares _what_ he thought.
Posted by Chris at September 6, 2006 12:59 PM
Heh, thanks. I would normally tend to agree, but there's a good reason to care. I almost wrote an entry about it.
Passing isn't everything. Sometimes, intentionally not passing can even be a lot of semi-wholesome fun.
But when someone knows (or thinks they know) that you haven't always looked this way or lived that way, they don't treat you or react to you quite the same as they would if they didn't think anything was up. It's not always (usually?) a conscious decision, it just kinda is, however well-intentioned the person.
So, since needing to be treated as one's true gender is a major part of the reason for transitioning in the first place, passing and people's opinions both matter. In that context, at least.
But yeah, a strange reaction is always better than a poor reaction. =)
Posted by Milla at September 16, 2006 12:58 AM