Out in Franklin PA- By Marla

The teen-aged girl mouthed those words in astonishment as she gazed at me through the window of the Park side Restaurant on the Saturday afternoon of the Riverside Gala Weekend in downtown Franklin, Pennsylvania.  Lisa, Cheryl, Audrey, our new friend Sally and I had ventured into town for some shopping and a bite to eat when the gaggle of young teens happened by.  Unsure of herself, she ran to catch up with her friends but soon returned to again see for herself that which she could not comprehend.  Once more she said, That's a man!   I nodded in agreement, smiled, and waved for her to come in with her friends.

Mouths agape, jaws dropping nearly to the floor, the incredulous group of seven teen girls pressed themselves against the entrance of the café while their brazen leader led the charge of questions.  "Shouldn't you guys be on the Jerry Springer Show?" she asked. "You are really guys, aren't you?" she continued.  Next came the expected query.  "Are you gay?"  "No," we replied.  "Many of us are married, with children"  "So why do you do this?",  The brave young teen continued.  I replied, "We do this because it'fs fun, and we like it."  Not satisfied, the girl pressed on.  "But you're dressed like a girl!"  Pointing out her jeans, sweatshirts and Chicago Bulls jacket, we politely countered that she was dressed like a boy, and in fact, the entire group of young girls were.  Of course, they didn't quite see it that way, justifying their feminine attire because their denims were bell-bottomed.

 We continued to assure them that we weren't freaks.  And in fact, we were very normal men in all ways.  Again, the pack leader spoke, "Do you get hurt by what people say?"  Sally replied, "Well, if you say nasty things about us, sure.  How do you feel when people speak badly to you?"  The young girl began to understand.  We were asked if we'd ever been threatened or what would we do if we found ourselves in a similar situation.  I told her not to let my wearing a dress confuse her..  that underneath, I was still a man and would take whatever actions were necessary to defend myself.  "But you've got boobs! " another of the gal gang said strikingly to me.  Not knowing how naïve these girls were who'd probably not ventured very far from Franklin's confines in their young lives, I assumed the worst and explained that they were indeed fake.  In one of the funnier takes of this encounter, Lisa jumped in and all too able demonstrated the enhancement technique by removing one of her breast prosthesis and laying it on the table where she sat.  Again, t he look on the girl's faces was nothing short of bewilderment.  It was indeed a priceless moment.!

 In the course of out interrogation, we continued to talk warmly with the girls, telling them that many men crossdress, that we're otherwise normal, functioning, productive, upright members of society.  We weren't interested in drawing attention to ourselves.  We did this because it felt good, it was fun, and it was a release.  Cheryl added G.G. perspective:  "Doesn't it feel good when you girls dress up?"  Again, they didn't quite buy into the similarities, but we could sense that the astonishment was turning into curious fascination.

The questions continued. "So you guys, like, shave you legs and stuff?"  "Yep," I countered.  Several of us showed how we have to contend with hairy legs, arms and the like. "And you can walk in those heels?"  Their leader asked.  I demonstrated facility with my 2 ½ inches, parading down the aisle and back.  The teens remained nearly mesmerized with us.

 Seeing that it was time for the Park side to close for the day, I proposed a reading/research assignment for the girls, suggesting some library time to gain more understanding of the terms, "cross-dressing" and "transgender"  I offered up similar internet keywords to help their search.  Young girls being what they are, they giggle, but continued to walk with us as we left, peppering us with questions that we did our level best to answer, all the while being gentle and friendly.

 The lessons to be learned?  There were several.  One, you never know when the opportunity to reach out to the unknowing will present itself.  When in public, be prepared.  Expect the unexpected.  Give honest, intelligent answers. And never pass up the opportunity to be a goodwill ambassador for the transgendered community.  Encounters like this will hopefully educate society and help erase many of the unfounded, stereotypical misconceptions of that which we as crossdressers do.

 It was a bit saddening to see the early inklings of prejudice in some of these girls, but it as also easy to see how such misconceptions are formed largely from a lack of knowledge of our uniqueness.  Hopefully their positive 20 minutes encounter with a handful of crossdressers will change that, a candle lit in the darkness of ignorance.

It's a bit brighter in Franklin, Pennsylvania.