My Unexpected Vaccine Encounter and Its Lessons

I went today to get my Covid and flu vaccines. The pharmacy was surprisingly busy for mid-day. I wasn’t the only one there for vaccines either.

I want to share something with you. I live in a deep red small town. It’s in one of the so-called battleground states. I worry about my safety to some degree every time I go out in public in this small town. It’s always in the back of my mind. Today, I sat down to fill out the required vaccine paperwork.

I took a seat a couple over from the older gentleman who was also clearly waiting for vaccines. I had every intention of keeping to myself, and quietly doing my paperwork. I was there with my housemate and dear friend J. She had taken a seat a bit farther away to do her paperwork. There weren’t any available seats near her.

Imagine my surprise when this gentleman, out of the blue, struck up a conversation with me. He was friendly, and opened the conversation with “It’s that time of year, huh?” There was no sign, to me, that he was hitting on me. Just seemed like someone trying to kill time. That is, until he got called back to get his vaccines.

I was still working on my forms at that point. J turned in her forms, moved over to where I was, and said something like “I think he liked you.” And honestly, as soon as she said it I thought to myself “Well duh. Of course.”

Like most trans lesbians I know, you need a clue-by-four to get me to notice flirting. So J pulled out her clue-by-four. He was around my age. But as I hear so often, trans women tend to look younger than our actual age.

Apparently, he thought we was chatting with a somewhat younger woman. I guess he found me attractive? Enter impostor syndrome. Was that even possible?

J sure thought so, viewing the interaction from a distance. She clearly picked up on body language that I completely missed. I must admit, that was all very affirming.

Remember, this was in a small, deep red, rural town. Clearly, I had no interest in pursuing anything. But wow. Not only did I pass ¹, but someone around my age apparently liked my appearance ². He even started a conversation with a total stranger.

The journey continues, with a nice affirming memory added to the bank.

1. I hate the whole concept of passing. That’s a whole topic for another time. Yet, it’s applicable here. 🤷‍♀️ ↩︎
2. A recent photo, taken last month. ↩︎

Tags: life, passing, trans, Transgender