Transatlanticism

I generally consider myself a fairly tolerant person when it comes to deviations of the sexual variety, i.e.-Brokeback Mountainesque musings. (Please note that I would rather not get into my views on this as it relates to the Bible and my faith on this date and time, however, if you are dying to know, feel free to email me.) Being from the Keys and going to school in Miami, I have also seen my fair share of public homosexuality. Therefore, I have become accustomed and hence trained myself not to stare, and sometimes, not even to notice.


That said, something very different happened in New York. Brianna, Vannah, and I were standing in Serendipity 3 waiting for a table (on second thought, maybe Vannah was still outside with the rest of the group at the time). As you can (sort of) see from the photo to the right, waiting space is extremely limited. We were standing against the wall in our best attempt to stay warm and out of the way of people walking to their tables who had been waiting for a far less amount of time than we had. From the corner of my eye, I caught someone brushing their hair amidst the crowd. I turned to see what kind of woman would brush her hair in public among so many people in such close proximity. As I turned, I heard Brianna mutter, "Nice!" or some other Briannaesque expletive (please inform us which it was because I'm fairly certain I got it wrong). That is when I saw it. And let me tell you, it was no Felicity Huffman. Now, I've seen plenty of men in drag, but this was different. This was a man trying to become a woman.

(I would like to point out that I realize that this is possibly an extremely politically incorrect entry, for which, I apologize. If any reader finds this offensive, please let me know, and I will consider removing it. However, this is a blog of my life experiences, and I have consciously made the decision to publish it.)

He (or should I say she?) was wearing an above the knee black skirt, a low cut white top with black flower stitching, black stockings with black heels, and a camel coat. His hair was longer than mine and salt and pepper in color. I immediately looked to his dinner companion. He was definitely male and dressed as such. They were clearly on a date and although I can usually conduct myself in an appropriate manner when faced with odd circumstances, I was finding it extremely difficult not to study them. Questions raced through my mind: Is the "man" in the relationship still considered gay if the "woman" follows through with her transformation through operations? Will she dump him once she becomes a woman for good and opt for a better looking and more hetero companion? Do they love each other? Have they seen Brokeback Mountain yet? Would Stacy and Clinton ever make her over? What bathroom does he currently go in? Is he taking hormone pills? Is he even planning on having an operation? At what age did he decide he wanted to be a woman? Does he always dress as a woman in public? What kind of job does he have?

Finally, I was saved by the table host calling their name. We waited quite a bit longer for our table, while we gave each other looks like, "Did you just see what I saw?" Once we were seated in the back room of the first floor, I glanced around the room. At first, I was relieved to see that they must have been seated upstairs. Then, as a waiter moved from my line of sight, I saw them. They were seated at a table suitable for a party of four, right next to one another, facing in my direction, and sharing a Frozen Hot Chocolate. Just my luck. I could not tear my eyes away. Questions continued to stream through my mind. When he stood to go towards the restroom, I noticed his bra strap was peeking out from his top. Did I just say he went towards the restroom? Yes, he did, and our question was answered. It was the one on the right. I cannot imagine what I would have done had I seen him for the first time in the restroom.

Being they appeared to only come for dessert, I was saved from myself, and they were gone by the time our food arrived. Contrary to the opinion of some at our table, I loved Serendipity. And the Frozen Hot Chocolate was even better than it looks.