Hello everyone :3

So back in May I started a new job, accidentally outed by a friend from the beginning (it was an honest misunderstanding), freshly hatched actually. Though unplanned, it turned out to be a good thing generally. One of the cool consequences was that I ended up on the women only ( mail distribution list of my new workplace, which felt really affirming.

They offered an online talk about microaggression which I attended, still very much insecure without showing my face or voice. At this point I’m still pretty scared of going to a public women’s restroom and keep it in until I’m home. I’ve not been to any women only space yet, so this was a pretty nice opportunity. Oh well, I kinda lurked in some online spaces of course, but this did feel much closer to real life.

It was a bit of a… culture shock, but with gender and in a good way? I feel a bit weird saying this, cause it’s just so stereotypical stuff, but I was just so amazed at how this topic got treated with such natural and artless empathy by everyone who spoke. I’m surely able to imagine spaces where men are allowed in which this could happen, too, I just never stumbled into one. And here it just felt like the obvious default everyone casually agrees to? Why is it not like this everywhere?!

It felt like coming home, even in a different way from joining trans spaces, where I do have similar feels. And I broke down crying for ~15 min for not having grown up with that kind of support. I don’t know, maybe I am reading more into this than there really was, I’m still processing this. Feel like something very profound happened to me.

Gonna go to a witchy rope gathering for women on the weekend, which is in actual real life, wonder how that’ll turn out. Super excited, but very nervous, too. Even dreaming about it a lot, which is very unusual for me, can’t remember my dreams at all most nights.

Feel free to share any thoughts, hope you’re all good with your journeys <3

  • Azalea ( azalea_flower@lemmy.blahaj.zone ) 
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    6 days ago

    That sounds so sweet, I’m happy you get to experience this all for the first time!

    Honestly in my case I also don’t do public bathrooms, so it’s been a while (years?) but I’ll probably stick to the men’s bathroom because my social anxiety definitely won’t let me go in the other one.

    I hope the gathering at the weekend goes well <3