Hi Jessica
So you think that travelling to the US in a skirt is brave, do you? Well actually, I was a bit concerned myself about immigration control, but I got no grief from them at all. Mind you, it was gone 11pm when we landed, and I suppose they all wanted to go home! They might also have thought that dressing in such an outlandish manner would be a sure way of drawing attention to myself, so I surely wouldn't be carrying any contraband, would I? But then I could be doing a double bluff, I guess ...... You can read about my journey in the short stories section of my site [1].
While I was in the US, Kim took me to one of the many shopping malls near where she lives. Amongst a number of other bits and pieces, I bought a 13-inch furry microskirt with a black-and-white zebra design in what I'd guess is probably their equivalent of our Dorothy Perkins. I picked the skirt out, and asked the girl at the checkout where I could try it on. She looked a bit surprised, but said to just use one of the regular cubicles. Well, the skirt was gorgeous, and looked great with the black opaque tights I was wearing at the time. Kim wanted to see it, of course, so I came out of the cubicle, had a good look at myself in a mirror, then paraded around the shop wearing it while pretending to browse other items. At that moment, a young woman emerged from the cubicle next door to mine, looked at me and said "Hey, you look great! I wish I had the legs to wear something like that!" If I had a pound for every time I'd heard that ......
We also spent a couple of hours one day in New Hope, Pennsylvania. At first sight, this is a small US town much like any other - but here, it seems, anything goes, from men in skirts to people of both sexes in full drag. I decided to dress en femme, although at times I found myself feeling extremely self-conscious: certainly, my appearance was good enough, but I'm afraid that mode of presentation just isn't right for me any more. It looks like my shopping days in a wig and make-up are finally at an end ...... Unfortunately, being winter, New Hope was almost deserted, so we made a date to return there when I'm next in the US in June. This time, I'll probably just wear a skirt and heels. And I must remember to put some film in my camera ......
I met many of Kim's friends and work colleagues, from a born-again Christian woman who crossed herself when I walked past (Kim has since told her exactly what she can do with her Christian principles) to a couple of young bisexual women who live together. They were fun! They see a lot of prejudice both from neighbours and from the law firm where they work. I guess it's the same in many unenlightened places in the UK too. But they're making a stand against this sort of bigotry, and slowly educating the unwashed masses that there are more important things to worry about in life than other peoples' sexuality.
But the real downer was the reaction of a young married couple who'd asked Kim if they could meet me while I was in the US. Interestingly, she's white (and helped Kim pick my engagement ring), and he's black, so you might think as we did that they'd be used to prejudice ...... Anyway, Kim rang them to confirm the arrangements to meet for lunch in a nearby mall, and "by the way, Graham's a cross-dresser and will be wearing a skirt - are you OK with that?" They hesitantly agreed. Ten minutes later, the phone rang - would we like to come over to dinner instead? I guess they wanted to meet me on their own terms. So I decided to dress smartly for the occasion, choosing a long burgundy pencil skirt and a nice pair of heels.
Well, they were bit wary of me when we first arrived at their house, but they gradually warmed, and by the end of the evening, it was hugs all round - I was a special man, Kim was a very lucky woman, and could they come to the wedding? So imagine my surprise when a week later, Kim rang me to say that they hadn't been at all comfortable with me, that there must be something wrong with a guy who wants to wear a skirt, and that Kim should be very careful of my motives! The whole evening with them had been a sham! You could've knocked me over with a feather, but that was nothing compared with Kim's reaction - she told them exactly what they could do with their prejudice, then withdrew their wedding invitation, and told them that she never wanted to see either of them again.
Well, win some, lose some, I suppose. You get to see who your real friends are in this game, don't you?
From a personal letter.