Coming Out Surprises
Last night, I went on a bit of an adventure. First, I went to see Queertopia again at About Face. It’s part of their youth theatre program, and is very much worth seeing. I went with some of my high school students (though a bunch who said they were going to come didn’t show up…) and it was great being able to expose my students to very different work that other kids their own ages are doing.
Then, I met up with a friend for her trolley party.
Not a great picture, but undeniable proof of trolley-hood
I’m not totally sure why she was having a trolley party – I think a friend of hers was in from out of town, which is as good an excuse as any – but a bunch of people I knew from Northwestern were also there. One of whom hadn’t seen me since I’d transitioned, and clearly didn’t remember who I was.
She introduced herself as Becca, I thought initially because she remembered me but wasn’t sure how to ask about my new name. We agreed that our spelled – Rebecca – is obviously right, and every other variation is wrong. We continued chatting while at one of the bars along the way (we alternated between trolley cruising and stopping at bars) and she mentioned that she knew the hostess from Northwestern. I said I did, too, and kind of awkwardly mentioned that she and I knew each other from Northwestern, too.
“Wait, what’s your last name?” she asked.
“Kling,” I replied, “Rebecca Kling.” She paused, trying to remember. I finally offered, “Did you know [male name] Kling?”
“Oh yeah, I remember him! Did you two get married?” This honestly wasn’t the reaction I was expecting, and made me laugh.
“No,” I continued. “I used to be him.”
A look of confusion spread across her face for a quick second, and then she broke out into a huge grin. “Oh, there you are!” She reached out her hand to cup the side of my face. “You’re so beautiful! There’s your face!”
It was sort of a surreal experience, but a really delightful one. The number of people I need to come out to has gone down over time (obviously) but I still get tired at the thought of coming out to someone I haven’t seen in a few years. In this case, I had a moment of worrying over what her reaction would be, only to be utterly surprised and buoyed by the reality.
It was, my roommate later commented, like the moment in Hook where the Lost Boys accept Peter back:
The rest of the evening was also a blast. How could it not be, with a kick-off like that? Don’t have tons of pictures, but these are from going back to one of the hostesses’ apartments post-trolley:
Intriguing...
Dun dun duuuuuuuuh!
Themocracy
Wow. Your friend’s reaction is so touching and beautiful. I am in awe. That is an incredible experience to have.
And you look beautiful by the way. I love your hair, it’s grown about a foot since I saw you!
Awww shux
Seriously girl, you look amazing! And I continue to be overwhelmed by your experience with Becca, what an incredible story. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Dammit, Ash, who knows what will happen if I find self-confidence! The world could tilt off its axis! Plagues! Locusts! Cats and dogs living together!
Hell, I could quit my job and try to do art full time!
Oh, wait… Thanks for keeping my spirit buoyed