day is long

I saw my body worker today because my back and hip has really been hurting a lot. When I got to the office door I immediately noticed a small plaque that had her last name but a man's first name. I know there is no "Mr" in her life. My first thought was a woman working alone in her office at night in a semi-light industry area made safety sense, much like woman living alone will use a man's voice on there answering machine. But when she answered the door I saw an immediate difference in her that went beyond the new short hair cut. I'd always known her as a butch dyke, now I have to get use to knowing her as a man - he starts the hormone shots next week.

Gender reassignment. This is maybe the 3rd or 4th person that I've had to make that shift in my mind about. I remember 25 plus years back when a lot of my friends were getting married and I had to get use to their new last name. For many of them it took me 10 plus years to have their married names come to me first before their maiden names. The gender thing is somewhat similar. I find myself concentrating on the pronouns, trying hard not to slip.