Trans Folks Reveal 30 Of The Biggest “Culture Shocks” They Had After Transitioning, Shared In This Online Group

To gain more perspective on people’s reactions to how others present themselves, Bored Panda reached out to Hannah McKnight. She identifies as transgender, preferring the term “T-Girl.” She has made it her mission to find a balance between genders. You can read more about her on her website.

Hannah is a person of many interests and talents - she is deeply involved with trans activism, running a social and support group for transgender women called MN T-Girls, and modeling and writing for various publications about a variety of topics. She’s also currently working on her book In-Between.

Asked about what surprised her when presenting as female, she said that it “has really opened my eyes to how different a seemingly familiar world can be.” Other women are a lot chattier and friendlier, there are much more compliments - especially referring to small and subtle things, such as earrings or shade of lipstick.

Hannah also gets hit on much more often than when presenting as masculine, but there is always the question of whether the person is hitting on a feminine person or if they are attracted to trans women. “This happens a lot more online, though,” Hannah continues, as “men tend to be bolder and have less of a filter when there's the anonymity of the internet.”

Some comment about Hannah’s legs or another physical aspect, while others make it plain that they find trans women very attractive.

Asked about the things that Hannah found out only once presenting as female, she had this to say: “There are a million things that I learned, and I could probably fill a book about the world as I've experienced presenting as different genders.”

One of the most significant things for her was understanding male privilege, especially regarding personal safety. The feeling of vulnerability when presenting as female was shocking and terrifying to her. Men would follow her more often, making her only park in well-lit areas, holding her car keys a certain way, and constantly looking over her shoulder as a precaution.

For people feeling anxious about presenting as their gender, Hannah had some choice words of encouragement. “It is absolutely worth presenting as the gender you are. It may not always feel like it, but I have no regrets embracing my identity.”

If you’d like to read more about Hannah, her work, and experiences, please visit her website! You may also be interested in reading her article where she details her experiences of men interacting with her differently based on whether they know that she is trans or think that she is cisgender.