I really don’t think that’s what is going on in this instance, although I can see how that might indeed happen. I’ve since heard from several other women who have experienced the same thing who aren’t as tall as I am. It’s an “assertive energy” thing, which reads as male in a patriarchy. These men all get super embarrassed when they realize the mistake they’ve made. I don’t think that would be happening if they thought I was trans and were trying to be aggressive or “make a point”. Where I live, trans people are pretty off of the radar — something that people hear about on TV. Although I’m sure that there are trans people in my community, it’s not enough of a factor for this to be happening so routinely.

Still, I appreciate hearing from you.