Homeless Transvestism
- Homeless
by Evyrling | May 2, 2016
So, due to a domestic dispute and relationship problems I had to endure the nightmare of trans homelessness last week for five days. Shaved my legs in a public men’s restroom -- yep. Honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I expected. I hadn’t left my home in four months and had become extremely agoraphobic and human-phobic, and being on the streets I got a lot of love and recognition -- more than I had very cynically come to expect.
I am fortunate to live in an area with covered picnic benches at the public park and a perennially temperate clime, but I did figure out a few tips if any of you trans/queer folks ever find yourself in a similar situation.
The Salvation Army is AMAZING. Book: Winds of Dune + grass mat + blanket = $3!
Public transit is free air conditioning - a blanket, book and smile go a long way. Get a day pass if you can.
Women Helping Women is AMAZING! They helped me file paperwork under my male name and were so helpful and respectful of my true identity. They are the Angels who got me back into my home and kept me protected.
DHS is AMAZING! I was ready to start begging until a supremely wise mentor told me to go get food stamps and see if I qualify for welfare. I have food of my own today and am no longer selling my dignity to eat. They set me up with a fantastic counselor who has sailed to Antarctica on Drake’s Passage.
All in all, it was a crazy experience - complete with late night tweeker/prowlers fashioning strange apparatuses out of sticks and duct tape in the flickering yellow light of a public bathroom.
The major lesson that I have taken away from the experience is this; There is a safety net like three feet above rock bottom and it is uncomfortable as fuck. A grid of frayed metal cables that prohibits comfort. Just find a way through -- there are a lot of cool-ass people on rock bottom, and it’s a much better place to set a foundation if you truly mean to grow.
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