# How often do you see transgendered people? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 8, 2019, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333 "2019-08-08T03:42:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/1 "2019-08-08T03:42:52Z")
While at Safeway today, I was pleasantly surprised that my checkout person was transgendered. (And if you wonder how I knew, she had her preferred pronoun pin on her apron.) I’m a crossdresser myself, and this was only the second or third time I’d seen someone transgendered outside of TG/CD meetups. How often in your day-to-day life do you see a transgendered person? ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/2 "2019-08-08T03:45:56Z")
I dunno, I never have occasion to go spelunking in a stranger’s pants. Probably often though, relatively speaking, since I live in a very LGBTQIA friendly city. And the genderqueer are damned near a majority in some areas. **shrug** I don’t think about it much. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/3 "2019-08-08T03:54:29Z")
About 1 in 1,000, plus or minus. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/4 "2019-08-08T03:57:11Z")
Pretty much every day. I work with two\* transgendered people, and the child of my best friend classifies themselves as “gender fluid.” - Two that I know of for certain; there may well be one or two more. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/5 "2019-08-08T04:01:05Z")
More or less everyday. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/6 "2019-08-08T04:07:46Z")
I dunno. Give me a minute to check my trans-sighting log and compare it to my non-trans-sighting log and send the raw data off to NASA to crunch the numbers… ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/7 "2019-08-08T04:13:29Z")
There’s one woman that I see on a semi-regular basis that I suspect may be a trans woman, but I really have no idea. Beyond that I suspect it’s higher than I’d guess, but not high all that high. I’d be surprised if more than a handful of woman I see in a month are trans-women. Sure, some trans women (at least as portrayed in the media), but many of them look like most any other woman you’d see. Case in point: [Laverne Cox](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Laverne_Cox_by_Sachyn_Mital_cropped.jpg) (ie Sophia, the hair stylist on OITNB). There was also a woman I worked with years ago that ‘presented’ as a man. I have no idea if she was transgender, transvestive (crossdresser) or just had a very boyish look to her. Also, it turned out she was using her brother’s identity to gain employment (IIRC she couldn’t legally work) so she may have just been attempting. We honestly didn’t know she wasn’t a he until we noticed some inconsistencies in the employment paperwork and flat out asked her about it. TL;DR, I have no idea how often it happens and I suspect most people don’t either, even if they think they do. IMO, spotting a trans person is like saying your gaydar works great. It’s confirmation bias. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/8 "2019-08-08T04:24:17Z")
Every day that I leave my house. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/9 "2019-08-08T04:28:33Z")
Like, unique transgendered people? Maybe once a month. Maybe more if I go to Target (that’s not a joke). ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/10 "2019-08-08T04:49:18Z")
When I worked from home a couple of my remote co-workers were transgendered women. Gender discussions never came up, but their Outlook listing was [dudename.lastname@company.com](mailto:dudename.lastname@company.com) (Female First Name) and we all had profile pictures so we could tell each other apart in group chat. I hated for them that their email was deadnaming but they’re set up before we’re hired so someone didn’t get the memo soon enough. I never saw anyone refer to these ladies by anything but their preferred names. But out and about, day to day, I rarely see someone I would guess is transgendered but I’m positive it’s only b/c I don’t know them well. A FOAF is transgendered but I rarely see him, maybe 3-4 times a year. Now that I think of it, he also works remotely. Hmm. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/11 "2019-08-08T04:56:09Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > There’s one woman that I see on a semi-regular basis that I suspect may be a trans woman, but I really have no idea. Beyond that I suspect it’s higher than I’d guess, but not high all that high. > > (snipped) > > TL;DR, I have no idea how often it happens and I suspect most people don’t either, even if they think they do. IMO, spotting a trans person is like saying your gaydar works great. It’s confirmation bias. There’s a woman who comes into the library I volunteer at who I strongly suspect is a m-to-f (extremely tall and a masculine body habitus) but I don’t know for sure, and it doesn’t matter anyway. I went to high school with a girl who later appeared on a Discovery Health Channel program called “Changing Sexes” and introduced HIMself as “Scott.” I had absolutely no idea that this cute girl who always had perfect hair, makeup, and clothes was fighting such a secret inner battle, and hope he found happiness as a man. I also have an acquaintance who has a young-adult child I have never met, who was born male and currently identifies as female. I know that her child has had a lot of problems, and living as the proper gender has improved a lot of them. So, in short, the answer is probably “More than I realize.” ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/12 "2019-08-08T08:36:38Z")
Probably more than I notice. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/13 "2019-08-08T09:41:20Z")
I work with someone who is actively transitioning female to male right now. Until about a year ago I worked with a woman who had transitioned. Frankly I never would have guessed had she not been very open about it. Other than that? I work night audit at a hotel. I probably check in and out transgendered people all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/14 "2019-08-08T10:06:51Z")
Dunno. There are two or three people in my office that are openly transgender but based on the employee survey there are roughly ten times that (can’t remember exact figures off the top of my head) reporting themselves as such. So I probably see some of them and don’t notice. It doesn’t really come up in work conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/15 "2019-08-08T10:14:58Z")
Every time I look in the mirror. Also every time I’m with my main circle of friends. (None met in specifically LGBT spaces.) ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/16 "2019-08-08T10:20:05Z")
Never met one in real life, as far as I can tell. Mind you, I’m pretty insular and I don’t go out much, and it’s not like I go scanning everybody I meet for signs of gender mismatch. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/17 "2019-08-08T10:54:25Z")
Two of my coworkers are transmen and they’re awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/18 "2019-08-08T12:04:59Z")
I can only recall one in particular - a cashier at a grocery store several years ago. Almost certainly biologically male, but adorned with a type and quantity of facial cosmetics one would normally associate with someone who identifies as female. I’m not aware of encountering any other transgendered people - though this may be due them being very good at obscuring the physiological traits of their birth gender. IOW, I may well be encountering large numbers of TG people while simply being unaware of it. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/19 "2019-08-08T12:34:12Z")
Most trans folks don’t broadcast their trans status, so it’s hard to know for sure, but it’s not particularly unusual for me to see someone who might well be trans on public transportation in DC. So maybe a few times per week, as a guess. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333/20 "2019-08-08T12:37:08Z")
I have no idea… probably more when I’m in Barcelona than when I’m in places with smaller populations, on account of “total amount of people I see”. But it’s not like you can tell unless they provide you with the information. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-see-transgendered-people/838333.md?page=2)