Heh. Somehow, the having sex with a woman part isn't what shocks me! Though that's pretty darn weird, it only takes one clueless woman. To pass for a year and a half takes a LOT of random strangers not outing you (which, sure, most people even if they twig, aren't going to point and go "OH MY GOD THAT'S A WOMAN!", but...seems like there's bound to be a guy in the bathroom who's gonna take offense. I'm betting she made a concerted effort to use single or unisex bathrooms a lot. Though men are a lot less likely to call you out than women (who can and will seriously throw a fuss if a MTF or butch woman walks in), they're also more likely to kick your ass)

It's not too Awareness Day-ish? Because every now and again, I read these dumb things where some AB is in a wheelchair for a whole week and how *do* we stand it? But it's not really the same at all, of course. In both good and bad ways.

My big issue with the book is that she went to a totally differnt sort of social surrounding than she was accustomed to. I wonder how much different the differences would have been had she gone to Chicago and hung out with the intellectual crowd there.

The NYT review of the Norah Vincent book made it seem as if she didn't try to pass 24/7, but selectively. They also said her most interesting insights weren't into gender, but into social class (they focussed on her experience with a working-class bowling league).

Dude. She didn't just pass, she passed, and went bowling. That is dedication.

It's happened before; that jazz musician who was a woman passing as a man had at least one girlfriend who never knew, or swore she didn't.

Billy Lee! Had at least one wife, I believe.

Er, I know the Phranc song. That's really all.

On the floor of a trailer in Spokane, lies the body of a woman who lived as a man

It's also why I know how to pronounce Spokane.

It SERIOUSLY puzzles me, knowing what friends of mine go through with having people scream at them on the street, kick them out of bathrooms, etc, that she just magically managed to pass perfectly for a year and a half.

As noted, she wasn't in drag constantly. She did work closely with a professional makeup artist to find something to give her a five o'clock shadow that was easy to apply, easy on her skin and undetectable in daylight.

It was interesting that the woman she dated as a man still wanted to have sex with her after she revealed herself. Norah Vincent is a lesbian so it wasn't that surprising she pursued it.

eta: She had sex with a woman after she revealed herself. Actually three of the women she dated were interested in still pursuing it after she came out to them, but she only consummated one of them.

Dude. She didn't just pass, she passed, and went bowling. That is dedication.

She was on the bowling team for 9 months. Every Monday. She was terrible too and felt bad about dragging down her team, but they were always really supportive of her. The bowling team stuff was my favorite part - the most revealing and interesting and affecting. She came out to them after 6 months.

meara, I think you'd really like it.

Billy Lee! Had at least one wife, I believe.

Billy Tipton actually. Yes, he was married for many years.

I don't believe that she didn't know. But I am a big skeptical PITA who has in her top 10 favorite books one that says "Everyone lies." so YMMV.

I don't believe that she didn't know.

Don't underestimate the power of denial. People see and believe what they want to see and believe. Also, many marriages are sexless.

Don't underestimate the power of denial. People see and believe what they want to see and believe. Also, many marriages are sexless.

Hec, didn't Tipton claim a war injury or something had left him incapable of doing things in that way?