To help me make sense of what I saw...

[Nomoresunshine]

Just drive through a quieter part of a busy town.
Approaching a set of traffic lights so was slowing down in a 40 zone. .
To my left I noticed a woman on a mobility scooter. . Bright floral skirt and dark pink handbag. Hair in a bit of an up- do style. Sunglasses on..
I had mine on too.
Prescription ones or can't see to drive.
Took a second glance as I got to the lights.
(My inner mind- on reflection- was maybe puzzled. .)
The occupier of the scooter was also spouting a full beard.
My brain went into full on confusion mode.
What would you have thought?

Kingfisher I know the guy you mean!! I haven't lived in Brixton for a few years but definitely spotted him. Where I am now has a fabulous Lady Madonna type who has a diamante encrusted mobility scooter with flowers and stuff on it and she looks like she spends hours getting ready before she heads to Aldi. She's incredible.

I really miss the bearded lady of Guildford though. She was the best local celeb.

Kingfishergreen - that local character has wearing a bikini and high heels all summer and often seen round the bottom of Tulse Hill / Brixton Water Lane and environs. Cycling.

It's good that they're now known as

Local Characters

I think to qualify as a local character you have to display some, shall we say, notable habits or behaviour as well as adopting an idiosyncratic / creative dress style.

Mere gender neutral / non-binary dress code / transvestism alone doesn't qualify, does it?

Everyone is so right on... It's unusual to see a man in a skirt carrying a bright pink handbag; stop being so disingenuous, folks.

Of course you don't see it every day - but it's the 'help me make sense of it' comment that's ridiculous. You don't have to see a transvestite every day to know what one is. I've never seen a dolphin, but I wouldn't need MN to 'make sense' of it for me if I did.

It's less usual, sure. But Grayson Perry is mainstream TV commentator these days, Eddie Izzard, I can't think it comes as that much of a surprise to see a man in a dress.

I've never seen a dolphin, but I wouldn't need MN to 'make sense' of it for me if I did.

Exactly!

Are you asking whether you're being unreasonable to start this thread?

Yes. Yes you are.

Godddddd everyone trying to be so right on and claiming that a man with a beard wearing a floral dress is super normal and they wouldn't bat an eyelid.

I think it was an odd thing to see OP and I would consider it noteworthy too. Trans or not, a person in a dress with a beard would make me look twice, as most (a good 99.9%) of dress wearers I know, do not also wear a beard. Let's not pretend.

Normal women will wear whatever they feel comfortable in, but trans people will often take things too far, not realizing that sometimes it makes them look slightly ridiculous

The thing is that most normal women go through their awkward, ridiculous fashion sense stages during their teenage years - ditto to make up. Most of my friends (myself included) looked awful during our teenage years as we were still figuring out what suits us, what kind of ridiculous shit we could pull off (and NOT pull off) etc. I often think than men transitioning to women in the early stages are similar to teenage girls in the sense they are still discovering their own style. Experimenting with a dress sense they may have always wanted to try or clothes they perhaps first tried on in secret years ago (if that makes sense).

Trans or not, a person in a dress with a beard would make me look twice, as most (a good 99.9%) of dress wearers I know, do not also wear a beard. Let's not pretend - A couple of my friends over the years have had PCOS and had enough facial hair to warrant it being considered a 'beard' to some people. My ex FIL often wears a dress with a bead, he's in early stages of transitioning and sometimes gets lazy with the shaving. So no, I wouldn't look twice and I'm sure lots of other people wouldn't either. Nothing 'pretend' about it.

Loads of people (completely irrespective of gender identity) wear 'unusual' clothes. Generally, those of us who have kids see it as part of parenting to teach them NOT to point and laugh, or ask, really loudly, why the person looks so weird.
There's a thread at the moment discussing why some women support transactivism - and in some cases the reason must be disgust at the sort of people who think it's OK to laugh at and make a fuss about someone whose appearance is gender-nonconforming, even when that person is simply minding their own business.

It isn't about being 'right on', it is about having good manners, and acting like a grown up.

Normal women will wear whatever they feel comfortable in, but trans people will often take things too far, not realizing that sometimes it makes them look slightly ridiculous

Scribble, every town has one.
They obviously have some mental problems going on. Bless them.

My god, what is wrong with you who actually says these things?

Was this your first time in town,OP?

Don't worry, if you keep mixing with people, you'll soon get the hang of the fact not everyone is exactly like you and that, for most people nowadays, living their lives comfortably is more important than the fact some naive stranger might be upset by it.

Surely it's human nature to look twice at something unusual. For most of us, at least outside of mn. Land, bearded ladies/men in dresses are a little unusual. The making sense of it comment does make it sound as though op has an eye spy book of men and women and this specimen doesn't fit the model. I don't care what people wear or what facial hair they sport but sometimes you do look twice. As an aside, how would a person know if the scooter rider wanted to be known as a man or woman; I suppose you would have to ask than if you needed to address them but then they may get offended if it didn't seem obvious to you.

you need to get out more OP