Quite an interesting naturist swim night at Alton (previously on Repulsive Monkey).
Because I don't go that often, and knowing that traditional naturist functions might be on the decline, I do sometimes worry that the session won't be there especially if not enough people go. I guess the leisure centre think it's worthwhile. I got there about mid way, and there were noticeably more people there. At least given the number of shoes in the changing room. The leisure centre open up the two (M and F) group changing rooms, but naturist couples tend to go to either as a couple (why get shy about stripping off separately for two minutes, only to rejoin unclothed?) so I saw a few female shoes amongst the clumpy male ones.
Once in the pool, it's possible to see what the turnout is like. About the same gender ratio as usual: about 5 women to the 30 men, and the same sort of demographics.
They appeared to me to be the regulars (I'm a semi-regular at best), but a few newbies, including, gasp! some youngish people. One slightly younger person, to whom I'd spoken casually before (I think I'd said something about a tattoo some months ago) now looked a bit different. The tattoo project had come along nicely (a sinuous floral design around the side and back, not too dense, subtle colours), but also something about her body had changed. Hair, legs, breasts all the same, but hang on ... no more penis.
Flashback to about a year ago, doing the same sort of who's in tonight mental survey: Man, Man, Man, Woman, Man, Man, Woman ... no hang on, a Bit of Both! So my first live in the flesh transgender person then. I guessed that for this person, or indeed any person who might feel uncomfortable in a conformist situation, swimming is easier in a naturist environment, which nominally at least is based on liberalism of the body's actual condition, as opposed to having it conform to an ideal (especially an unseen ideal). I had no idea initially if this was a she becoming a he, or the other way, or neither, and nor did I feel it proper to enquire. Over subsequent swims (several weeks/months, including chatting about body decs), it appeared likely that whatever the story, the trajectory was towards female.
... and Back to the other night.
... and Back to the other night.
I had to ask: had it taken a long time/trouble etc? I don't think I was being prurient, and maybe I was motivated by a desire to empathise. Apparently not: lots of counselling, and hormones, but the actual operation wasn't a big thing for her, just a bit of "donor organ" that she didn't need. I put forward my little theory that a naturist environment is quite a bit more accepting of, shall we say, unconventional physical configurations. She agreed, though not wholeheartedly. Not that this was the reason for coming to naturist swimming nights (i.e. as the only stare-free option available for someone who might not be accepted in either changing room), as her parents were naturists of old so it was all quite normal.
I also talked to another woman, who turned out to know quite a few people and places I know from my work life, so physicists and hangers-on of various sorts. This all started from one of those weather-type conversations: "in my day our computers 'ad beige keyboards, terrible they were", "luxury! we 'ad to work on steam-powered teletypes", etc etc conversations. I didn't expect to be talking about computing architectures, the scientific end of the civil service, EXAFS and other forms of spectroscopy, but there you go. Small world.
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