Strange things happen everyday, even on Mulberry Street. A true story.

This was back while I was going through my real life test. I went to a party, got drunk and got raped. The rapist was somewhat surprised that he had to use a different orifice than he expected to but he continued with his planned action. It hurt like a sonnuffa because I was a virgin.

Besides the damage actually done, I decided to get tested for VD. Not wanting to go to my regular doctor or my transition doctor, I went to the free clinic. The doctor who examined me said he would have to have a vaginal swab and a full gynecological work up. I told him he didn't need to do that since I hadn't been raped there. He insisted that he needed to do the exam and take a swab.

I said, "No, you can't, just do a swab and examination of my rectum." He said, no, he had to insist. I said, "Well, do the rectum first and if it is positive give me the treatment."

"Okay," he said, "but why don't you want me to do a complete exam?"

I was sitting there in a hospital gown open in the back. I had had no surgery, and had been on hormones only three months. I wore no padding. I turned around and said, "Just do the rectal test." I reached under the gown and covered my genitals with my hand and spread my legs.

He took the swab and did a rectal exam. He said, "I can understand you've been raped but you really should have a gyno. Would you like to see a counselor?"

I said, "I have a therapist I'm seeing because I am a pre-op transexual."

He said. "OH!" Then he said, "Are you sure?"

I said, "Yes, I'm sure," and laughed.

He said, "Oh...." He paused for a long time then he asked, "...which way are you going?"

I laughed some more and said, "I'm not sure if that is a compliment."

He said, "Well, I can't tell."

I was nearly nude, sitting in front of a doctor who had done a pretty thorough exam of me including looking up my rectum with one of those cold things they use. He'd seen nearly every inch of me except a crucial area the size of my hand. Years of medical school and months of practice seeing some pretty odd things in a free clinic in a big city.

He couldn't tell what sex I was and wasn't sure of which gender I was claiming to be. It wasn't San Francisco and it wasn't really Mulberry Street and I'm not and never was an intersex.

"Can you guess?" I said and laughed.

"Female to male?" he guessed after looking at my chart where I had checked the box marked F.

"Now I'm really not sure if this is a compliment or not," I said.

"Well," he said, "regardless of which physical sex you are, I need to do a genital exam."

I shook my head. "There was no genital intercourse by me," I said.

He gave up and went away. The nurse who had been watching all this looked at me very baffled and said, "Well, don't get dressed until you get a shot, honey. I'll give you a shot no matter how the tests come out cause it takes hours to get the results."

"Okay," I said.

So she gave me a shot and said, "You can get dressed, Miss."

So I got dressed and left. The doctor watched me leave and I said to him, "I've decided it was a compliment, thank you." And I smiled.

"You're welcome," he said but he didn't smile.

I've never written this up as a story because it is true and kind of embarrassing. Lots of people can pass as the opposite sex, even in front of experts in extreme situations.

Even on Mulberry Street.