DEAR ABBY: You advised "Miss X" -- a male pre-op trans-sexual -- to use the women's rest room when dressed as a woman. Bad idea. It is illegal for people to use a public rest room intended for the opposite sex, regardless of how they are presenting themselves.
Speaking as a longtime crossdresser, my idea of transvestite hell would be to get arrested wearing a dress and high heels and have to spend a night locked in a cell with a group of Hell's Angels.
Abby, most women are offended by the idea of men using their rest room regardless of how the man is dressed. I easily pass as a moderately attractive woman, but I respect the fact that I am not wanted in the ladies rest room and I stay out of it.
I suggest that "Miss X" do the same until after the operation. When I am dressed up in public, I find small restaurants and convenience stores that have a single unisex bathroom or a single-stall men's room with a door that locks. -- KANSAS CITY CUTIE
DEAR CUTIE: It will please you to know that I got several complaints for my answer. Thank you for setting me straight.