Housing advisory

[Valerie]

As was noted in some private emails, the Chicago Marathon is scheduled for Oct 9. Consequently, you should make your travel plans as soon as possible, especially your housing plans.

I went with AirBnb again this year and landed a spot just one block from the Sheridan station on the Red Line. I'm driving this year. Some places in Chicago require permits to park. Usually the host can obtain guest parking permits. In the ward where my host resides, these are just $8 for 15 daily passes, so the parking is really just about 50 cents a day. I told my host to buy the 15 day option and just keep the rest for other guests. I'll probably just park the car and use mass transit, but will be driving to and from Chicago.

AirBnb's search map now shows the CTA stops for both train and bus fairly well. You can focus on those locations when searching for a place to stay. I had a couple of declines this year due to scheduling issues.

Because you may be staying in someone's home, I generally contact the host before trying to make a reservation and inform them that I'm transgender. I'm not saying you have to, I just feel more comfortable doing so. I don't want a host to be surprised and then uncomfortable. That point aside, I've found that contacting the host before attempting a reservation usually gets you a better chance at having your request accepted in general.

Hotels are filling fast and other options like AirBnb may start doing so as well.

[annie]

I have not heard of any transpeople getting the cold shoulder from AirBnB, but this item has been posted to a number of sites.

Surf here:

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/tra ... ges/120463

[External Poster]

This posting is from: Delaney
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I've used AirBnB a couple of times, and there haven't been any issues.


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(This posting was entered by Delaney, an external user of MyDLV.)

[Valerie]

I don't include notes about being transgender in my AirBnB profile because, for now, everything there matches my biological status. I do disclose during pre-rental chat, especially if I'll be sharing a space with the host. I have had a few "oh, we're putting that property up for sale" or "we don't rent that far in advance" replies, but never anything blatant. I strongly suspect that I've been denied for being transgender more than once for "other" reasons, but I've always found other hosts who were welcoming.

[Brandy Alexandra]

HI, Curious about pre-rental chat,

How do you approach the subject ? What do you start off with and ..... how do you say it ?

[Valerie]

Here are three examples from separate trips when I used AirBnB and planned to spend some or all the time en femme.

This is my spiel that I used this year.
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Hi <first name>,

Your place and location look perfect.

Because this is a private home rather than a hotel, I do like to disclose that I am transgender and will be presenting as female (mature and conservative) for the duration of the stay. Based on location, I'm trusting that this presents no issues. I don't like to surprise someone who might then find it uncomfortable.

I'll be attending Pinkfest, which is a 5-day gathering of like-minded persons and, occasionally, their significant others.

What is parking like? While I spend most of my time in Chicago on mass transit, I may drive to and from Chicago this year just because of tight scheduling.

I'll be traveling alone.

Looking forward to hearing from you."
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My trip to Florida in April for a completely different purpose
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<first name>,

Just checking in to see if your place is available from 3/18 to 3/26. The place looks great! I loved the reviews you've received.

I'll be traveling to WPB to let my daughter visit some friends. She'll be staying with them, but I'd be staying there by myself.

Since this is your private home, I do like to disclose that I am transgendered. I spend the majority of my life in male mode, but like to get out in female mode when traveling. It might sound contradictory, but I'm quite conservative in both modes, so nothing wild. Since this trip is more about my daughter (and some SCUBA diving for me), I can leave that at home if it might cause an issue in your home or your neighborhood.

Looking forward to hearing from you.
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My trip last year to Pinkfest
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Hi <first name>. I'm looking for comfortable accommodations for a trip in October to attend the annual Pinkfest gathering. I previously used hotels near downtown but used AirBnb last year and loved the new experience.

The most important question I have to ask is - are you comfortable with transgendered guests? I am a 51 yr old male to female crossdresser. I am conservative in both appearance and demeanor. I just prefer to disclose that up front when using AirBnb since this is your home and neighborhood.

I usually travel to Chicago by train and that means arrival around either 2pm or 9pm, but I'm at the mercy of the train system. Do either of those arrival times present problems on a Tuesday?

This looks like a great location. I love the mass transit system in Chicago and I see you're just a short walk from the Logan station.

If you have any questions before accepting a booking just ask. Looking forward to hearing back from you.
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