Prejudiced Reaction?

After a long day of work, I was thrilled to get back into the subway to start my journey back home. Lucky me I found a seat, and I gladly took the chance to sit down, and read the days paper, glad that it was not another computer screen, that I was staring at.

In the middle section of the paper, there was this really interesting article about money management, more specifically loan management. Being in a reasonable amount of debt myself, I was engrossed in the article, desperately looking for a way to manage my credit cards.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a bright pink and white kurta, pass in front of me, and sit in the next seat. The Kurta was a stripped pink and white kind. It was I think made of either silk, or was a synthetic material, not sure didn’t really pay attention to it too much.

But since the kurta’s colors had caught my attention, I kept looking. Only to notice, that the person sitting next to me was wearing a long necklace. A trendy one too, with stones wrapped with metal and spaced apart.

Suddenly the sandal the person was wearing caught my eye. Flat sandals, with golden straps and Rhinestones. But the feet looked big, by girly standards, but very well maintained.

With those thoughts in my mind and the curiosity to know who was sitting besides me, I broke the unspoken rule of the New York city commute. I looked at the person beside me.

Normally I would look away, but then, this time, it was not so. I looked for a good 30 secs…and not deliberately, but blank, just couldn’t look away.

The person sitting next to me was a guy!...and he was reading one of the PRIDE publications….I guess that explains a lot…..

Now sitting here I wonder, even though I consider myself to be a very broad minded, liberal person, is there a chance that might not be true…I mean I was not disgusted, I was a wee bit shocked…So what made me keep looking….was it just the shock…or is there something more to it.

I would like to believe that it was just the surprise of seeing a man dressed like a woman, that made me stare…I mean reactions cannot be termed prejudiced right? Or can they? If so what does that make me?