#transgender stuff

finally

I know gender identity is a hot-button subject which many folks have strong feelings about, so apologies in advance if any of my thoughts offend or upset. If they do, please let me know why/how so I can learn from my mistakes. I'm not one to hold much personal stake in my opinions, so you'll find them very easy to change.

For a few years now I've been contemplating the nature of gender expression as an intersection between external and internal identity. There is a way you view yourself that you wish for others to see, and how you go about expressing that is heavily tied to the gender binary, since it's through this restrictive lens that most people perceive all others. This lens is often the plight of the nonbinary and genderqueer, since unless you can (and want to) present yourself as so perfectly aligned to a gender or so perfectly androgynous that your assigned-at-birth sex is entirely obfuscated, even the most open-minded individuals will still subconsciously define you in relation to the gender binary.

So, do you do your best to adapt to societal perceptions and present yourself in the very specific way necessary to receive the treatment you desire, or do you actively defy people's expectations of binary gender even if it means your external and internal identities will often mismatch? Anthropology, psychology, and sociology all agree that most humans instinctively prefer to adapt to social expectations instead to challenging them, which I think is reflected within there being notably more transfem women than transmasc men. Let me explain:

You know how it's long been acceptable for women to wear pants, yet if a man wears a dress it's considered drag? I think this quirk of gendered fashion serves as a microcosm for how the western world unevenly restricts masculinity and femininity. It's been culturally acceptable for women to express themselves in masculine ways for a very long time, so a woman who identifies more with masculinity may not feel a need to transition, however it still isn't as socially acceptable for men to express themselves in feminine ways, meaning men who identify more with femininity need to fully transition from male-presenting to female-presenting for their femininity to be socially acknowledged and validated.

This isn't me suggesting that anyone who's transfem is in any way invalid; it's a necessary adaptation to ensure one's external identity aligns with one's internal identity, and is currently the only way to get most people to perceive you in the way you desire. I'm more-so saying that the necessity of such an adaptation reflects how our current society perceives, treats, and restricts gender. After all, in a society without a gender binary, there wouldn't be anything as clearly defined as "man" or "woman" to transition between: you'd just present yourself as more feminine or masculine depending on personal preference. (This goes into what exactly it MEANS to be feminine or masculine since that too changes over time, but I digress.)

now how am I supposed to change when I don't know if this is about fruit shifters trying to get me to believe "believing is being"...

Or if this is about female anatomy... being sucked into a tube, so they look like they belong in a male's restroom and/or locker room?

Or... maga trying to get rid of a democrat (which I am NOT)...

The writing seems feminine / gay... maybe non binary... could be asexual... or intersexed... i'd wave my white flag, but they might think that I can't have kids... and that might turn them on...

Maybe it's my peer review I did about the new money couple trying to be old money...

(I have reported this person to the FBI, tmk...) so that should be the end to that little powder play!

"Oh well. I guess I'll just remain the same." -Otis Redding.

But before I leave, I want you to understand... the lack of punctuation... dead giveaway for a male that chopped their bits off...