Inspired by this dorky exchange I had, thank u BountifulEggnog.
I want to know what your gender means to you, how you define it, what it means for you to "be" that gender and how you define it. Don't fuss about 'correct definitions' or anything, this is about your experience, I want to know what it means to you. How you relate to that gender, perceive it.
Genders have a social construction aspect and is very subjective, so I think people's subjective, personal views of their own are both important and interesting. Inquiring mind wants to know!
I'll share some of mine I guess.
I was a trans woman until the contradictions sharpened to a razor's edge after reading Gender Outlaw and The Gender Accelerationist Manifesto. My brain got cracked in half. I have always hated the effects testosterone would have on my body, so estrogen was a given, but while I do identify with certain things that are commonly associated with being a woman... if nothing is inherently gendered, what even is a gender? I had a whole little episode about it in the megathread once.
As I went on from there, I realised that while I like certain things about "being a woman", equally I found I'd been sort of stifled by trying to fit into the social role. The women I have always related to most are the cis autistic women who basically yeet presentation in favour of dressing for sensory comfort. Almost kinda non binary, in a way... The more I interrogated binary gender in relation to myself, the more I dug up stuff like this. Also I didn't really like that "woman" is associated with cis people a lot, I really like the trans part of my identity, feel a lot of love for it. I've felt freer and mentally clearer and truer to myself as a Non Binary Transfem, it's cool and funny. What does it mean to me? It represents my goofy sometimes-androgynous presentation, my lack of cissie gender, how being neurodiverse influences my view, being a funny noody goblin. Share yours =)
The impression that I'm getting so far is that being trans long enough will cause any individual with a sufficiently decent understanding to fuckin ascend, to truly move from to in terms of being a gender understander.
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FUCK THAT DOCTOR LFG!! And yeah I know, but also some of that coincidentally resembles terf language, so uh lol. Y'know ✨
Not surprised tbh, I would not be shocked if most autistic people start out with such a literal perspective on it also they will probably disconnect if they haven't already. Gender is fuckin fake shit, I changed my sex this past decade.
That's the dream!
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Yea I know it does, that's why I cw'd it. I try very hard not to let this impact how I see other trans people, a lot of it is how I view myself I suppose.
See but how is that different then when I say it. When i feel that way I think people view it negatively. I just don't understand :ohnoes: gender, sex, and how other people view them is so hard.
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Uh because "sex" is a bunch of different factors I guess, mental physical chemical whatever else, it's a whole thing. I don't view it as binary I guess. To me a trans woman's sex is female regardless of any other factor. Malleable. It's like you know? Shit's all fake terms dreamed up by scientists who are only describing what they can see.
There's a negative view of "I changed my sex" as a thing because it feels binary, arbitrary, cisnormative, you know. Kinda stinky. You can use it cool though.