I'm honestly a little bit hesitant to ask this because don't wanna seem like I'm stepping on toes.
So I've been doing some thinking stuff over the last few weeks/months and am starting to question shit.
I've always been cis male presenting and for the most part it's all I've really known, but I'm not in the least bit masculine. Back in the early 00s, the term metro-sexual was a thing and I sort of identified with that but like, meh? Idk. Now that just feels chauvinistic for some reason.
Recently I've been thinking about my own gender identity and although I present as a male, I honestly don't really care. I also have that autism(or is it just ND?) thing where I feel like a being or entity in a human suit basically. Like my inner self is controlling the body that people see me as, which is, of course male presenting.
I've been looking a bit into agender and demigender and hit some of the checkboxes but not really all, but I also don't really know another term for essentially "male body but don't care". A reddit search brought up "gender apathy" and that's a kind of maybe I guess.
The only other conclusion is that I am just cis, but fully aware of it maybe? Like I have a way wider understanding of gender and even sexuality than I did a decade ago so maybe I'm just cis and just not toxic about it? I'm just "woke" maybe?
I guess call this a journal-post but def open for discussion. I'm just going through some heavy mental exploration. I'm not sure if there is even a question here. Just me being confused.
I guess a question could be: how do you know? How do you know where you land on the gender spectrum? Or am I just making a mountain out of a molehill?
i was in a similar spot lil over a year ago and posted here about it actually, asking folks where the line was between agender and "cis but really indifferent to gender," and some comrades helpfully suggested that when you're in this kind of murky ambiguous zone the line is basically wherever you feel like it. there's a degree of arbitrariness to it (not in a dismissive way, but in a freeing way). there are amab masc people who are way more outwardly gender nonconforming than i am who might be totally comfortable saying "yeah i'm a man, men can be like this, the concept of 'man' doesn't have to conform to your conventional sensibilities " and that's what's truest and most freeing for them and that is totally fucking cool as well.
that said i settled on "agender spectrum" and it feels right, though in casual conversation i might just say masc-presenting-enby or simply nonbinary and drill deeper if the convo goes there. if you wanna get really really micro label about it, i'm probably what you'd call "demi agender and demi man" but i personally don't like getting that granular, so agender spectrum is a good shorthand. i've always been indifferent toward/wary of Masculinity As Such and presented kinda androgynous and boyish. i also feel like my striving to be a more openly emotional and loving person has been freed a bit by ditching the Man label. i'm a big softie and i've been embracing that side of myself more, and i like getting fruity and affectionate and expressive with my close friends in a way that rejects my maleness. and a lot of days, i don't really "feel gender" and just feel like Me, or feel like A Being.
on the other hand, there are still niche conceptions of masculinity that resonate with me and aspects of my natural personality that are more Male Coded that i like. i have a fairly deep voice that i find pleasant and which can sound kinda commanding/authoritative in certain contexts, i can be kind of loud and outspoken/socially confident in a way that i like, and i'm a bit puckish/playful/rascally in a lot of respects (which is more associated with a sort of boyishness and leans toward a certain flavor of masculinity). and on a physical level, i prefer my face with some five o'clock shadow/scruff vs clean shaven.
so yeah idk just wanted to share my own journey to see if any of it resonates. my loose advice would be to not worry about it too much and just kinda vibe it out. good on you wherever you land though, examining gender intentionally is Extremely Based and should be more encouraged as the norm, even if someone ultimately decides cis is what works for them.
Honestly, "masc-presenting agender/enby" feels kind of right. You ever go swimming underwater and resurface and feel that like "lungs full of fresh air and things coming into clarity" sensation? And when I posted this I was even wondering if demigender with a bit of agender makes sense. Like I'm demi-male but 25% agender that covers that sort of "other" genderness?
Thanks for sharing. A lot resonated with my own experiences. Regarding male coded stuff, I know I do outward present. I have a full beard but even though, I still do feel less masculine and more feminine I think. Basically my "masculinity" is only probably just because of what society has associated with it. When I was clean shaven, I've been mistaken for a girl a few times.