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 =)
This... might take a bit. Maybe I should go over my full transition experience so far too? That might honestly help make it make more sense ๐ค From reading everything here my own relation to my gender seems quite different from the others, but I already knew I had a very particular understanding. Fuck I might need to reread some papers and do proper citations too.
Unironically that's fuckin awesome, if you feel compelled to share in any way please do, whether that involves long personal histories, cite notes, anything!
Of course, I just have a lot to go over for it to make any sense at all to someone that isn't me, I think.
For now while I'm busy baking a cherry tart, the thesis statement of my understanding is that I have a very strong innate sense of my gender as particularly being a (binary) woman. And that bit is relatively simple and is the actual answer. But every time I've said it to someone non-binary (or hell, my binary trans woman ex) they just... Didn't really get how that worked and thought it was just a conflation of femininity to womanhood but it really isn't to me. So I feel I should clarify it for once, both for other people to get it and for myself so I'm better at expressing it in the future. It's just also very complicated. Very psycho-philosophical.
I think I get it, or at least I hope I do. I mean people feel strongly about their genders, so why wouldn't you feel strongly about being a woman? If you find it comfortable and enjoyable as a role and an identifier, sounds rad to me. I probably don't get the nuance though so looking forward to any potential posting, also hope your cherry tart is tasty ngl.
I think this is kind of a rude reductionist thing for anyone to have said to you tbh...