No seriously. What does it even mean to “be” feminine? Or “be” masculine? And why are people who are assigned female at birth (AFAB) considered feminine? And folx who are AMAB considered masculine?
How did certain ENERGIES become genders?
In my most honest moments, I can no longer fully commit to being cisgender. But I wouldn’t say I’m nonbinary, and I know I’m not trans. I dunno. In those moments of pause, the concept of having to name our genders starts to sound so silly and unnecessary.
And yet, here we are in a world where everything is so damn gendered and thereby unsafe. From our clothes, to who can wear makeup, to what’s considered professional, to who has the most social currency, to sense of safety, to real danger - Black trans women are experiencing so. much. violence. and are at high risk of being murdered.
So yeah. We name our genders because society has deemed it important. And it IS important. Maybe in order to keep us safe, or promoted, or reclaimed from oppressive systems and people, or because we want to declare a Truth that has been central to our lived experiences.
This upcoming PRIDE Month has me questioning all the things, y’all. I choose to celebrate by delving deeper into Who I Am. And Why I Am.
PRIDE Month is not only a direct celebration of our LGBTQIA+-identifying communities. It is also an invitation to reflect deeper on our own identities in relation to gender, sexual identity, and the many ways of queerness.
On the Pod
Belonging while Gender Expansive
In this week’s episode that kicks off our special series for the June 2024 PRIDE Month, I chat with Pip Davidson, a Publicist and Influencer Strategist at Hay House Publishing, about his personal gender exploration journey and what it means to be gender expansive. Pip uses he/they pronouns and identifies as a trans man.
In this clip, Pip shares about his identity and why he prefers the term gender expansive. Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast platform!