Tegan and Sara

God damn. These two are sexy. And, as I discovered yesterday, they are SO much better live.

Double Standards

Yesterday I went to a sort of social gathering at the Pride Center called Genderland. It’s designed to be a place for teens that don’t fit into the gender roles created for them by society to meet each other and visit.

I guess the idea is that while you’re there, gender isn’t really of any consequence. What I felt, though, was exactly the opposite.

Bit of back story, I’m female, obviously, but gender identity has been somewhat of an issue for me. I’m most comfortable calling myself gender queer, though I’m not sure it completely fits. The thing is, I don’t look like it. My clothes are not feminine at all, but are definitely women’s clothing, and my hair is very long. This is partly because I haven’t talked to my parents about either my sexuality or my gender identity, and me suddenly wearing boys clothing or chopping off all my hair would probably freak them out a little. It’s also partly because I just like my hair.

The point being, even at this specific gathering that was supposed to disregard biological gender, I still felt the double standards based on it. Because I’m biologically female, it’s strange to others that I identify as gender queer but keep my hair long. On the other hand, if I had a penis, and identified myself the same way, long hair would be not just acceptable, but normal.

The irony of this situation is not lost on me. My gender expression does not currently match my gender identity, and I felt more judged for that fact at Genderland than I have anywhere else. What is it going to take to get past the stereotypes?