Tag Archives: gender identity

‘It’s complicated’

Posted on April 19, 2015 by doesnthavetobethisway

I am constantly trying to find a place for my story, my life, in this world that regularly denies the existence of trans folks, both actively and tacitly. Until I was 26, I had picked up on very few clues … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cisgender, gender, gender identity, gender roles, genderqueer, perceptions, socialization, trans man, trans woman, transgender, transition | 3 Comments

Collision and Whiplash

Posted on November 9, 2014 by doesnthavetobethisway

I want to share with you, dear readers, some of my inner experience over the past month – an experience of lostness and self-imposed silencing. The day after my last post, an article highlighting trans men at Wellesley hit New … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged confusion, gender, gender identity, men, trans men, trans women, trans*, transgender, transition, transmen, transwomen, Wellesley, Wellesley College, women, women's colleges | Leave a comment

Hey Feminism, Trans* People Exist!

Posted on September 30, 2014 by doesnthavetobethisway

I want my freedom to be boundless and expansive, not carved into a landscape of other oppressions. Last week when I watched a video of Emma Watson, Harry Potter star and also now the United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador, addressing … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged anti-oppression, cisgender, Emma Watson, equality, feminism, gender, gender identity, intersectionality, lgbt, LGBTQ, misgendering, oppression, perception, privilege, queer, trans*, transgender, transmen, women | 2 Comments

A Transgender Reflection on the 2014 Annual Sessions of the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends (Quakers)

Posted on August 9, 2014 by doesnthavetobethisway

A note for NEYM folks before you read: This reflection contains criticism of some aspects of Sessions, and I want to make it clear that this is not meant to be a passive aggressive critique, nor is it directed at … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bathrooms, gender, gender identity, gendered bathrooms, inclusion, New England Yearly Meeting, NEYM, pronouns, Quakers, Religious Society of Friends, support, trans*, transgender | 2 Comments

George Fox University, Trans* Housing, and Quakers

Posted on July 31, 2014 by doesnthavetobethisway

When I learned recently that George Fox University (GFU), a Christian university named for the founder of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), had denied appropriate housing to one of its students, Jayce, who happens to be transgender, all of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged faith, Friends, gender, gender identity, George Fox University, housing, Quakers, Religious Society of Friends, theology, trans*, transgender, transition, transmen | 1 Comment

Nametags, Pronouns, and Lifting the Burden

Posted on July 19, 2014 by doesnthavetobethisway

Wintertime, about a week before I was to begin physical transition, I was at a Quaker retreat. At this point in time, folks who didn’t know me consistently and incorrectly presumed I was a cisgender woman, much to my dismay. This is … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cis-normativity, gender, gender identity, identity, lifting the burden, misgendering, nametags, perception, pronouns, solidarity, trans*, transgender | 1 Comment

A Lesson In Compassion

Posted on July 12, 2014 by doesnthavetobethisway

The other day I was at a departmental happy hour, and found myself standing around in a group of folks from my department who were talking about gendered styles of pants. Bootcut pants, apparently, are different shapes for men’s vs. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged compassion, dominant culture, gender, gender identity, invisibility, oppression, racism, systemic oppression, systems, trans*, transgender | 2 Comments

Visibility

Posted on June 25, 2014 by doesnthavetobethisway

Coming out of having lived life as a queer woman, one of the realities of physical transition coupled with cis-normativity is an inevitable disconnection from some of the queer spaces I used to feel affirmed and accepted in. While I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged gender identity, identity, misgendering, queer, solidarity, trans*, trans* visbility, transgender, transition, transmen, visibility | 3 Comments

How to Respect and Support A Transgender Person

Posted on March 19, 2014 by doesnthavetobethisway

Wikihow has some good guidelines on this topic, but I wanted to provide something a little more thorough. These are suggestions based on my own experiences, as well as a lot of reading I’ve done of others’ experiences. If you … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged gender, gender identity, how to, identity, pronouns, respect, support, tips, trans*, trans* ally, trans* people, transgender, transition | 1 Comment