Tag Archives: gender

Mutable

Posted on August 15, 2015 by doesnthavetobethisway

“Sometimes I feel like ‘male’ is an island I’m clinging to after being lost at sea.” This is hard for me to write about. It has been a year since I started working in a place where everyone (who didn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged body, cis, cis male, cis passing, cisgender, cisnormativity, doubt, gender, healing, male, man, misgendering, non-binary, pain, passing, perception, pronouns, safety, testosterone, trans*, transgender, transition, uncertainty, wholeness | 4 Comments

‘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

One Year

Posted on January 8, 2015 by doesnthavetobethisway

One year ago today, I received my first injection of testosterone. I feel great. There is a well of gratitude and stability within me that I can touch and feel almost whenever I choose to check in with it that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged anniversary, coming out, gender, identity, one year, oppression, privilege, science, T, testosterone, trans*, transgender, truth | Leave a comment

The ‘Wrong’ Body

Posted on December 28, 2014 by doesnthavetobethisway

I am transgender, and I was not born in the ‘wrong’ body. My body is only ‘wrong’ in a binary-focused, cisnormative narrative that says being trans is only ok if you strive to assimilate to mainstream cultural ideas of gender and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged anatomy, anxiety, bodies, body policing, cisnormativity, flying, gender, identity, intersectionality, male, misogyny, police, racism, security, trans*, transgender, transphobia, traveling, TSA | 3 Comments

Docking Clamps Released

Posted on November 22, 2014 by doesnthavetobethisway

The other day, in the stairwell where I work (where I was gone for 3 years and recently returned), I saw a research collaborator I worked with three years ago and haven’t spoken to since – not even to say … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged awkwardness, bicycles, cis men, gender, imagination, male, man, men, oppression, shame, space, trans men, trans*, transgender, transition | 1 Comment

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

Decoder Ring

Posted on October 15, 2014 by doesnthavetobethisway

In my entire memory, I have never liked anything feminine – at least, not for myself. At first, this made me feel defective, like I would never measure up to other women, because I didn’t like dresses, I never, ever … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged coming out, femininity, fitting in, gender, gender expression, identity, male, masculinity, patriarchy, trans*, transgender, transition, transman | 6 Comments

A Vignette: Misgendering in Exchange for Queer Visibility

Posted on October 10, 2014 by doesnthavetobethisway

Scene: Me, buying lunch. As I struggle to pull my card out of my wallet (it’s kind of jammed in there), I am aware of the cashier watching my face in a subtle, yet noticeable way. I glance up and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cisnormativity, gender, heteronormativity, misgendering, perception, pronouns, queer, queer visibility, trans*, transgender, visbility | 1 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