Pursed
pm_00035, originally uploaded by petrushka m.
Posted by Adisson on January 31st, 2009 at 10:00 am
pm_00035, originally uploaded by petrushka m.
Visual Kei cosplayer, originally uploaded by Roberto Marquino.
same old thing, originally uploaded by librarylindy.
Someone wrote…
So a few days ago, I was standing at a streetcorner waiting for cars to go by, when some teenagers actually slowed down to shout out their window and call me a crossdresser. It took me a minute to figure out what they meant–I am physically a girl after all, and up until that moment, had been feeling very feminine. As they drove away, I was left standing there, not feeling angry or particularly upset–mostly confused. How was I supposed to react? Was anger the right answer? Disgust? Or could it be pride, a little bit? Could it be triumph?
It took a while to internalize my real reaction. I was a little angry, yeah–those guys in the car were jerks. And I was a little upset, mostly by the negative tone I know was intended. But I was also triumphant in knowing I could be whatever gender I choose, or no gender if that’s what I want. I can be who I want to be, regardless of what gender people assign me. And if they don’t want to see people like me in their perfect worlds, they can deal. I am here, I am me, and I am here to stay.
What’s your experience?
identityTBD wrote…
I shaved off all my facial hair for the first time in 25 years–erasing the last intentional visual cue of my former. Now people are waiting for me to go “the rest of the way” and start adding the trappings of another gender. How do I explain to them that absence and transparency are the trappings of my gender?
Have people assumed more about your path than was true-to-you, too?
mE MySelf and I, originally uploaded by Lady Soul.
Someone wrote…
I thought for the longest time about whether I needed to take testosterone or not. In the end I simply realized that I liked my soft face more than I hated being seen as female. Today I identify as androgynous/intergender/genderqueer.
Have you faced this, too?
Principito wrote…
I don’t speak English very well, but i’ll try to do my best.
Sometimes, in fact, many many times, i’d like to walk for the street wearing clothes with which i feel more comfortable, but without having to feel that i’m doing something that isn’t accepted by people in my community. They look at you wondering if you’re a girl or boy, even sometimes they ask you and, always i’d like to say that i’m a boy, but the truth is that i’m a girl and i say it.
I don’t really care if i’m a man or a woman, i just want to do anything without having to think that if i do it, maybe some people that i love could feel disappointed.
Have you felt this way, too?
pattern tights, originally uploaded by el mascaras.
What does cross-dressing mean or not mean to you?
Happy tidbit: the info section of this YouTube user, BiTeen, reads: “well im bigender and bisexual and im very proud of it”
Orientaçao, originally uploaded by memorae.
New Nails 2, originally uploaded by Calitar.
Calitar writes, “I had my wife paint my nails because I wanted to see what it was like. It’s neat looking down and seeing pretty fingernails. :)”
i want to move to sweden, originally uploaded by We Counted All The Tiles. This photo was discovered on another blog devoted to extraordinary appearances, Bits and Bobbins’ wardrobe_remix.
which one is the good girl?, originally uploaded by celinepettitejean.
By Bobster
WTF? Two beautiful women on a sailboat, one wearing men’s clothing. They gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes, about to kiss. A typical butch/femme scene, except it was made in 1902.
Or how about this one, made in 1923? It’s called ‘In the Girl’s Dormitory.’ The woman on the left is in full drag, right down to the pants, shoes and tie. They’re sitting on a bed, holding hands, smiling broadly at the camera. Not hard to figure what’s going to happen next.
We tend to think that queer history began with Stonewall in 1969, but of course that’s not true. It takes a lot of detective work to uncover our history, though. Pieces can be found in old newspaper stories about raids on gay bars, or fliers advertising a drag ball in Harlem. The book ‘Gay New York’ by George Chauncey is a masterpiece of reporting, as he ferrets out the city’s queer history using fragments like these.
The Library of Congress is where I discovered these old gender-bending photos. But other than the photo’s title and date, there’s usually no other detail given. The viewer is left to guess at the photo’s meaning and intent.
Both of those photos were studio portraits, not snapshots. The ‘Dormitory’ photo is from a stereo card, which produced an illusion of 3-D when viewed through a stereoscope. So they clearly weren’t made with a queer audience in mind. Why did someone create obviously androgynous images for a general audience? Continue reading »
Portrait of a boy, ca. 1800 , originally uploaded by bobster1985.
Portrait of a boy, the Right Honourable J. A. Plantaganet Stewart. (ca. 1800)
From the Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Ryan, originally uploaded by The Michael.