At the Beach, originally uploaded by Wynsickle.

A recommends…

Baby X is a story of a child raised as an experiment. X is raised just named X, and X’s physical sex is kept a very tight secret. Nobody other than the parents know, and they are sworn to exclusive secrecy, telling everybody who asks that X is neither a boy or a girl: just an X. The story follows Baby X as it grows up without any pressure towards either male or female, encouraged strongly in both areas. X thrives in school, but soon complications arise. It’s a very sweet story with a very, VERY good message.

» Recommend something. «

Queer Tango is inclusive, which means that people are welcome to dance tango in any roles they want, including the traditional ones.” This movement is gaining recognition in festivals across the globe.

Submitted by Dylan, the model. Photo by Martin Chartrand.

“Dylan as surrealist genderqueer artist and Nazi resistor Claude Cahun. The pose and costume (including the shirt, which reads “Don’t Kiss Me- I am in Training”) evoke Claude’s appearance in one of his surrealistic, gender-blending photographs, most of which were taken by his lover and co-conspirator Suzanne Malherbe/Marcel Moore.”

Gib asks…

I am pre-T but living as a male, and I’m…. bored. I have a strange nostalgia for how thrilling it was to first wear boxer shorts or to swipe my brother’s deodorant. I was so sure that what I wanted was to be living as a guy, and it’s a little bit frightening to wonder: is that really what I was after?

Has anyone else ever felt this way?

Please post your response in the comments below.

» Ask Genderfork «

A reader recommends…

You gorgeous people who read gender fork seem like the sort of awesome crowd who will already know about this, but hey, if you haven’t – you’ve missed out!

The Gossips msuic video for “Listen Up” Features a transgirl and a transman getting tashed, perfumed, binded, and dressed up for a night out. And then Dancing. It’s cute, and to the funky infectious sound of The Gossip. It’ll have you dancing in your bedroom before you know it.

“OOooohoohoohh – on the playground, we learn so much!”

» Recommend something. «

Randy, originally uploaded by M Domondon.

Gib asks…

I just came out to a friend and now they have lots of questions that I either don’t want to answer or am not ready to answer yet. What can I do?

Please post your response in the comments below.

» Ask Genderfork «

Guitar, originally uploaded by Thuany Gabriela.

Campbellx recommends…

Hi there
BD Women Black lesbian lives and history. It was shown on Channel 4 TV in the UK and won is in the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.

Really like the warmth and openness of this site.

» Recommend something.

Helly, originally uploaded by zest of the loganberry.

The poster writes, “This was for my flatmate’s fashion promotion project. He was asked to reinvent a brand, and chose to focus on bringing Burton into the ‘women’s wear’ market, proving that men’s clothes could be worn by everyone.”

A reader asks…

How can I make people understand that my transition is not an attack on their gender identities?

Please post your response in the comments below.

» Ask Genderfork «

A reader recommends…

Just in case you missed her in high school, check out this English singer-songwriter with amazing vocal talents. When she was 19 she won a national TV talent contest (in the U.K. that is). For a butch, out-lesbian in the early 2000s this was quite a statement.

» Recommend something. «

Hold Down, originally uploaded by exoskeletoncabaret.

You can call me… Chelsea

I identify as… a girl, or a young woman. At times I catch myself wishing I was a male, and the strange thing about this is that I would rather be a gay male rather than a straight one.

Most people would assume that I’m actually a straight girl who lusts over gay guys, as pop culture has so inclined us to believe. But in all truthfulness, I’m an asexual girl who would rather BECOME a gay boy. It seems like a dumb thing to say, after all, “don’t girls and gay boys like the same thing anyway- guys?”

I’ve only talked to a small number of people about this, (my very best friends), and they seem to understand, although they do sometimes question why. There is no definite answer.
It feels bittersweet to be able to release it here, without fear that I’ll be ostracized or ridiculed, or made to feel that these beliefs are wrong in some way.

As far as third-person pronouns go, … I go by “she.”
It seems simpler.
Besides, I have some growing up to do before I consider sexual reassignment surgery. I’m only sixteen, after all.

I’m attracted to… no one, although I know that if I was a gay guy I’d be the happiest young man alive. The thing is, the DYNAMIC between a gay couple is a lot different than the dynamic between a straight one. I want to have the former.

When people talk about me, I want them to… stop questioning why, if I’m so genderqueer, I look the way I do.

I want people to understand… that we are all different. Yes, it’s so cliche it’s original. People should just get used to it. :]

About Chelsea
I’m a sixteen year old junior in a high school in Lincoln, NE. Don’t be fooled, though. We have almost 2,000 students, and we are one of several high schools in the city. :] We are by no means small.
My life right now is school and family/friends. I am preparing for the ACT I will take in a few months, wading through my AP classes, and generally working my ass off. I’m glad my friends are supportive of me being genderfluid, and don’t question it as much as others do.

On a side note, you all may be glad to know that young Nebraska is very liberal and enlightened. :] Only our parents are stuffy Republicans. In fact, our school’s Switch Rally was just a few days ago, and this is the biggest pep rally of the year, the one where the girls and the guys switch roles- even clothing syles. Also, we had this little game where one couple from each section, (the freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors), came down to the floor and answer questions about each other. Three of the couples were female/male, but a couple from the freshman section were male/male, and they weren’t joking around. :] They even won the game, as they were able to answer all of the questions right about each other.

Yes, Lincoln is very queer. And to think! Everyone believes that we’re staunch conservatives. ;D

» Define yourself. «

Elijahh asks…

I love my girlfriend with my whole heart but she feels threaten by my masculinity and she misses my feminine side. How can I tell her this is me, the real me, that she sees now?

Please post your response in the comments below.

» Ask Genderfork «

Androgyny , originally uploaded by Elizabeth Harris, Kingston Student Id: 1124013.

You can call me… Anything, as long as it rhymes.

I identify as… An unidentified flying object. A first generation female in a long line of male lives. Asexually sensual. My father’s son.

As far as third-person pronouns go, … I find they sound a little sillier every time I say them out loud… & work best with a / between them.

I’m attracted to… Vaudevillian fashion, found art, piano soloists, marionettes, non-fiction authors, men who wear eyeliner & women in ascots.

When people talk about me, I want them to… Exaggerate.

I want people to understand… That I’m simply not content to live my life in a box. I get groggy when I can’t breathe… & very few things open my airwaves like reconnecting with the man that lives in me.

About “Anything, as long as it rhymes”
I’m in my late-twenties, currently living in Southern Ohio (much to my dismay). I attended art school in Elkhorn, NE – not too far from Omaha – & miss the midwest every time I breathe. I was diagnosed with housebound OCD last winter, which only bothers me when I miss out on costume parties & city-wide yard sales.

» Define yourself. «

A 2008 documentary about the people stuck between the law and medicine in Iran: given the opportunity at a decent life as a “diagnosed transsexual” or risk the death penalty for being labeled homosexual. Trailer.

DSC_0722, originally uploaded by being~charlotte.