You can call me… Nyau.  It’s not my name or even a nickname, I just don’t like using my real name on the internet.

I identify as… just generally genderqueer.  I like to wear makeup sometimes, and other times I don’t.  I like to wear skirts sometimes, and other times I’d rather wear baggy jeans and boots.  Sometimes I feel like a girly-girl, other times more like a tomboy, and other times more like a bi boy.  My feelings are dynamic and sometimes change day to day, but more often week to week.

As far as third-person pronouns go, … “She” is what I’ve always gone by, but when I’m feeling more masculine I wouldn’t mind being called “he.”  I really don’t care that much either way.  Call me whatever you want, just please, PLEASE, not “it,” haha.

I’m attracted to… Lesbians who look like Justin Beiber.  Strong- looking girls with short, tufty hair, broad shoulders, and big boots.  Small, quiet, artistic boys with delicate chins and piano-player’s hands.  Tall, broad-shouldered men with scruffy beards and glasses (Morgan Freeman).  An interest in music and art, video games, anthropology, natural sciences, and ancient history.  Geeks.  People who don’t fit in.  My boyfriend

When people talk about me, I want them to… realize that I’m not being different in order to offend their delicate sensibilities.  I used to try so hard to be non-different, and I failed so very, very hard.  I am now IN-different.  I am the way I am, and I don’t fight it (no, not even to protect your delicate sensibilities).  If you don’t like the way I am, just move along.  I don’t push anything on anyone.

I want people to understand… that they don’t need to understand what’s going on here, and it is not my responsibility to make them understand.  Whether I’m dressed as a boy or a girl, I’m really just having fun.  I almost always feel genderless, and I don’t feel that gender defines me at all.

About Nyau.
I’m at university for Geology, but I spend a lot of time playing Pokemon and World of Warcraft.  I love being outside in the forest, especially in the summer and fall.  I love to draw, mostly in pencil, mostly of naked girls with wings and dragons.  I’m madly in love with my boyfriend, who understands me more completely than I ever thought anyone could.

» Define yourself. «

Someone wrote…

It took me years to be able to look at my naked body in the mirror. Now that I’m beginning to understand that I’m queer, my slender frame and marks from years of illness aren’t taboo or undesirable. They’re powerful, beautiful, and dangerous. They show that I wasn’t made to fit the boundaries of masculine or feminine, but to blend them. I can love the power of being male and femme and whatever else I discover without feeling shame.

What’s your experience?

And what are you thinking about gender right now?

Pedro aka Strangelfreak recommends…

A photoshoot I made for a project on Non-heteronormative family units, in this case is Lorena who is an M2F trans, Claudia genderneutral (wearing my beard) and Filippo Putrefashion who is a genderfucker… I hope you like it.

» Recommend something. «

You can call me… Allen

I identify as… male. biologically straight, “genderly” accepting.

As far as third-person pronouns go, … Call me what you want, how you feel I am. (It will most likely be a male description… I like “Sir” a lot.)

I’m attracted to… physically, to women who can show me the “colours” beneath their appearance… but I give due respect to what I find attractive about guys…. and I love having mental intercourse with all.

When people talk about me, I want them to… smile, because they realize that I see them for who they are and not the attributes (true or untrue) society has brainwashed into everybody else’s minds.

I want people to understand… that words can only go so far… That we can not describe our infinite selves with something so finite as words… That names, attributes, and labels are not a way of categorizing, but causing disunity… and Unity is only possible with accepting perspectives.

About Allen
One with nature, One with you, and One with “God” (“” since God is a label too :D)

» Define yourself. «

Sylvan wrote…

I’ve come to believe that gender is a mental construct of observers as well as gendered beings, a participatory creation of the the liminal space between observer and actor. Some days I resent this; others, I enjoy the works of art I join in.

What’s your experience?

And what are you thinking about gender right now?

You can call me… Carol

I identify as… a fat, cisgendered, heteroflexible and nerdy badass.

As far as third-person pronouns go, … I’m fine with female pronouns.

I’m attracted to… Men. Trans, cis, fat, skinny, American, Lithuanian, black, white, maroon, cerulean. As long as he’s a nerd, I’m down.

When people talk about me, I want them to… say what they feel straight up. Yeah, the truth hurts, but a perpetuated lie hurts a hell of a lot more.

I want people to understand… that I’m more than the stereotypes about my body. When you judge me by stereotypes, you erase everything individual about me.

About Carol
I’m a nursing student. I’m a huge nerd, doing renaissance fairs, playing video games, D&D, etc. Cant live without my wrestling. I LOVE to cook and I’m mainly a person who likes to cook for my friends and family.

» Define yourself. «

Mike recommends…

Rachel Stamp is a rock/glam/metal band that bend the rules of Gender from the off. All of the band members are gender-ambiguously glam, and I always found David Ryder-Prangley absolutely AWESOME (so much so that when I was lucky enough to meet him and I couldn’t put two words together). With hits such as ‘Stealing Clothes From Shelley Barret’, Dead Girl(“When I was thirteen years old, I dressed in my girlfriends clothes, all they boys at school wanted to punch me and all the girls wanted to get in my bed) and the infamous ‘Home Made Sex Change’ what’s not to love about this quirky little group? Especially when the music is so brilliant!

» Recommend something. «

Someone wrote…

My gender has nothing to do with the clothes I wear.

What’s your experience?

And what are you thinking about gender right now?

IMG_0845, originally uploaded by Indiefox.

Femme genderqueer trans guy DeliSubTheFemmeCub‘s gender fierce anthem. Watch more of his fierceness. Transcript.

You can call me… Marisa. Some people call me Rissa.

I identify as… A person. A pansexual who is always curious. An anthropologist. A photographer. A musician. A creator and a lover of food. A female who has her feminine side and her male side.

As far as third-person pronouns go, … female is what I’ve always used.

I’m attracted to… personalities more than anything. I like people who are funny but can still have a serious talk. People who are adventurous, but still gamers and geeks. Who also love food, and are willing to try new foods, should the opportunity present itself.

If I had to choose looks, I like androgynous girls and guys. However, I’d like the be the feminine one in a relationship with a girl and the masculine on in a relationship with a guy.

When people talk about me, I want them to… to just say brilliant and wonderful things about me. I’d like them not to think badly of me if I’m dolled up one day in a dress and nice shoes, and then tomboy the next in my loose jeans, flip-flops and manshirts.

I want people to understand… that diversity is what makes the world such an amazing place.

About Marisa. Some people call me Rissa.
I am a 23 year-old, museum-working, fun-loving Floridian with a BA in Cultural Anthropology. I live with my sister and two dogs. My father died of cancer when I was 12, and love him and think of him often. My mother recently remarried a wonderful man, and I’m happy she’s found someone. I recently went through surgery to have a breast reduction, and I’m happy with the choice. It’s the start of a new and healthier life.

» Define yourself. «

————

Someone wrote…

When I dress up, I like to wear a tank top under a textured white dress shirt with a cute tie and flatten some of my hair into false sideburns. I end up looking like a drag king, even though I could grow my own full beard if I actually wanted one. Hooray for gender fabulousness!

What’s your experience?

And what are you thinking about gender right now?

You can call me… Kid. Gavin. Kades. Variations of the aforementioned.

I identify as… gender fucked. But not in a bad way. I love who I am. I’m a girlboy, boygirl, both and neither.

As far as third-person pronouns go, … I use “They” when people get it, but most people don’t. “He” is what I prefer if I need to choose. “She” is a girl I use to know, before I knew any different.

I’m attracted to… people. I think people can be beautiful in all kinds of ways. I’ve stumbled through my awkward attractions to all kinds of people and don’t need to put a label on who I find myself attracted to…

When people talk about me, I want them to… see me for who I am. Not be afraid to ask questions.

I want people to understand… that my gender, on any given day, can swing back and forth on the pendulum, and “Yes, I understand you have a hard time keeping up”, but I am ever so thankful when you try. Understand that today is different than yesterday, and tomorrow different than today. I will not grow up to be a man or a woman, but I am growing up into the best person I can be.

About Kid.
I’m a pretty artsy kid, working backstage for theatre and building festivals. I play/create music and live for life itself. Falling is the greatest feeling because it leaves you fearless.

» Define yourself. «

Re recommends…

Montefusco said she’d faced opposition from the moment she graduated the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Arizona, where she was laughed at for applying for a job at Harley-Davidson because she was a female. Even when she landed a job the company, Montefusco said she didn’t get a workbench to use.

“I worked on the floor, on my hands and knees, for the first four months,” Montefusco, 30, said. “A lot of the guys didn’t even talk to me.” She left the company after she was told she’d never make it as a mechanic, and started her own business, Black Widow Bike Works, in Toms River. After three years of working long days in a rickety building trying to convince people that she could do top-notch work, Montefusco decided to give up her dream and pack it north. But then her girlfriend pushed her to give it one more shot.”

Check out more of this story here.

» Recommend something. «

Someone wrote…

I’m queer but I’m not gay, I’m trans but it doesn’t show yet. I’m going to be a lesbian, but as transition kicks in I find myself paying lustful attention to men. What am I? Where am I? I seem to be floating outside gender.

What’s your experience?

And what are you thinking about gender right now?

More info in English and Spanish about the proposed changes to Argentia’s laws.

263, originally uploaded by discipula277.

You can call me… Wing

I identify as… genderqueer, bisexual, Christian, the odd one out, generally pretty awesome.

As far as third-person pronouns go, … I am totally okay with anything you want to use. Generally, if you think you’ve accidentally offended me, then I am probably secretly smiling and flattered.

I’m attracted to… nerdy, smart, easy-going folks. Also, folks who play fiddles and banjos.

When people talk about me, I want them to… realize that the things they are talking about probably aren’t that big of a deal to me.

I want people to understand… that my gender identity and my sexuality operates like a giant probability distribution. Sometimes I am more of a boy, sometimes I’m more of a girl, sometimes I love everyone, sometimes I just want to curl up in a ball and never talk to anyone ever again. And sometimes even when I feel like it’s just not practical to wear a fluffy black skirt  to climb up to the loft of an old barn, I do anyway. I know you have expectations and get confused when I don’t act predictably weird or whatever, but things change all the time. And that’s totally okay.

About Wing
Wing lives in New England and teaches math at a boarding school on a farm. He does wear pink patchwork skirts to work. Also, he writes and draws and talks about things on the Internet.

» Define yourself. «

StormMiguel Florez recommends…

In the age of quick-fix internet consumption, I fear for the extinction of the art of the full length record album. Shawna Virago’s album “Objectified” gives me loads of hope (and evidence) that great musicians are still making great albums!

From beginning to end, the personal, political, and raw “Objecified” takes the listener on a rockin’ journey of a fierce gender-f*cking pioneer. To boot, each song is a masterpiece in its own right. Ms. Virago’s lyrics are whip-smart, and all kinds of profound; and her tunes are a complex mix of roots, punk, and glitter-twang. Seriously gender-forkers, check it out and see what I’m talking about!

» Recommend something. «

Untitled, originally uploaded by Wittames.