Reposted from Subtle Cluster. Originally posted at Colorful Queerdom.

You can call me… Claire

I identify as… an underweight, formerly physically inter-sexed woman trapped in a man who’s stuck in a woman’s body. XXY, now exclusively with girl parts only.

As far as third-person pronouns go, … female…although 5 out of 100 times someone will address me as male, assuming I’m a teenage boy (as opposed to 28 year old woman).

I’m attracted to… women, usually of the foreign & boyish/femme/brunette/tall kind.

When people talk about me, I want them to… speak freely. I honestly don’t mind how I’m spoken about- if I’m not around to hear, how am I to know or care? What annoys me are when people are rude/offensive to my face, although I’ve learned how to “neutralize” a situation (years of practice!).

I want people to understand… that gender is more than social roles, clothing and genitals- it’s a deeply woven understanding of oneself and how each of us makes sense and translates the world around us. Gender is the language by which we communicate and receive information. It’s a feel, a hunch…just who we are, and not everyone is the same. Thankfully!

About Claire
I’m a human, everything else is unimportant :)

» Define yourself. «

Reblogged from Subtle Cluster. Originally posted at YesHairy.

Someone wrote…

Years ago it would bother me when I read as male while trying to present as female. Now I get frustrated when I pass as cisfemale while trying to present femme drag. Why does it sometimes feel so important to be read “correctly”?

And what are you thinking about gender right now?

You can call me… Toi

I identify as… A superhero. Genderqueer/gender non-conforming.

As far as third-person pronouns go, … it’s best to just say “Toi” (for example: “Like Toi said…or…I agree/disagree with Toi, etc, instead of he/she, him/her) but I will answer to gender-neutral pronouns and “he” if people just can’t get out of thinking in terms of the binary. “She” is pretty foreign to me unless I’m in some institution (school, past corporate jobs, etc) that insist on going by info from my birth certificate–this is changing in 2011 however! Vigilance!

I’m attracted to… people. Mostly women and other gender-variant people. I like avid readers, rad social justice activists and advocates. People committed to social change. Vegans and vegetarians. Independent people with a strong sense of Self and a passion for…well, whatever they are passionate about.

When people talk about me, I want them to… realize that I don’t fit into society’s boxes, and I want them to think about how they might not fit in either. If they do, it should be their choice.

I want people to understand… my “atypical” gender is not me making a “point” or trying to garner attention. It’s about my own self-realization. But in our own realizations and understanding more often than not, people step up to educate. I am one of those people at times– but at the same time being the token genderqueer is not our obligation.

About Toi
Quirky. Comical. Adventurer. Queer Activist. Health Advocate. Anti-Oppression trainer/facilitator. Avid reader. Writer. Traveler. Veghead. Eastern Philosopher. Lover of Life.

» Define yourself. «

You can call me… Deirdre

I identify as… human (more specifically, genderqueer/queen & pansexual).

As far as third-person pronouns go, … I’m leaning towards ne/nem right now.  I don’t mind gendered ones, and I somewhat enjoy when people use “he” and “him,” but they’re not exactly correct.

I’m attracted to… smarties, cuties, beautiful and interesting people, tallness, shortness, fatness, knobbley arms and legs, vibrance, colour, depth, emotion.  Humanity.

When people talk about me, I want them to… think of me like a regular person and focus on who I am, not what I’m labeled as.

I want people to understand… that they have a right to be respected in regards to their identity, which comes with the responsibility to do the same for others.

About Deirdre
I can be reached at http://zladkohasaboaraffe.tumblr.com/

I love questions and meeting people, even if I am pretty awkward about it most of the time.

» Define yourself. «

Discovered on Cosmic Dust.

Self-portrait by veraa-anima. Originally posted on genderfork.tumblr.com

Riley expresses indignation over popular marketing.

You can call me… Andy

I identify as… genderqueer, gender fluid, boi, cub.

As far as third-person pronouns go, … I tend to not stick out. I prefer people use whatever pronoun works easiest for them. It gives me the most accurate view of all the different ways I’m seen in the world

I’m attracted to… my wife! Sweet boys, hunky men, fabulous femmes and dashing butches…a little bit of everything, really.

When people talk about me, I want them to… see me. See beyond what I might ask them to see. See beyond what they might assume, and open their minds to the beautiful complexity that I bring.

I want people to understand… you don’t have to be male or female. I spent a long time feeling trapped in the assumption that I was ftm. The most freeing experience for me was to trust myself and continue on my journey, rather than just stopping at where all my friends were.

About Andy
Andy is a sex toy sales associate and educator, spreading love and joy to one customer at a time. When not on the clock, you can find him working on keeping his chubby boy figure and singing George Michael at just about any karaoke night that he can find.

» Define yourself. «

“Practically all my posts here are tagged ‘fashion’, ‘androgyny’, and ‘watercolor’” by Kat Mills. Originally posted on Kat’s Tumblr, Bad Art for Bad People.

Originally posted at BrklynBreed.

You can call me… Mike, Mia, or just M works. It depends on who is present at the time.

I identify as… Bigender. Two halves of a whole. Two souls in one body: one the monotonous and seemingly straight-laced male I grew up being, and the other the coy, fun-loving but somewhat bitchy lesbian who I’ve recently come to terms with. (Mia’s been rubbing off on Mike lately, though, with positive results.)

As far as third-person pronouns go, … together we prefer plural “they,” but separately, we like our respective gender pronouns. Mike is male, Mia is female.

I’m attracted to… The lifestyle, the scene, the community. All things genderqueer have come into focus, and it’s something we’d never want to let go of. Intelligence, creativity, being slightly outside the norms of conventional societal structure… artists, writers, dancers, activists, anyone with passion about what they do.

When people talk about me, I want them to… realize that there’s more to a person than how they present themselves; that just because I may seem like a normal trans-supporter cis guy on the outside doesn’t mean that is the extent of my personality. There’s another side to everyone; mine just happens to be someone else entirely. We aren’t just differentiated by our genders.

I want people to understand… that Mia isn’t a figment of my imagination or some psychotic episode. That even when I’m in control she’s listening, and she’s really sensitive underneath her hard exterior. I’ve come to love her like a sister, and the more she develops the more protective I am of her. Integrating her into me would be like killing her, and I never want to do that. Besides, we’re both having a lot of fun.

About Mike/Mia
Mike is a photography student who grew up in New York before going to Chicago. Never identifying with cis male culture (or gay male culture for that matter) yet interested in women, he thoughts turned to the lesbian community, but he had no way of expressing interest in this area. Later when a friend became trans, the trans and queer community opened up, and new insight revealed a comfortable niche to inhabit.

With the suggestion of “maybe you’re a lesbian” having time to germinate in his head, Dissociative Identity Disorder soon set in.  Mia was born as an alternate personality, followed by the discovery of the Bigender identifier that they now use to describe themselves. The two are firmly different people, despite residing in the same body, and are now looking for a comfortable middle-ground for the both of them.

Mia doesn’t get out as often as she likes, especially when we’re at home for the holidays (like now). Most of the time this results in her getting bored and posting to our blog, which can provide more insight into our inner workings:

mpalla.livejournal.com

» Define yourself. «

Self Portrait by suninmyface. Originally posted at: genderqueer.tumblr.com.

Originally posted at Hairy Pits Club.

You can call me… Adrienne. I like my given name. “A” has been my nickname since childhood, and it always warms my heart when someone calls me that.

I identify as… a pansexual, genderqueer young woman. Depending on my mood, I like to be either naturally female or a pretty, androgynous boy. Most of the time you will see me in the gray area in between. In fact, I’ve been trying to grow my hair out to my back for years, but have been unsuccessful in that I keep giving myself a fauxhawk whenever I want to be a boy. Really, I’m just an arty human being.

As far as third-person pronouns go, … “she” is fine. I enjoy my femininity, but I feel and present many traits that are more masculine. Even when I present my androgynous boy side, I don’t mind being referred to as a woman. However, if someone called me “he,” I would be flattered.

I’m attracted to… androgynous boys, mostly, but I have been infatuated with a lesbian genderqueer woman. Androgyny is really the bottom line for what I am attracted to, and I like to look like what I’m attracted to. I am actually engaged to a pretty boy, who is mostly straight, but he loves my pansexuality and my androgyny. The time when he let me do his eyemakeup made me feel so lucky, loved, and so accepted.

When people talk about me, I want them to… respect the fact I do not model my sexual and gender preferences on what society expects them to be. Some people hardly even consider it. For others it is not as easy to submit to one’s true self. As I grew up and realized my sexuality and gender preferences, it never occurred to me that I should change myself into something more acceptable to society. I want people to respect that flesh is flesh and love is love. And if I look good as a boy, why complain?

I want people to understand… that just because a person is proud of their sexuality (whether they are straight, gay, anything in between, or all of the above) it doesn’t always mean they intend to shove it in others’ faces. I have had people ask me if I thought I was getting enough attention, because of the way I looked in my boy clothes and bare face. I told them, “That’s not what this is about. It’s just how I feel.” It also doesn’t always mean that trans/genderqueer or gay, bi, etc. people are, by nature, promiscuous. See a person’s beauty, not how that beauty was achieved or how it would be classified.

About Adrienne
I am a 23-year-old artist, singer, fashion and interior designer and poetry/fiction writer who is self-taught. I’ve educated myself on fashion history to an obtuse extent. My love for music is so deep and grand that it sometimes consumes me. My dream job-title would be “aesthetic consultant.” I am proud of my taste and learning of beauty in all its forms, and I hope that I can make the world a more beautiful place, for my part.

» Define yourself. «

Hi Genderforkers!

So the middle of winter (the Solstice JUST passed) is a time when we’re pretty highly encouraged to be giving – and it’s also often a time for taking a step back and giving yourself a good once-over, and maybe figuring out what sort of changes you need to make to keep moving forward. It’s a time of transition.
Genderfork is going through a pretty big transition right now.

We’ve put out a few calls for volunteers over the past few months, and we’ve gotten some awesome new folks in, to be sure. But many of our volunteers have been here since day one, and over the past three years or so, their own lives have changed, and many of them need to move on. We know they will do amazing things out in the world.

However, it’s a struggle every week right now to populate the site with full and varied content. If we’re to keep moving forward with the site in its current form, we need new blood, and fast! If you love the site, and you have time to give us, please, get in touch!

Here’s what you need to have:

• A love of gender all across the spectrum, and a love of our site!
• Access to a computer and the Internet, and basic knowledge of how to use these things.
• Time to give! Really, honestly – it doesn’t have to be a LOT of time, an hour or so a week will do it, but you need to be able to give it regularly, every week. We LOVE that you want to help, but if your life is in transition, or just really busy, take care of yourself. Don’t offer what you can’t give.

Here’s what you DO NOT need to have:

• Any particular identity. You don’t need to be genderqueer or trans or anything other than what you are to help out here. You just need to want to help.
• A lot of technical knowledge. We welcome it, but we can absolutely train you to do any job that needs doing around here – they’re not hard, and we’re excellent at writing instructions and answering questions.
• A LOT of time to give. It doesn’t take hours and hours to be of use around here – it’s the consistency we’re after when it comes to time, not the volume. And we DO understand that things come up and some weeks you just can’t fit everything in – if you can drop us a line warning us and come back next soon, we can always work it out.

If you’ve got the time and the desire, please do contact us at: volunteering – at – genderfork – dot – com and tell us a little bit about yourself. Specifically:

• What sort of stuff you wanna help out with!
• Why you wanna help!
• Any extra experience you think might be handy (tech abilities, forum moderation, blogging skills, etc)
• Where you live on the Internet (blogs, tumblrs, your band’s old myspace, whatever …)
• How much time you can to give to us (on an ongoing weekly or monthly basis)
• ANYTHING ELSE you want to share about yourself (we don’t know what that is yet, but we can’t wait to find out!)

Just a heads-up: please don’t expect an immediate response from us. There may be a bunch of you, or I might be swamped with my day job, or there could be other stuff going on that slows this process down. We’ll get through ‘em all, but responses may take some time.

I am really looking forward to meeting you, though.

Thanks in advance!
Your Friendly Neighborhood Volunteer-Scout, Emma

Model: Joey Ma. Originally posted on Ma’s blog, Individuality.

Someone wrote…

I have long hair. I go by a girly name. I have girly mannerisms. Yet all it takes is a glance at my beard shadow for someone to gender me male.

What’s your experience?

And what are you thinking about gender right now?

model: Caleb Landry Jones originally found on: FuckYeahAndrogynousGingers