Gei
Alex wrote…
I have now decided that gei is a word. It’s pronounced just like guy (those of you who know German will understand the method to my madness), but while guy has the connotation of male, gei is similar in meaning to boi. However, gei, in my head, doesn’t sound like my gender is being referred to as child like, which is what I think of when I hear boy, girl, grrl, gurl, boi, etc. So there! For tonight, I am a gei. Tomorrow? Who the hell knows!
What’s your experience?
Posted by Freiya on September 4th, 2012 at 08:00 am
Category: your voice 5 comments »
September 6th, 2012 at 7:22 am |
I think this is a really cool idea, even though I’m not sure if I would personally need a word like this since I identify as androgynous. But, for example, I never really liked the connotations “tomboy” might have when used about a grown-up person, like being gender-variant was childish or something.
Though, Finnish being my first language, I “naturally” expected gei to have something to do with gay…
[Reply]
September 6th, 2012 at 3:17 pm |
I agree, I dislike the word “tomboy” because it makes me feel like I’m still 9 years old. I am almost 24! I’ll have to admit, though, that I did read gei as “gay” at first because it totally looks like it could have been Japanese romaji, which would change the pronunciation. I will remember this use (and pronunciation) of the word, though!
[Reply]
September 6th, 2012 at 10:10 pm |
this is funny to read…I love the word “tomboy” more than anything. I guess I have some kind of peter-pan-syndrome or however it is called.
I am so fucking struck in beeing angry about not having lived my “real” puberty, I don`t want to grow old now…I want to get my real youth!!!
I am so pissed about never having had the chance to live out my “tomboyishness”, and I hate myself and my family for that none of us all realized that I was not ME the whole time!! It is a bit too late now that I am in my 30s to do things little boys do, if you know what I mean!
I don`t get why anyone wants to live as an adult. Look at all the adults around you, are there really good rolemodels for beeing an adult??? I dream I could get back to 16 and stay there forever!!! Or to get back to my birthday and get born in the right body. I would have loved to go through male puberty…somewhere inside I did, but I could never let it show…..
So, I am german and I do not like the word gei so much. We need no more words. What we all need is a real deconstruction of the binary to express ourselves without fears.
[Reply]
anta replied:
September 12th, 2012 at 7:42 am
I agree that we need to deconstruct the binary, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. For some people inventing and reinventing words can help while we’re getting there. As far as coping methods go, I think it’s a rather good one.
[Reply]
September 12th, 2012 at 9:15 am |
I’m bilingual in German (and English, of course), so I get the pronunciation. And I also understand the “no more words, less gender binary” argument, because I think it’s true. However, that all being said, I find there is a huge amount of good that can come with re-appropriating or even creating your own words to mean what you want them to.
Example: I LOVE calling myself a “guy” or “guy-like person”, but I don’t personally feel “male” since, well, I’m female genetically and (for the time being) physically. So, I really appreciate “gei”, and might even use it! I already use “boi” instead of “boy” for that same reason. Sometimes words just don’t fit the bill for peoples’ particular identities. Instead of feeling left out of other identities, we create our own words and our own spaces. It’s really empowering.
So…for those of you neutromasculine genderweird gei/boi-type people, UNITE! =D
[Reply]