Submitted by Brittany

Someone wrote…

For the last three years, I’ve thought of myself as a gay man. Now I’m confronted with the possibility of it being something more, something else. And the thought of having to confront it, of having to rediscover myself for a second time, and then to share that discovery, scares me half to death.

What’s your experience?

And what are you thinking about gender right now?

Submitted by Paige, the model and photographer

Anonymous asks…

I recently started talking to my moms about my gender confusion, and they want me to talk to a gender counselor/therapist. We have several trans friends who highly recommend the clinic they want me to go to, but I’m terrified at the idea. Has anyone ever been to counseling specifically for gender identity? Did you find it at all helpful? I’m scared.

Please post your response in the comments below.

» Ask Genderfork «

Someone wrote…

No matter how I attempt to present myself, I always feel like a liar to some degree. Nothing ever seems close enough to my identity to not make me feel deceptive in some way. The only time I feel that I am myself is when I’m not thinking about my gender at all.

What’s your experience?

And what are you thinking about gender right now?

Submitted by Tasha, the model. Photography by Hannah Daisy

“Drinking tea in Brixton, south London.”

Submitted by Sujaya, the model

“I am here – an aravani”

Someone wrote…

I’m trying to find a hair cut I can rock as a girl, and transform into a rockable boy hair style too!

What’s your experience?

And what are you thinking about gender right now?

Mara asks…

How do I answer questions about the fact that I recently started wearing a binder? I don’t really want to explain because that gets really personal really quickly. Any advice to avoid answering without being rude?

Please post your response in the comments below.

» Ask Genderfork «

Submitted by Zlata Trouble, the model. Photography by Natalie Jones

You can call me… Elle Emme.

I identify as… a femme lesbian all the way.

As far as third-person pronouns go, … she/her.

I’m attracted to… amazing noses. Tomboys: There’s a fine line between tomboy and masculine, and I’m great at navigating it. I also adore the occasional (lucky!) femme. And I can’t forget my boyfriend.

When people talk about me, I want them to… never worry that I might be hurting. I want them to always talk about “happy” me.

I want people to understand… that I’m not hiding my identity in femininity. I love dresses, heels, skirts, makeup, long nails, and doing my hair. I love being queer. I want people to understand how difficult it can be being femme and having to tell everyone I meet that I am a lesbian, because they assume otherwise. Understand what it feels like to feel a constant pressure from both queer and straight communities to prove that I am queer, simply because my outward appearance doesn’t fit the stereotype. I want people to understand that I can have a boyfriend who is female-bodied, and that’s O.K.

About Elle Emme
My live revolves around inspiration. Music, clothes, and an oddball film influence me to write everyday. If I can’t be a writer, then I can’t be anything else. I want to be a voice in fiction for the outcast and/or the queer community.

» Define yourself. «

A passionate transman performer who rocked The X Factor with his amazing voice.

Submitted by Shawn/Shauna, the model. Photography by Gary Kaupman

“I was in the mountains of South Carolina hiking with a few friends and enjoying the day.”

Submitted by Itziko, the model and artist

“I’ve always wanted to have a portrait of myself as a boxer, ‘a gentleman’s sport’. Well, not all of us are gentlemen, maybe more like gentlequeers…”

Submitted by M, the model and photographer

“I caught a separate personality in the uncanny lighting of my washroom.”

Submitted by Josh /Joshie, the model and photographer

You can call me… Corey

I identify as… both/and.

As far as third-person pronouns go, … xhe (pronounced like che, but kind of with a sibilant “s” sound. Derived from Castellano.)

I’m attracted to… both/and.

When people talk about me, I want them to… learn something about anything.

I want people to understand… themselves.

About Corey
I’ve lived in Spain, and I’ve seen a lot of Europe.
I’ve been skydiving, base jumping, and hang gliding.
I love to be outside.
I feel at one with nature when I’m kayaking.
I’m really active and I hate to sit around.
If I’m not working, I’m working on a project.
Woodworking.
I’ve built some guitars, next I’ll try a cello.
Speaking of instruments, I can play a lot of them.
I garden.
I cook.
I’m the most detail oriented doodler you’ll ever meet.
I’m a sucker for elegant lines, luxurious fabrics, and rich leathers,
which inevitably makes me a shoe whore.

» Define yourself. «

You can call me… Reneta Scian, Reneta, or Renee for short.

I identify as… a woman.

As far as third-person pronouns go, … I prefer female pronouns, her, she, or my name.

I’m attracted to… primarily androgynous and masculine females, but I find femme girls cute too.  Transmen, as long as they treat me like a lady. I like cute boys, and ironically find rugged men pretty hot, though I don’t know if I’d ever date one.  Other transwomen are attractive to me on as well.  I am effectively attracted to people who take the traditional male role in the relationship, which I refer to as the lead role.  It’s just what I am happy with and has nothing to do with gender.

When people talk about me, I want them to… not judge me for being different.  I want them to see that I am a woman for regardless of the things that make me masculinized or feminized, but society has a propensity to label me with heinous names as though I am a criminal.  They call me a transsexual, a tranny, t-girl, or worse, “A really gender confused man.”  I want them to know, I have never been confused about my gender, but that it is they who are confused about my gender.

I want people to understand… that the icons of masculinity and femininity they covet makes them all look inferior in juxtaposition.  Why covet an impossible to attain Duke Nukem-ish person as the icon of maleness, and a Japanese Pop idol as the icon of femaleness. There are only a handful (less than 1 : 1,000,000) in the world’s population that can even measure up.  It’s ludicrous, and not to mention unfeasible and unhealthy.  We have to love the lives and bodies we have, so expecting us to live up to the gender binary and following such fallacious icons borders on criminal.  Some people need to change their bodies to live a fully functional life, some don’t.  If you don’t, good for you.  Expecting me, however, to play the cards dealt to me from a deck stacked against me is wrong.  Like medical treatments done everyday to make peoples lives better, conforming my body to my true gender identity is just as important.

About Reneta
I am me.  I can’t not be me.  Most of my life I was in a fight between myself, and what the world would allow me to be.  I am a kind and gentle spirit faced with a world of hatred and hostility for me.  I guess, some days I am waiting for a knight in shining armor to come and rescue me. If I was a fantasy character, I would be both the heroine and the damsel in distress (most likely because I have noble intentions and the grace of a boulder rolling down a hill).  I can be a klutz, and if you see me going more than 5 minutes without limping, tripping, spilling, falling or bumping something then you have witnessed a miracle. 

If I was a superheroine, I’d be the one to swoop in to save the day, tweak my ankle upon landing and topple into a Starbucks, only stopping when a dense enough object resists my forward momentum.  I am a nerd, and a geek, but I am by far socially inept, I just tend to remain anonymous.  I am the girl who sits in the corner and has people approach her.  I like flattery, but it’ll get you no where, actions speak louder than words.  I can tell more about you from your eyes, lips and face, your body language, and demeanor than I can from anything you say in the first 5 minutes.  I am an empath, you can’t hide your feelings from me, but you can hide why your feeling it.

» Define yourself. «

Submitted by Julie

Someone wrote…

Being able to pencil “genderqueer” into the “other” section for gender was like having an anvil lifted off my stomach. I didn’t even know that I felt the weight until it was gone.

What’s your experience?

And what are you thinking about gender right now?