ayellowbirds, posts by tag: gender - LiveJournal

I'm kind of tired of the way that people assume anything that is said in support of masculinity must be against femininity. Just because i don't think people should automatically assume all men are overbearing testosterone mutated idiot-children, doesn't mean i want to see women (or people of any gender or sex) oppressed. I'm not asking for equality, because things have to improve for women a whole damn lot first, but can we at least acknowledge the fact that the culture that causes oppression by patriarchy is also harming men themselves?

I'm also really tired of all the people trying to speak for men's rights and masculinity by pushing down women's rights and femininity (or queer rights and androgyny).

Traditionally, the astrological symbols for Mars and Venus have been used to represent, respectively, male and female. From this, one sees a lot of different uses. Linked pairs of male symbols are often used to represent male homosexuality, and the same goes for linked pairs of female symbols and female homosexuality. Various symbols combining or altering the features of these are often used to represent transgender/transsexual/intersex people (examples).

It seems to me that there might need to be a symbol for broader genderqueer groups, including those who do not necessarily identify with either a particular gender, nor an intermediate one. While the above article suggests the signs of the Earth and the constellation Sagittarius for anonymous or "unknown" genders, i think another sign might be useful. One possibility is the crescent, the sign of the moon.

Despite what some folks might have you believe, the moon isn't exclusively symbollically female. Even in modern culture, we still speak of the "Man in the Moon"; Mani (Norse), Meness (Latvian), Djehuty (Egyptian), Kalfu (Vodun), Napir (Elamite), Sin (Babylonian), Tsukuyomi (Japanese), and Alignak (Inuit) are all male gods/lwa/kami/spirits associated with the moon or depicted as the moon himself. The Egyptian Khons is traditionally portrayed as a male child, contrary to his usual representations as the patron of the Marvel superhero Moon Knight; Tecciztecatl (Aztec) and the kamui (Ainu) of the moon had both originally been appointed as solar deities, but switched roles with a female deity for various reasons.

The moon is symbollically representative of change, mystery, beauty and majesty. It is associated with silver (with which it which shares the sign of the crescent and the name Luna in alchemy), both are associated with transformation in mythology and folklore.

Other symbols i've seen include butterflies (for transformation), and a flag.

Ray, if you read this, i was wondering what the symbolic meaning of your tattoo is, if anything in particular. Is it related to your gender identity?

Unless i am in a relationship with two or more people, nobody knows I'm poly.
Unless i am expressing attraction to people regardless of their gender, nobody knows I'm pansexual.
Unless i am dressing at odds with what others think people of my assigned sex should wear, nobody knows I'm genderqueer.
Unless i refuse meat/eggs/dairy/honey, nobody knows I'm vegan.
Unless i praise Eris, Set; the spirits of the road, thunder, or trees, nobody knows I'm an animist pagan.
Unless i tell them outright, nobody knows I've been diagnosed with Aspergers.
If i do nothing, nobody knows I'm not a straight, white, omnivorous, neurotypical male.

This really bothers me sometimes.

Should i be glad that i don't need to worry as much about a stranger attacking me because of my gender/sex/ethnicity/ability/sexuality/religion? Should i be glad that i pass? What should i do about this privilege?

So, i was sniffing around the net through Yahoo, and i found the site mentioned in the above subject heading. For a while now, i've been talking with Danni about how i feel about my own gender, and the best term i've been able to come up with is "gender-neutral".

I never really gave much thought to sex or gender as a child, but since puberty, i've been uncomfortable identifying as strictly male.

This site describes a lot of what have been vague feelings for several years, and does a fair job explaining it in relatively simple terms. In fact, it helps me pin down a lot of the feelings that have been plaguing me:

"Many psychological androgynes do not understand who and what they are. They may agonize for years, wondering how it is that they can feel androgynous if they don't look that way. Self-perception and self-identification are often problematic for androgynes."
This is one that's been on my mind a lot these past few months. I look in the mirror, and i see a masculine facial structure. It's part of why i have trouble controlling my expressions, a trait my brother has often pointed out- i don't really connect my physical with my mental very well.

Unfortunately, this site makes a lot of comments which could be percieved as antagonistic to the trans community, and i do feel i am not familiar enough to accurately judge these statements. It also makes a lot of very generic statements with little evidence to prove the veracity thereof...

Still, it's the closest i have found to something that describes someone like me.




If anyone reading this feels that i'm just making this up or something, because you never saw any hint of this facet of my identity, it's because i have-- to my discomfort --been keeping it to myself. I'm sure you can understand why i'd rather not reveal this to some people, considering the unfair treatment people with unpopular ideas get in this world.