Should I be labeling myself?

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Should I label my gender? I have never been sure of my gender. I excepted my sex and I am comfortable with it. However I never feel exclusively a girl. I wear t shirts from the guys sections of stores and girl jeans. On more than one occasion I have been called with male pronouns by people that didn’t know me. It use to upset me and it still does because it confuses me. What am I suppose to say if someone says “Are you a boy or girl?” I cant say neither because people give me the third degree or look at me like I’m out of it. People have asked are you bigender, genderfluid, non-binary and I dont have a clue why this matter. Saying I am a girl who wears boy shirts, hats, jeans and tennis shoes. People except that I dont like skirts and dresses, for the most part, but when I say I dont really have a gender or I may be both the whole world seems to jump down my throat. Obviously I cant talk to my parents about it my mother is still waiting for me to say I’m over my bisexual faze. I dont know if I should just say I’m a girl even if it feels a little off or that I dont really have one. Please, I dont know what I should say to people its getting harder to choose my own gender and say what it is. I could use some advise.

Category: asked September 12, 2014

5 Answers

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You are what you are. I'm gender confused myself. I am a girl, Im married to a guy, but as for sexuality and dress code goes - I'm not really defined by being a girl. I still have moments where I look in the mirror and wish I had been born a male. Truth is, doesn't really matter if you're a girl or a boy. Unless you want to make the transformation into a male, I would just go with the flow. I could never bring myself to be chopped up and manufactured by a doctor. I couldn't imagine myself taking testosterone shots for the rest of my life. So, I accepted I had a vagina and moved on. The world doesn't have to be black and white. We are the gray area. Androgynous love <3. If you need someone you can talk to about it on a daily, I offer my friendship.
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in one hand: you're born as one of two sexes, based on what's between your legs, and this will be on your identifying documents for the rest of your life.in the other hand: 'genders' and the associated roles and interests you embrace are entirely up to you. if you feel like labeling, or changing labels, go for it. but don't feel like you shouldn't, or that you have to based on what other people think. no one can make this decision but you.
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"Oh, wow, did you just ask me that???", followed by a silence they have to fill with apologies, possibly.
Or "This is not really something I want to talk right now with you." followed by
"What have you been up to lately?"
"Excuse me, I see a friend there. I'll go talk to him"
Or any other change of topic or statement about ending of conversation. You don't have to be put on the spot, there is always the "It's not your fucking business" option packaged in politeness, but retaining the message. If they insist despite you not wanting to talk about it, you can cut the politeness out, and leave/avoid them.
That regarding talking to people who you don't feel comfortable using the non binary labels with. Beside that, I think labels can help you to seek and find other people's stories and discussions about your own personal sexuality, so if you are genderfluid, you can google it and read how other people live it, and so on for asexual, aromantic, whatever.
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I know that it must be frustrating to constantly have people questioning who you are simply by your gender expression. You don't need to have labels. Some people feel more comfortable with them, and some people don't. And that's okay. Remember, who you are is your business and yours alone, and only those who you've deemed acceptable have any right to know what makes up your identity.

Remind these people that you are a person first, not some oddity or attraction on display. You are not a freak, you are simply another human being. You are not trying to make other people uncomfortable, and you are not "going through a phase". You are just trying to live your life. These boxes that people envision - the ones that say that "this is what this biological sex is like" and "this is what having this sexuality is like" don't exist. Tell them that while who you are may be difficult to explain or understand, that if they truly accept and love you, that they will allow you to be who you are.

You don't need anyone to validate your existence. The people that try to aren't worth your time. You deserve respect. If someone isn't willing to give you that, then they don't deserve the pleasure of your company. Stick to people who aren't quite so poisonous and close-minded, and you'll be fine.
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Hi!

Personally, I don't label myself. Did you know that heterosexuality and homosexuality are not two distinct groups, but a smooth continuum? Meaning most, if not all, of us are actually not 100% straight or gay, mostly in-between. In any case, I don't label myself as a girl or a boy, and when people ask, I just go for the biological fact. See, I dress however I want, and I love whoever I want. I think that it's pointless and kind of ridiculous to have to label myself as such.

This TED talk entitled 50 Shades of Gay explains what I'm trying to say very well and succinctly. Please do check it out! :)

I think what I'm trying to say is, don't let yourself be pressured into labelling yourself, or as iO Tillett puts it, putting yourself in a box. Everyone is different, and you can be a tomboyish bisexual female, or a girlish straight male, or you know, WHATEVER. You absolutely do not need to label yourself.

I hope that all these answers have helped to clear at least some of the fog in your mind, but if you still feel suffocated and confused, do feel free to PM me, I'd be glad to talk to you! :)

Cheers,
Cheryl