#gender perceptions

[transmascpolls]

Do people around you often see you as transmasculine?

I am transmasculine, and the people around me tend to see me as transmasculine

I am transmasculine, and the people around me tend to see me as a cis man

I am transmasculine, and the people around me tend to see me as a cis woman

I am transmasculine, and people tend to see me as non-transmasculine trans/nb

I am transfeminine, and the people around me tend to see me as transmasculine

I am transfeminine, and the people around me do NOT tend to see me as transmasc

I’m trans and not transfem or transmasc, people tend to see me as transmasculine

I’m trans, not transfem/transmasc; people tend to see me as NOT transmasc

I’m GNC but not trans, and the people around me tend to see me as transmasculine

I’m GNC but not trans, the people around me tend NOT to see me as transmasculine

I’m gender conforming cis, the people around me tend to see me as transmasculine

I’m gender conforming cis, people around me tend NOT to see me as transmasculine

Voting ended onJan 31, 2025

This is a poll on perceptions and assumptions of transmasculinity open to people of all genders. Do people around you tend to assume you’re transmasculine? Feel free to share relevant experiences in the notes.

[trylonandperisphere]

Is There Any Hope For Straight People?

In 2019, mainstream American culture has wrestled with (white, middle-class) straightness — and the question of whether it might be an ultim

"Heteropessimism" is a new term for me, but I have witnessed the phenomenon. I haven't had a chance to read all the linked sources/articles, yet, but some interesting food for thought on gender roles, sexuality and feminism here.

[demonprincex]

One thing I really loathe about Natalie Wynn’s “gender is social treatment” perspective is that it implies that our only experience of being a gendered person is like, interacting with random baristas who know nothing about our identity beyond how we look or some shit. 

I have been out as nonbinary since mid-2016. A lot of people that I interact with on a regular basis, work with, socialize with, do creative projects with, or even just passively encounter, know I am nonbinary. My presentation has changed and evolved over the course of the past 2+ years, and that does influence things like how easily a person uses the right pronouns for me, it’s true, but it’s simply not the case that my appearance is the sole determinant of my gendered experiences out in a dynamic, social world. My appearance has not changed a huge amount, but my public identity has, and that has changed how people see me and treat me. 

People’s perceptions of me are influenced by how long they’ve known me, my writing, our regular social interactions, stories they’ve heard about me, how they observe other people treating me, and all kinds of vague unspoken things like my bearing, likes, dislikes, personality traits, and personal style, as well as my physical appearance. And the more a person gets to know me, and gets to know other nonbinary people, the more their treatment of me shifts. People who used to treat me like a cis girl three or four years ago now treat me in a slightly different way, speak about me in a different way, and think about me in a different way. It is palpable and affirming. I am socially nonbinary even if people can very very easily look at me and guess that I was assigned female at birth. 

For some people, the shift in perception came quickly, as soon as I came out to them. For others it took a period of adjustment. But in neither case was the shift driven by a radical change in my appearance. It was a change in mindset and a change in their knowledge of me. It was driven by my greater knowledge of, and acceptance of, myself. 

I still get called “she” by random baristas and new people that I meet and I might always be perceived as female by people who first meet me. But anyone who has a meaningful, deep relationship with me comes to see me as nonbinary to some extent, and that impacts a lot of things about my life and my social reality. Just because identity cannot be seen in a milisecond doesn’t mean it’s not part of my social experience. 

(Note: my experience of changing gendered perceptions has been largely positive, and that is related to the fact that I am afab, white, and living in a liberal city. However, I believe that a lot of what I’m saying here also applies, in a different way, to more negative experiences that more marginalized trans people encounter. A trans woman or trans femme enby doesn’t have to “pass” as cis to receive shitty treatment for being trans femme, lord knows. She doesn’t have to change her appearance or presentation at all to begin receiving awful treatment. Many many trans women and trans femme people have spoken to this far better than I ever could, of course.)

[trylonandperisphere]

Gender Isn’t Binary, and Neither is Anatomy

It’s time we accepted intersex bodies and stop forcing unnecessary surgeries on kids to fit them into our conception of gender.

[trylonandperisphere]

Woman Who Popularized Gender-Reveal Parties Says Her Views On Gender Have Changed

Jenna Karvunidis, an early proponent of gender reveal parties, now has more nuanced thoughts about the popular themed events. That's in part

[xpertpraveenworld]

Agile leadership, an Analytics driven employee engagement and embedding a culture of innovation will emerge as some of the top Human Resources trends for corporations in 2016. Gender diversity will continue to remain a strategic imperative as diversity leads to incremental productivity and more pronounced decision making across all levels.

In an exclusive conversation with Human Capital, Mr. Suresh Bose, Head- Group Human Resources, Vedanta Limited says, “Vedanta Limited, India’s only diversified natural resources company, is leading by example and defining practices that are best in class in the industry. Vedanta, an equal opportunity employer, has respect, care and excellence as key values in its DNA and is committed to the highest level of integrity and global benchmarks. We have some unique people practices, which are in line with our core philosophy of nurturing and developing talent”.

[eachdubh]

Sexism Overlooked?

Yesterday I was presenting pretty masculine. I wasn't binding, because I'm breastfeeding, but I had in my packer, was wearing masculine clothes, was typically speaking in a slightly lower register (I've been practicing, and while to my ear I still sound female, it gets good reactions), and probably had somewhat more masculine body language. Because it was cold, I was wearing an oversized flannel shirt, which had the added bonus of muting my breasts. So, late in the evening, I walked into a grocery store to buy some snacks for the drive home (I had a 1.5 hour drive ahead of me and nothing in my belly), while my husband and the kids waited in the car. So there I was checking out with my snacks, and the cashier was being really friendly with the woman in front of me in line. That was all the cue I needed to be friendly to the cashier when it was my turn, only her attitude toward me was decidedly cool. She wasn't rude, but she wasn't the same cheery, joking, lively person I'd been observing mere seconds before. She checked me out very quickly, and somewhat grudgingly responded to my polite attempts at small talk. I thought about complimenting her (lovely) pendant, or asking her about football (she was wearing a jersey, and it was the Superbowl after all), but decided not to because she obviously didn't want to talk to me, so most of my checking out was done in silence. A sharp contrast to the woman who checked out before me. So I gathered my bag and made my way out to the truck, where my family were waiting, and found that my son had to go potty. He's 3, and public restrooms scare him, so I talked to him cheerfully and encouragingly as we walked back in, and lo and behold, the restrooms were just past that cashier's lane. She smiled at Duck as we walked toward the restrooms, but gave me another cool look, which I returned with a bright smile as I continued to chatter at my son. We walked into the women's, because I am still not yet comfortable enough in my presentation to walk into the men's, no matter how masculine I'm feeling or feel like I'm presenting. Well, Duck did his business, and we walked back out, and that cashier caught my eye with a huge, cheery smile and a small wave. I smiled back and have her a slight nod, and Duck and I went back out to the truck. Let me repeat that for those of you who didn't hear me: as soon as the cashier decided I was a woman, she was friendly to me. All of the coolness disappeared. Now, it could be that she was confused about my gender and was embarrassed, and that's why she was cool toward me at first. Maybe she didn't think I was a man, maybe she thought I was androgynous. It could be that her change in demeanor was due to my obvious care for my son (though I doubt that's it, as that kind of change typically occurs sooner in this kind of scenario). There are many reasons her attitude could have changed. But I tend toward thinking it had something to do with her perception of my gender, and how it changed.

[queerasbuck]

sometimes I genuinely just hate having a 'woman's body' like I look at harry styles or like my brothers or my cis!male friends and I just really wish that I had slim hips and no tits and could grow a beard and like my body just makes me so uncomfortable sometimes like it feels all wrong but only sometimes??? is this what body dysphoria feels like???