Gender (n): 1. You know all that boy/girl stuff you learned about growing up? The pink and blue, the dolls and trucks, the tutus and ties? That’s how your culture defines gender. There are expectations about the way you should look (and the behaviors and interests you should have) if you have a particular kind of body. For example, there were rules about what was a “boy” haircut or a “girly” color where I grew up. These can change over time and from place to place. Can you think of a time when you felt limited by your culture’s ideas about your gender? 2. Your personal gender is where you find yourself in this system. Maybe your body is like other boys’ bodies and you see yourself as a boy and you act in the world like other boys; well, that’s your gender. There are tons of ways to be a girl or a boy, and tons of options in between and all around these. You don’t have to choose. Your gender is where you feel the most comfortable, and it can grow and change just like the rest of you. It can include your understanding of your physical body, your understanding of your inner self, and the way you express that self to the world. They all are facets of your own unique gender!
www.thegenderbook.com