I am just listening to a podcast with Helen Joyce (who I love) and she’s just talking about the medical and surgical pathways children are put on when they are perceived to be gender non-conforming. The example she’s giving is Suzie Green of Mermaids who transited som aged 4.
This will ALWAYS chill me right to my core.
I remember pleading with my parents to let me a boy, I felt strongly that I was one. I played with boys toys and I liked boys clothes. I hated the “girly” toys my sisters played with and when they played dress up, I would dress as a boy while they were Disney princesses. My parents were extremely chill and told me I could play with whatever toys I wanted and wear whatever and it didn’t mean anything bad about me. I remember having sad conversations with my mum where I was embarrassed that no other girls liked the things I liked.
Turns out that was a phase I grew out of as I’m now a grown adult and very happy I’m a woman and very comfortable in my body.
Childhood memories are hazy but still there yet I cannot imagine the course of my life being altered by decisions I made and things I said back then. I also believed Hogwarts might be real and I low-key waited for a letter to arrive for me by owl inviting me to go to school there.
It chills me to my bones though to think what could have happened to me if I was born a few decades later and growing up now.
Yes I completely agree with you there and know exactly what you mean.
I suppose in this instance, I meant gender non-conforming in the sense that you and others who knew you were aware of it and discussed it and perhaps it may have involved some element of distress or upset.
But yes I agree with you that we are all gender non conforming at times because the notion of adhering to feminine and masculine stereotypes is nonsense.