Let me tell you about the joys of being androgynous.
So I don't remember if I mentioned this but I have a job at a zoo. I drive a tractor. This tractor pulls wagons and takes people to the farm exhibit. It isn't the most exciting job but you meet some interesting people. Also you find people who find stories about Dutch Belted cows as hilarious as you do.
For some background information I shaved my head back in late October. We will call it November for simplicity sake. It is July so my hair has been growing for seven months and it isn't very long so people sometimes have difficulty telling if I am a boy or a girl which I am forever amused by. I have had kids ask whether I am a boy or a girl, I have had people say things like 'he is driving us to the farm' or 'let's get a ride with him' and so forth. Sometimes they realize their mistake when I start talking and sometimes they don't. I have never had someone apologize for mistaking me for a boy/girl and that's fine. And when kids ask me me response is usually "does it matter?" and they usually shrug which is great because it doesn't matter.
It does not matter if a girl is driving your tractor or a guy is driving your tractor my gender should not matter in how someone talks to me or treats me because we are all humans and you should treat all humans the same. Now yesterday on the very last tractor ride I had one kid ask while he was getting off the wagon "are you a boy or a girl?" and I shrugged and asked "does it matter?" and before the kid could respond his parent/guardian came up behind him and shushed him. Like he was embarrassed that the kid had to ask, like everyone is automatically supposed to be able to tell what gender each person is. And that kind of bothered me. Because I think it is okay for kids to ask questions. I mean my job at the zoo for so long was to answer questions. I love questions because it means the person wants to know something badly enough to ask about it. And that is great. But when you shush a kid for asking a question, a question that in my opinion is perfectly innocent then you are squashing curiosity and we need curious people. We need people that ask why and that is the sort of thing that starts when you are a kid.
Now. I am not a trans* person. I am not trying to pass. I realize for some people they want to be able to get by without anyone ever questioning whether they are a boy or a girl and in that case they might be offended or hurt by the question. Or maybe they could take that opportunity to be all I am boy. And then whoever asks can respect that they are a boy and to use the proper pronouns and then there is no question because if they say they are a boy then you darn well should respect that. So I personally don't see a problem with asking, but again, not trans* so I guess I can see why the kids parent/guardian might have been worried, but I still and kind of bothered by it. The end.
For some background information I shaved my head back in late October. We will call it November for simplicity sake. It is July so my hair has been growing for seven months and it isn't very long so people sometimes have difficulty telling if I am a boy or a girl which I am forever amused by. I have had kids ask whether I am a boy or a girl, I have had people say things like 'he is driving us to the farm' or 'let's get a ride with him' and so forth. Sometimes they realize their mistake when I start talking and sometimes they don't. I have never had someone apologize for mistaking me for a boy/girl and that's fine. And when kids ask me me response is usually "does it matter?" and they usually shrug which is great because it doesn't matter.
It does not matter if a girl is driving your tractor or a guy is driving your tractor my gender should not matter in how someone talks to me or treats me because we are all humans and you should treat all humans the same. Now yesterday on the very last tractor ride I had one kid ask while he was getting off the wagon "are you a boy or a girl?" and I shrugged and asked "does it matter?" and before the kid could respond his parent/guardian came up behind him and shushed him. Like he was embarrassed that the kid had to ask, like everyone is automatically supposed to be able to tell what gender each person is. And that kind of bothered me. Because I think it is okay for kids to ask questions. I mean my job at the zoo for so long was to answer questions. I love questions because it means the person wants to know something badly enough to ask about it. And that is great. But when you shush a kid for asking a question, a question that in my opinion is perfectly innocent then you are squashing curiosity and we need curious people. We need people that ask why and that is the sort of thing that starts when you are a kid.
Now. I am not a trans* person. I am not trying to pass. I realize for some people they want to be able to get by without anyone ever questioning whether they are a boy or a girl and in that case they might be offended or hurt by the question. Or maybe they could take that opportunity to be all I am boy. And then whoever asks can respect that they are a boy and to use the proper pronouns and then there is no question because if they say they are a boy then you darn well should respect that. So I personally don't see a problem with asking, but again, not trans* so I guess I can see why the kids parent/guardian might have been worried, but I still and kind of bothered by it. The end.