An Ode to Androgyny

Leslie Feinberg, a trans* activist and author, wrote that "gender is the poetry each of us makes out of the language we are taught". It's true, I was taught to see the world in opposites - to embrace the side to which I was assigned, to celebrate the delicate nature of my body, my voice, my mind.  I was taught not to question why I ought never cross the dividing line. I was taught that those who do are vulnerable to criticism, to ridicule, to violence. 

I was taught a language of division. Female and male; feminine and masculine. The way one looks, talks is importantly distinct from another; a pink balloon to greet my infant welcome, while the blue awaits my brother.

This is an ode to the poetry of gender. An ode to androgyny - to the space between extremes. 

Although I still remain on the feminine 'side' in most aspects of my appearance and identity, and in the eyes of society (which grants me a great deal of privilege), I am perpetually inspired by those whose gender is a more confrontational exploration of the infinite variations between the binary.