gender meanders

This is how I like to view the world when it comes to genders.

Imagine a river. One bank is reserved for males and other for females. There are people standing on both banks of the river, so, obviously, they think they belong to one group or the other. Then there are people who are not happy just standing on the river banks and watching it flow. They want to test the waters: waters of gender fluidity.

Some dip their toes, some would take a bath once in a while, some would swim for a bit and then there are other folks who would like to swim across the river from one bank to the other. Depending on what part of the river one chooses, the outcome changes. If it is a calm and quiet part, wading and swimming is easy. If it is a churning part of the river, being in the water is a lot more challenging.

Now what would cause river to move in different ways? The rocks and other features underneath- which metaphorically translate into the unique situations and circumstances that each of us faces. How one behaves when they are inside the waters of gender fluidity might also depend on the people on the river banks. Are they cheering you or throwing stones at you ? It may happen that a boat might show up to help one through the waters- it could be navigated by a therapist, a support group of peers, or support from family and friends and so on.

This river has been flowing through since time immemorial and every generation has its share of folks testing the waters.

And that is how I like to think about it 🙂