32. Jordan

Jordan/(PNW)USA/26

People underestimate the impact of seeing others like you. It's uncommon to see gender nonconforming women, and rare to see masculine women. As a homosexual woman, it was especially difficult for me because I only saw examples of heterosexual love.

For those of us less comfortable in the cage of femininity than others, having no example of life outside of it is suffocating.

I believe that dysphoric women cling to the idea of being a man because it offers us freedom from that cage.

Taking testosterone did not, in reality, offer me freedom from misogyny. We live in a global patriarchy; there is no escaping sex based oppression if you are female. There is no injection, patch, pill, or surgery that can change your sex.

Our only option is to accept it. It took me six years after stopping testosterone to accept my biological reality. When you accept your womanhood, you expand your idea of what it means to be a woman. Hopefully, you will find connections with other women who share your experiences and values (look into womyn's land near you). Once you do that, a word that once felt restrictive becomes full of life and meaning. "Woman" can be anything, and we can do whatever we want.

The more women who shed the burden of femininity, the more examples other women and girls will have of a life outside of the cage. One that doesn't involve self destruction. There is no wrong way to be a woman.

For those women out there who either are detransitioning or are considering detransition: I promise you will be fine. I love you. Hang in there.”

You can follow Jordan here :

https://instagram.com/filtast