As I sit here, the TV is playing in the background and I am not paying any attention to it. It is making "familiar" noises, and that relaxes me. Along with the presence of RQS on the sofa, I am doing well. So I was having a big problem - what do I have to say today?
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Being transgender or bi-gendered doesn't have to be the biggest factor in one's life. Whether I go out as Mario or Marian makes little difference to who I am inside my body. However, it does affect how I interact with people. For example, I have met a woman in the supermarket who brought up the topic of "change of life" with me - something which would be inconceivable had I been presenting as Mario at the time. One of my closest friends (who knew me first as Mario) brought up the topic of her bladder control pads - something that I doubt that she'd mention to her husband. She thinks of me more as a woman than as a biological male. And even my niece brought up the subject of her monthly cycle when we were at a museum together a few years ago.Gender Communication Taboos,
But what is it that keeps women and men from talking about such intimate things? I had a conversation with someone a year ago, and she said that most men wouldn't bother asking. Although that's true, there is a deeper reason for this happening. I think that women expect that the men in their lives should be more curious, while men are too embarrassed to ask about such things due to the social taboos we have in our society. Yes, men may know about women having periods. But do they know what a woman goes through? Do women even think that men would listen if they opened up conversations like these? I feel that many people feel that it is easier to avoid opening up "embarrassing conversations" rather than to communicate. And this leads to ignorance, misconceptions and ill feelings.
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So, did I have something of interest to say today? I don't know. But I just had to maintain the discipline of having something to say each day....
