A Label for Everyone

Here in America we've come a long way, with a hip label for everyone. I worried that I had no label, since being straight is all but discounted as a valid way to live, and being white makes it even worse. But happily I recently found one that makes me sound relatively cool, and most important, woke. All these years I thought I was female, but it turns out that if you act, dress, behave or even think outside what is considered "the norm" for your gender, you are actually gender expansive. I feel so much better; finally I can relax and openly express who I truly am.

Back when there were just two genders, things were much more restrictive. Starting in my early teens I was indoctrinated into the wearing of high heels which were required quite often if you were a female. I always found them to be uncomfortable and impractical, especially if you had to run for a bus or from a possible rapist, but high heels were the norm so I followed suit rather than face the ire of A, my parents who insisted I wear them to temple every Friday night, on every Jewish holiday and to fancy family functions and B, society at large. (If only I had that label to fall back on then, everyone might have given me a pass and I wouldn't have bunions today.)

In my twenties and thirties I spent precious time applying makeup before I dared go out in public, including rouge, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara and even false eyelashes, despite thinking it was silly and clownish. But all the girls were doing it so I fell in line, wrongly believing I was also a girl. After all, I got my period every month so who could blame me? But now, what with men having babies and women having penises, there's a lot more freedom to show up in Crocs without makeup and fussy hair and still be accepted.

Someone should tell Caitlyn "Bruce" Jenner, who is transgender but certainly not gender expansive. She/her still hasn't heard that it's okay for women to ditch the heels and even have short hair. Sadly, at the age of 73, Caitlyn is still caught in the trap of yesterday's rules. (See photo.)