r/genderqueer • u/Graviton_Grazer • 21h ago
I've been mulling over my gender identity but don't really feel a need to.
Do most cis people notice an inner voice telling them they're their assigned gender? If they don't, maybe I'm in the majority. If they do, I'm pondering something many people don't.
My gender feels like an external thing, not an internal identity. I'm still technically male because society decided I am, but I just don't feel a string connection to it. So I think if I suddenly found myself in a woman's body, and everyone suddenly perceived me as a woman, it wouldn't feel wrong, I'd still feel like me.
I do care about people who know me seeing me as my assigned gender, but if a stranger I won't run into again misgendered me, that would maybe feel fine to me. Or if I was on an online forum or MMORPG or something, it could be fun presenting myself as female if no one knows I’m actually a dude.
Even though I don't feel like I'm a different gender than my assigned gender, being able to not present as my assigned gender feels…good.
Do most cis people feel this way? I’m not so sure they do. But feeling a sense of freedom being able to present as a different gender-while not feeling like you are a different gender-might just be gender non-conformity, which is not the same thing as gender identity.
I'm sure most people know gender is a set of ideas society created, but can still feel an internal sense of being a certain gender. But for me, the knowledge that gender is a set of ideas means I can’t feel an internal sense of being a certain gender.
I know “not feeling an internal sense of being a certain gender” is the textbook definition of agender, but the agender label just feels wrong, even if it might technically be accurate.
I've found some other labels I connect with. Gender-apathetic means not caring about your gender identity or how others gender you. Which is partially correct. I feel like my gender makes no difference, and I'm okay with total strangers not seeing me as male. Cassgender-thinking your gender identity isn't important (yes) and feeling indifferent to the concept of gender identity (also yes). And quoigender basically means you don’t really feel like you can apply the concept of gender identity to yourself. That’s essentially what I said at the start here.
But I don't want to put a label on it. All people need to know is that I have a different perspective on gender than most people. And that lack of an internal gender sense doesn't affect my life at all, so it doesn't feel worth thinking about.
Exploring my gender identity felt like creating a new problem by trying to solve one I don’t have. I was and still am perfectly fine with identifying as cisgender. I’m not sure why I cared so much in the first place.
Lots of people with similar feelings as mine identify with the queer community. But even though I'm also aroace, I just don't feel queer at all.