Hi girls!
Let’s start this week with the cheerful realization that the world will never be ready for us.
AND! Since the world will never be ready for us than the world will never let us know it’s okay to be who we are. Some of us are waiting for the day for the world to accept us. We are waiting to come out to someone, to step out into the real en femme, to so SOMETHING. We are waiting for a sign that the world doesn’t hate us, that the world is, well, READY for us.
BUT! That day is NEVER COMING.
I know! It sucks!
And right now you are saying DAMN GIRL you are SO pessimistic. And you know what I am NOT pessimistic. I am RIGHT. And It SUCKS that I AM RIGHT.
BUT! How do I know that the day is never coming? Can I see into the future? NO I CAN’T.
Just as those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it, you can see the future by looking at what is happening NOW.
SO! What is happening now?
Well, for one, the world lost its mind last week when some company decided that a potato toy didn’t need to have a gender. The fallout was predictable. POTATOES and TOYS are BOYS OR GIRLS was the opinion, the rallying crime, the hill people are going to die on.
Unless you know what I am talking about you are probably thinking that I have lost my mind. Okay, here’s the story:
From Forbes.com:
Toymaking giant Hasbro engendered (ahem) controversy this week by announcing at its investor day that it was dropping the “Mr.” moniker from its Mr. Potato Head line of toys, and would be offering a gender-neutral version of the toy alongside the traditional Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.
Basically this new potato head will come with a “boy” accessories AND “girl” accessories and children can play with a toy however they wish.
This made a lot of people upset. Potatoes and toys must have a gender. DOLLS are girls, TRUCKS are boys, VOLLEYBALLS are girls, HOCKEY PUCKS are boys. POTATOES are boys OR girls.
Which is really, silly. I mean, I remember letting my Mr. Potato Head carry a purse when I was younger and look how I turned out and OMG maybe THEY are right.
These days we are inundated with information and there are some sentences I never thought I would type such as “last week we learned that the world isn’t ready for a potato that is gender non-conforming”. This incredibly stupid reaction is a sign that if the world isn’t ready for a gender neutral plastic potato, than it is not likely the world will ever be ready for someone like me. Someone who chooses their gender presentation however they please. Someone who is both, someone who is neither a boy or a girl.
In a more sane world, no one would care about what wardrobe a toy had. In a more enlightened world, no one would care what kind of a wardrobe I had.
Okay, but here’s the thing. The headlines, the soundbites, the outrage… I don’t think it’s as reflective of most people’s opinions as we might think it is. LOUD doesn’t mean the majority. Truthfully, I really, really don’t think most parents care about the gender identity of a potato toy. But goodness, it makes for a eye-catching headline that entertains people for a couple hours before we move onto to the next news item.
We as a community, whether you are bi-gender, a crossdresser, a drag queen, whoever you are, the front page of the newspaper will never say IT IS OKAY TO BE TRANSGENDER. That day is not coming.
BUT! And this is my point, just as most of the world probably doesn’t care about gender and potato related issues, I really don’t think most people are concerned about someone else’s gender identity or presentation. If I spend the day paying attention to every trans-related headline and news story, I would be convinced that the world hated us. That the world was trying to stop us, to make us go away. I mean, some of the world is working on this, but I don’t think the majority of people want this. I don’t mean for this to be pessimistic, but I really don’t think the majority of people care.
And that’s a good thing! I don’t care about what anyone else is wearing, I don’t care who sleeps with or the pronouns they use or what sports teams someone else likes. NONE of that impacts me. And I think most of the world is too wrapped up in their own lives to really care about anyone else’s.
Sometimes it feels like the world is a cold, dark place. BUT! when I step out of the house en femme I realize that most people don’t care. Most people are really nice. Sure, there are some that are concerned about gender presentation when it comes to people AND potatoes, but those people aren’t as common as we might think they are.
So the WORLD might not be ready for us, but I think PEOPLE are.
Love, Hannah
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Hannah McKnight 
You are correct, Hannah – there will never come a day when headlines across the world will read, “As of today, it is perfectly OK to be whatever person you want to be.” The best we can hope for is a generally increasing acceptance of people across whatever spectrum is of concern, be it gender, race, religion, or whatever. And in the end, there will always be haters, but that is too darn bad for them.
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You hit the nail on the head, (or the heels on the pavement maybe?) These days everything is geared toward attention grabbing headlines to get clicks (not heels, but keyboards). Clicks numbers sell advertising plain and simple. Keeping perspective on most of that garbage is a good thing.
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I really think the uproar has more to do with tradition then maybe the gender less potato head.
He is an iconic toy after all millions of kids have played with him.
What maybe they should have considered is a gender neutral version and kept the original.
I agree full acceptance is never going to happen, but that is true with most things that are what is deemed the norm.
Yes I too don’t care what others think of me outside of my family who I try to respect them for who they are and how they feel about trans people
I am me and yes I’m trans and I love being a girl sometimes and that’s ok
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I really fear that we may be going backward-not due to potato but the including of trans girls in girl’s sports.right or wrong-if mom and dad feel that there daughter is being disadvantaged due to this you will see a major backlash that could spill over all of us.
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HI Hannah, I love this artical it remids me of the ara II grew up in the late 60’s and early 70;’s called uni sex. this is where the cloting for men and women were styled the same,the same cut, the same material, but theguys would not ware dresses they would howevre wre the pants, tops and shoes for the time, this was ki-boshed by the polidical leaders at the time, it was instilled by even some local leaders (city polititians) that they did not want these kinds of peoplein there city. San Fransico was the only city that aloud it at the time and still embracese the gay and trans people with no problems. the problem comes from the old school politicians, localor otherwise. I go out wareing unisex clothing including my hi heels, I present somewhat inbetween full enfemn and male. My girlfreind thinks I crasy but I have meet more trans, cd and gay and have been complimented on my presentation this way. So if anyone is afraid to go out try unisex. You will have to do your own recearch to figure it out. I am very comfy with what I wear out to go shopping or just to get groceries. Any questions you can contact me.
LOVE MAGAN
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The world still have a long way to go on gender issues, after 2,000 years people such as the Catholics have not still worked out that man is an equal of a woman
Fortunately some people know better, but what you are and ignore the clowns that would put you down for being yourslef
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