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What Does It Mean to Be Transfeminine?

Have you ever thought about what it means to be a girl? Chances are, you’ll find yourself thinking of some pretty specific things: the color pink, bras, dresses, sparkles, and biologically female genitalia (like breasts or vaginas). It might be a shock to you to hear that there are countless different ways to be female—many of which have nothing to do with these ideas. Growing up, we’re taught about our gender every single day. When society, the media, or people around you talk about gender, however, they often talk about it in terms of male versus female. This is what we refer to as a gender binary . The gender binary is everywhere. From the moment babies are born, doctors assign them a gender based on their genitalia (or “sex” on the birth certificate), and society begins to treat them in ways that reinforce the stereotypes of that gender. Newborn girls are wrapped in pink blankets, while newborn boys are wrapped in blue blankets. If you take a look around you, you’ll start to see the simple ways that the world genders

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