by Joan Montecillo
For years, society has always held on the idea of gender roles. These social boundaries force people to only express themselves as the gender they were assigned with at birth.
What do you think when you hear the name Jade? Do you think male or female? In truth, it has no gender. Originally it’s the name of a stone in China called, yù. The significance is within the meaning, “beautiful.”
A college student, who goes by the name of Jade believes that no matter who is blessed with the title, “you are beautiful”.
What do you think when you hear the name Jade? Do you think male or female? In truth, it has no gender. Originally it’s the name of a stone in China called, yù. The significance is within the meaning, “beautiful.”
A college student, who goes by the name of Jade believes that no matter who is blessed with the title, “you are beautiful”.
For as long as he/she or they remember the question, “What is your gender?” is nothing new. Their response every time, “does it matter?” In appearance it’s always a questionable idea, Jade is both.
In Jade’s elementary school years, they remember how much the students around them followed society’s norms of how a girl or a boy is suppose to act.
Jade went to a public school where uniforms weren’t mandatory. Every student was given the ability to wear what they wanted to. However, girls wore dresses and skirts and boys wore pants or shorts. Jade wore shorts, but sometimes on occasions, he/she would wear dresses or fancy vests.
The more Jade wore unisex clothing, the more questions about their identity continued developing.
There was a time one of their teachers confronted Jade for wearing a tux to their elementary school graduation, scolding Jade’s mother for allowing her child to play “dress up” on an important occasion. It didn’t bother Jade nor did it even bother their mother.
Jade’s mother never minded her child for wearing various types of clothing. She mentions, “Siya ang aking anak. Alam ko kung sino ang anak ko at alam niya kung sino siya. That’s what matters.” [That’s my child. I know who my child is and they know who they are. That’s what matters.]
She doesn’t judge her child for being gender fluid. Instead, she accepts the fact because at the end of the day she knows who her child is.
In Jade’s elementary school years, they remember how much the students around them followed society’s norms of how a girl or a boy is suppose to act.
Jade went to a public school where uniforms weren’t mandatory. Every student was given the ability to wear what they wanted to. However, girls wore dresses and skirts and boys wore pants or shorts. Jade wore shorts, but sometimes on occasions, he/she would wear dresses or fancy vests.
The more Jade wore unisex clothing, the more questions about their identity continued developing.
There was a time one of their teachers confronted Jade for wearing a tux to their elementary school graduation, scolding Jade’s mother for allowing her child to play “dress up” on an important occasion. It didn’t bother Jade nor did it even bother their mother.
Jade’s mother never minded her child for wearing various types of clothing. She mentions, “Siya ang aking anak. Alam ko kung sino ang anak ko at alam niya kung sino siya. That’s what matters.” [That’s my child. I know who my child is and they know who they are. That’s what matters.]
She doesn’t judge her child for being gender fluid. Instead, she accepts the fact because at the end of the day she knows who her child is.