The past few years have seen an exponential rise in the visibility of transgender people, particularly in popular media. Many such representations have done the work of showing transgender people in a positive (or at least neutral) light, taking down some of the stereotypes about us that have prevailed for decades.

“There’s no one way to be trans; your process is your own.”

I’ve repeated these words to myself over and over, waiting for them to feel true, waiting to feel some sense of legitimacy around myself and my choices.

Androgyny is defined as the combination of both masculine and feminine characteristics—an expression of gender ambiguity.

It’s worth noting that androgyny is by no means a modern concept, though if you look at the current trends among many celebrities, you will see that the notion of blurring the gender lines when dressing oneself has become increasingly popular.

A few months ago at the cafe where I work, we hired a genderqueer trans friend of mine who was newly on testosterone.

A lot of people who have known me for a long time have wondered why, “all of a sudden,” I now go by Parker instead of the name I was given at birth.

It may seem clumsy to start a discussion of queer identity with a definition, as the very idea of queerness is meant precisely to elude definition.