There was the lure of checking off a first: attending an Indian event in Indian clothes. I wore my pink salwar-kameez, bangles, put on a bindi, and I attended the event as a woman.
Imagination
I am one of the girls now, but I really wish I was also one then. I was not unpopular with the girls, but obviously as a boy I wasn’t allowed into the inner sanctum. I remember the girls in my friends circle with whom I was fairly close, and I really wonder what they would have thought of Manasi then… or even now.
Evocation
She was waiting for me outside. I saw her and I was whisked back quarter of a century and thousands of kilometers away to a classroom in my middle school. I was sitting at my desk while a faceless teacher explained something I was already familiar with. My mind wandered, and I saw the young her sitting a few desks away. There she was, standing in the rain, the girl who had unwittingly encouraged me along this path, oblivious to the impact she had had on my life.
Profession
Wishing all women everywhere a happy International Women’s Day! You can outshine any man out there, even backwards and wearing heels, if you so desire!
Decoration
Many of my girl friends have offered to let me borrow their earrings for an event, or even just because they think a particular pair will become me. It does go to show how much they consider me as “one of the girls” that they forget that I don’t actually have pierced ears.
Convention
These last few days, I have been in the United States, partly for vacation, and mostly for a technical conference. I decided to attend a session as a woman. It would mean coming out to the colleagues who were at the conference with me. It would also mean attending the conference banquet as a woman, since there wouldn’t be enough time to change.
Promotion
I am glad to have been the champion for making my office friendlier towards people of non-binary and fluid gender identities!
Vegetation
That's the explanation for why I haven't been dressing up more than usual. But why have I been dressing up less than usual?
Cunctation
After relating all my experiences of going out as a girl, and taking “brave” steps, I figured I should talk about my latest experience of not taking a step because I didn’t feel quite ready.
Recursion
It can be a challenge to feel connected to people when the longest interactions happen through cameras, microphones, screens and speakers. The more time I spent in this state, the harder it got to tell where one day ended and the next one began. Things had started to feel a little episodic.