1. Sammi
   October 31st, 2009 - 15:51

   To me, my gender means being sexy, alluring, witty, and feminine. I love being a woman, and all that goes with it.
   Sammi´s last blog ..Jenna’s Velvet Jewels Vibrator

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2. Raven Quince
   November 1st, 2009 - 12:58

   Great idea for a contest, and perhaps it will help you with your studies as well I’ve re-blogged and included my rather lengthy answer there.
   http://ravenquince.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/what-does-your-gender-mean-to-you/

   I subscribed to your RSS feed ages ago

   Off to RT now. (Great prizes, by the way.)
   Raven Quince´s last blog ..What Does Your Gender Mean to You?

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3. Adriana
   November 1st, 2009 - 14:49

   What an interesting contest idea. I love that it promotes discussion of an interesting subject.

   Personally, I guess I’ve always accepted my gender. I don’t love it or hate it; it just is what it is. But I kind of feel like if I were a man, I’d feel the same way. Sometimes I’m frustrated by trying to fit in with the gender perception society has (body hair is something I struggle with frequently) but I know that gender perception and actual gender are two different things to many people. I guess because I can accept my gender, they’re the same to me (for better or worse). I feel sort of lame when writing this because I don’t have a strong opinion, really. Some people love being a woman because of all it offers and some people hate their body’s gender but I just deal with it. I’d have a bone to pick either way.
   Adriana´s last blog ..Pure Wand

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   • Wilhelmina Wang
     November 25th, 2009 - 17:59

     not having a strong opinion is fine too – still counts as a reaction and i’m still happy to know about it. the acceptance that you experience is also very interesting to me

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4. SheenV
   November 2nd, 2009 - 11:33

   That’s a deep question. For me gender is more about the mind than the physical aspects of sex. I mean, the one who has the penis is the males sex, and the vagina the female sex (almost always). Gender is more about what that person thinks of themself. Does the person think themself a male or female, or some combination of both? Gender is also how they want to project themselves to others. Do they take on the stereotypical traits of the male or the female, or a combination? As a crossdresser, I’m male and I like to wear women’s clothes and shave my body hair to be more feminine. I take on some of the traits of women, but I’m obviously a man.
   SheenV´s last blog ..

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   • Wilhelmina Wang
     November 25th, 2009 - 18:00

     i quite feel the same way too – that gender is more about mentality/personality than physical attributes.

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5. Michelle Carter
   November 5th, 2009 - 10:50

   I guess I have never really thought about it but I feel to be a female I should be proud that in this country at least we have come so far but for the world as a whole we should be ashamed we havent fought harder for other females to have the basic right of a human being

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6. Michelle Carter
   November 5th, 2009 - 10:51

   Retweeted http://twitter.com/mmc67/status/5455373090 great contest

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7. Michelle Carter
   November 5th, 2009 - 10:52

   subscribed

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8. Adriana
   November 6th, 2009 - 02:21

   It’s funny how this post got me thinking. At first, I thought “Well, I just don’t feel either way” but the more I pondered it, it struck me that maybe I don’t feel either way because I don’t feel like I deserve it. I don’t love being a female, but maybe I’d like to. I just don’t feel like I fit the mold well enough to scream my womanly pride from the mountains and, in some ways, that saddens me.
   Adriana´s last blog ..Move It Or Lose It

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   • Wilhelmina Wang
     November 25th, 2009 - 18:04

     i’m sorry you feel that way… what would you need to *do* to deserve your gender, though? and why do you think it’s a matter of *deserving* it? i think gender is something that everyone should have access to and should be able to be as proud of it as they’d like to be

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     • Adriana
       November 26th, 2009 - 08:42

       Luckily (or maybe just blissfully ignorant), I don’t focus on it so it’s not life altering. I suppose that because I just don’t fit into the ultra feminine gender stereotypes, I feel a bit of a poser like I have no right to say “I am woman, here me roar”. I guess it’s been drilled into my head that to be womanly is to be able to be described with terms like “feminine mystique” or “dangerous curves” – words that evoke thoughts of both physique and personality. I don’t fill out either very well but I have always struggled with a bit of insecurity when it comes to applying labels to myself. I have to be uber-womanly in order to use the word at all. Perhaps that is why I have such trouble calling myself a “woman” – I use girl or female more often. But maybe this is all an issue of sex vs gender.

       Ironically enough, I am listening to Portishead’s “Glory Box” the lyrics of which include the line “give me a reason to be a woman.” Heh
       Adriana´s last blog ..Attention Catchers #5: Toy Pouches from EdenFantasys

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9. Britni TheVadgeWig
   November 7th, 2009 - 02:50

   I tweeted your contest, but I’m planning on writing a post on it, too, just because I love the question.
   Britni TheVadgeWig´s last blog ..Badvertising

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10. mivox
    November 7th, 2009 - 03:46

    I really don’t think of my gender. I just am who I am, which has caused me a lot of social bullshit over the years… but I think it’s kind of a blessing, because I just end up becoming friends with people who accept me for my mostly tomboy self.

    I went into more random detail on my reblog: http://cleveros.com/toys/heartbreak-nymphos-gender-carnival/

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11. Kayla
    November 7th, 2009 - 08:26

    I wouldn’t call myself unconcerned about my gender, but it’s definitely not something I think about. At some points, I dislike being female because in the BDSM world, females are always “assumed” be submissives. I am not, and sometimes male Dominants think that means I’ll switch if they ask. I don’t. But on a day-to-day basis, I don’t think about it much at all. (Except the occasional “I wish my breasts were bigger”.) Regardless of being female, I usually just throw up a t-shirt and some jeans and go about my daily business. I like being feminine, but I’m not about to spend hours on my appearance every day just because society says I should.

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12. Wilhelmina Wang
    November 9th, 2009 - 10:13

    you don’t have to comment every time you tweet, only if you reblog… i can see tweets because you @ me when you post them

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    • Kayla
      November 9th, 2009 - 12:28

      Sorry. Thought you preferred it that way. I’ll stop. Great contest.
      Kayla´s last blog ..Heart-lock Collar

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      • Wilhelmina Wang
        November 9th, 2009 - 17:06

        not a problem!

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13. Sara
    November 9th, 2009 - 11:02

    I’ve been wrestling with gender for a very, very long time.

    Ever since I was little, I was “weird”. I always would rather play with boys than with girls, and was more comfortable identifying with a group of boys than with a group of girls. But I’ve never been a tomboy. I’ve always liked having a feminine outward appearance. I like the idea of being gender-neutral on the inside, but feminine on the outside.

    I’m still wrestling with it, but I’ve settled on the idea of gender as outward expression. I express myself as female, so for most of the world it doesn’t matter that I am internally gender queer. And for the people for whom it does matter, well, they figure it out without me having to tell them, because they know me.

    My friends forget that I’m a girl despite my D-cup bust, and that makes me very happy.
    Sara´s last blog ..Upcoming Reviews

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    • Wilhelmina Wang
      November 25th, 2009 - 18:06

      that’s interesting, i feel much the same, that i outwardly look very feminine but inwardly i’m sort of a mix. lately i’ve been experimenting with dressing in a more gender neutral / masculine way in addition to the typical skirts and froofy things.

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14. Jack
    November 10th, 2009 - 14:56

    My gender doesn’t mean much by itself. I don’t think it limits, helps, or modifies my activities. I also don’t set expectations on others because of their gender. My father in law recently told us that he has been struggling with his femininity and I am fine with that.

    Subscribed to your feed.

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15. Rose
    November 11th, 2009 - 16:15

    To me, my gender means power. It means that I am feminine, beautiful, and most importantly, I have a vagina and amazing ta-tas! It means a lot to me, that I can express what I really feel inside, like being beautiful, in feminine ways. I love being womanly! It is even awesome that I have my period, because I feel like I am secreting an aire of womanlyness. I love being a woman. Even if I could have a penis for a day, I wouldn’t trade in my vagina for one. HAH.

    Oh, I subscribed to your feed!!!!

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    • Wilhelmina Wang
      November 25th, 2009 - 18:12

      awesome!

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16. Andreas
    November 13th, 2009 - 23:30

    I’ve been meaning to enter this for a while; it’s just hard to really nail down what I think about my gender. I’m male-bodied, but since I was little, I haven’t felt quite comfortable with the gendered behavior prescribed for me. I’ve never really had any interest in being macho, aggressive, athletic, etc. – instead, I’ve preferred gender-neutral activities (like reading, writing, and creating art) for most of my life. Lately, with my girlfriend’s help, I’ve been exploring and fucking with my gender identity more – thinking about just how androgynous I am, and experimenting with drag (which I have enjoyed). I think there’s a whole range of possible gender identities, and I haven’t quite settled on mine yet.
    Andreas´s last blog ..Complaints about the Watchmen movie and gender roles

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    • Wilhelmina Wang
      November 25th, 2009 - 18:14

      right, i’m glad that you’re experimenting and your gf is so supportive and helpful with that. personally i wish that gender roles were less constraining. i wish men COULD do things like create art or do non-typically-masculine things and not be considered any less of a man.

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17. Jex
    November 15th, 2009 - 00:52

    I’m not totally sure what my gender means to me yet, but I know it’s something that separates me from a man in some indescribable way.
    It means I’m a cute, sexy woman who has this mysterious power over heterosexual men that I can sometimes control and sometimes can’t.
    It means when I’m looking at another woman sexually, that makes me different. That makes me a homosexual. I feel like more of a part of this “sisterhood” idea thing, but also less at the same time.
    It means I see the world a certain way, out of a certain brain.

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18. Jex
    November 15th, 2009 - 01:07

    http://jexhibitionism.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/heartbreak-nymphomania-contest/

    ta-da, reblogged and subscribed to your RSS feed.
    yay awesome prizes! come to mama, babies :3
    Jex´s last blog ..Heartbreak Nymphomania contest!

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19. Toygirl
    November 15th, 2009 - 18:46

    I have a complicated emotional relationship to gender, and I’ve been struggling to find a way to express it here. I feel perfectly comfortable as a female, except for the way society is structured vis a vis gender. As a feminist, I’m not so much uncomfortable with my gender as much as I am uncomfortable with how I and other women are treated because of our gender. It’s complicated.

    Anyway, I subscribe to your feed, I’m retweeting, and I reblogged the contest (http://outspokenclitic.com/?p=718).

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    • Wilhelmina Wang
      November 25th, 2009 - 18:15

      hmm, you’re one person out of many so far who expressed discomfort with how society deals with gender.

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20. Saraid
    November 16th, 2009 - 13:57

    Gender to me is something I have struggled with for a while, or at least how to fit into the gender binary mold. Also, as a feminist gender has special meaning to me since I believe so greatly in gender equality – and sometimes at the end of the day I honestly wish I were born a cisman. I know, odd.

    I am also subscribing to your feed!

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21. Curvaceous Dee
    November 16th, 2009 - 21:28

    My gender is a complex creature. Well, it’s simple, but my thoughts on it are complex. So there’s a whole post I’ve devoted to it: Gender, Buck Angel, and me.

    Also, I’ve tweeted about your contest!

    (And, in the event that I win, am happy to pay for shipping outside the continental US, if required.)

    xx Dee

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22. Sex Warrior
    November 16th, 2009 - 22:26

    Hmmm….. gender…

    When I hear the word or read it or even think about it, which I don’t, I find that traditional stereotypes are what comes immediately to mind and for most people this is their frame of reference for how they define themselves and others. I’m not all that interested in in defining myself using any terms except in some very broad political ways, i.e. socialist, anti capitalist etc. If I had my way I’d not define myself in any way whatsoever, it’s others who want definitions so they can box me and others inside their own minds. If we go down that road we’ll need an individual box for each human being on the planet as no two people can have exactly the same identity in completion as each other, just not possible. I do define myself often as bisexual as an attempt to make my sexual and relationship life make sense to others, but I do so reluctantly.

    To me my gender is nothing to do with what I wear, how I behave, who or how I fuck or how I think – all of that is just me. I can see in myself that there are stereotypes and archetypes at work in myself, that I’ve unavoidably picked up and gathered in my 40 years of life in the Northern & Western hemispheres of this planet as a white, middle class woman – along with all the other highly complex influences that have shaped who I am, including pure biology.

    What I’m getting around to saying is that I consider myself blissfully biologically a woman, I adore my biologically female body, I love my tits and my cunt and all else that makes this body biologically female. I play with some of societys’ ideas of how I ’should’ and ’shouldn’t’ be as a woman but it doesn’t define me to myself, only to others. My gender is just something I don’t consider or give any time to anymore, I am who I am, I like who I am, it’s of more interest to others than it is to me.

    Having said that, great question to post!
    Sex Warrior´s last blog ..Music Monday

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    • Wilhelmina Wang
      November 25th, 2009 - 18:19

      i really like what you have to say about labels/categories… i think they have their uses, but most people take them way too seriously. labels in the end are simple and don’t sufficiently encompass all the nuances of any one person as a whole being.

      thanks!

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23. PoingCritter
    November 17th, 2009 - 00:31

    This is a topic that had come up in deep thought for me from time to time. Thanks for giving us a forum to compare notes!

    I see gender as an interaction of two things; the physical body, including the brain, and sexual preference. I know one is not reliant on the other, but I don’t feel comfortable totally separating the two.

    My body is female, but that doesn’t mean a lot to me. I like the sensations of the female body, but I’m just as fascinated by the masculine body in an ‘I’d like to wear one,’ kind of way. In fantasy I don’t destinguish between the two. My ‘Self’ is not dependent on a particular sensorium or a particular set of physical sex organs. If changing gender were a matter of choice, I’d be flipping back and forth several times a day. In an ideal world, I think I’d be a hermaphrodite.

    Sexually I don’t identify strongly in any direction. I vaguely prefer men for sleeping with, but it’s a close run thing. I know many fun, sexy women, I have had girlfriends and probably will again. Most of my long term relationships have been with men, but I am unsure how much of that has to do with societal pressure. The boys in question were all fun, sexy people too, I think society just makes it easier for someone to fall into a normative relationship, particularly if you are shy and not to sure of who you are yet.

    Sometimes I get a bit peeved with forms that don’t allow me to identify simply as a person, and as human, because really those are the only things I’m really sure about. The older I get the less I care about trying to find labels for who and what I am, and it’s starting to annoy me that so many labels are required. Yes, I have boobs, but I’m not a Miss, a Ms. or a Mrs. I think I would be just as peeved about being forced to be a Mr. whether or not I had a penis. In my head, I’m just me.

    In short, my attitude to my gender is strongly ambivalent. I like my body, but it isn’t all I am, and I don’t see why I should be limited by it.

    (cross posted to my LJ, because of the thought-provokingness)
    PoingCritter´s last blog ..

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24. Greg
    November 17th, 2009 - 07:23

    tweeted to http://twitter.com/gregory_rodgers/status/5797890577

    I am accepting of my gender though I do not see it as my classifier.

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25. dymphna
    November 18th, 2009 - 02:29

    to me it mean you were born with certain genes and chromazones

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26. Miss Cinnamon
    November 18th, 2009 - 18:21

    My gender is something which others have used in the past to hurt me and limit me. My gender comes with its burdens–its expectations and responsibilities. Because of my gender, I am seen as another pretty skirt in the crowd, a uterus on legs, an oven for a grandchild, a flower that has been plucked. My gender has taken away my ability to choose what I might have been free to choose had I been born differently.

    Despite all this, my gender is something that I love. It empowers me and challenges me to fight for recognition. Although I am proud of my femininity, I am more than a pretty face and more than a potential mother. Simply put, I enjoy being a girl, and I will not let anyone take that joy from me.

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    • Wilhelmina Wang
      November 25th, 2009 - 18:30

      i’m glad that you still feel that way after dealing with all that negativity

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27. Sophia
    November 18th, 2009 - 18:32

    tweeted. and subscribed to your RSS.

    for me, gender is a social construct intended to maintain a patriarchal power structure. ideally, the construct of gender must be exploded such that there are numerous categories that individuals can engage with, none of which holds the majority of power.

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28. Nell Gwynne
    November 20th, 2009 - 20:23

    http://cannedartistshit.blogspot.com/2009/11/i-drink-coffee-like-man.html

    For me, gender is a personal choice, but there are far too many either/or binaries that limit people’s ability to express their gender identity.

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