I recently read an interesting post by Hellen Boyd on gender as shapes not lines on her blog. I wrote my short review of her book, "She's not the Man I Married" and some thoughts about gender.Well, I got to thinking on the shape of things and the shape of gender, and being a photographer, I think of things in color. So I began to imagine the red, green, blue (RGB) color wheel as gender expression. Since we're all mixtures and expressions of color, we will wander around the wheel depending on our thoughts and emotions, and will stand where we are at any moment, from black to white and every color in between. We are the mix of all the male and female characteristics within our mind and body, and we stand in the wheel where we are that moment.
Does this really matter? To some people it will matter because they'll tell you they're consistently in one small space and they don't wander, and above all anyone outside their circle (definition) of their gender is the other, or worse, someone defying the accepted "standards" of gender. But who's standards? Not mine. And likely not yours, so who's? And that's the rub, what is normal? What color for gender is normal? And what about the variations of that color and the hues and brighness of that color?
And to many people it doesn't matter, it's simply who each of us are. I wrote about photographing the 2007 Seattle Pride Parade (here). I like to photograph the ordinary at these events, to show it's not about the outragious we often see photos, but simply people enjoying the diversity of life and people. It's about seeing the whole spectrum of color of human expression.
And so I thought of the RGB color wheel. Where are you in terms of your innate sense of gender and in terms of your expressed gender? Isn't it the joy of being allowed the full spectrum of the colors and just be who you are, and being whole in your person and gender? While I may not wander very far, I certainly love the range of people. Some may make you uncomfortable because of their expression, but if you get through the outer expression, you'll just see, and perhaps come to know, another person.
And remember they may be uncomfortable around you. So how would you make them comfortable?
