JJ Vincent asked a 32-year-old about gender, identity, self-expression, and what defines a man.
R, 32, is married with children. He’s a mechanic and truck driver and adores his family. I caught him before he was about to spend a few very cold hours under a truck. I am happy to report he is alive and warm. I hope that the truck is, too.
A: Well, I see gender as being separate from a person’s sex, so: The association of an individual to a selected role or roles of expected behaviors as found in societal groups.
Q: How would you identify your own gender?
A: Fairly mixed…and it varies depending on the situation that I’m in, or even just mood.
Q: What do you think makes someone a man?
A: A level of self-respect and responsibility normally found in an adult male who has gained a certain level of life experience.
Q: There’s a lot of current discussion about children being raised without gender. If you had care of a very young child, how would you approached gendered issues (toys, clothing, activities)?
Q: Do you think topics of gender identity and expression should be discussed in schools? Why/why not?
A: I think yes. If nothing else, the topic should be at least known to a new generation so they can have an unbiased viewpoint to consider .
Q. A question about relationships. If a person identifies themselves outside of the traditional M/F, should this be an early topic of conversation? Should it be a topic at all?
Q. What significant differences, if any, do you see in gender expectations for men and women, especially in the workplace?
Q: There’s been controversy over the term “metrosexual”, people calling it the “feminization” of men. How would you respond to that?
So Let’s Talk: 10 Questions About Gender
Not Better, Not Worse, Just Different: 10 Questions About Gender
Suit, Tie, and Tolerance: 10 Questions About Gender
Stripes, Queer, or Houndstooth: 10 Questions About Gender
Check M, F, or Other: 10 Questions About Gender
Jennifer, when I do these interviews, the men have the option to use their names or not. Depending on their work, families, children, etc., they may not want to use their name. I am interested in getting honest answers, and if they will give an honest answer but wish to remain more anonymous, that’s fine with me.
You’ll see in some of these, you get a full name and a picture, in others a name and an image, in others a first name and a picture. These are subject’s choice, as I’ve found that comfort breeds honesty and openness.
And yet “R” was too ashamed to be named in this article…
Would he airbrush power tools on his nails, I wonder.
Prima Don, I’ll ask him! Because that would be awesome!
Prima Don, he said there’s a chance of that, but he thinks he liked the pretty colors more.