[Ibby]

I came out to my close friends as Erika this week. I would not go so far as to identify as transgender, nor to use such trendy identifiers as genderqueer, but I know I am not a cis male, that I am part of the trans* community. I cant see why I would limit myself to cisgenderdom when my own femininity is so far beyond the generally accepted limit of male feminine expression, and when my body-image is so low because I'm not comfortable expressing such a masculine presentation. I don't plan to try to pass full-time. I'm happy with my genitals. I'm happy with how I dress, sometimes. I'm happy presenting very conservatively at work, or with strangers, or in the south. But with friends, and alone, and in safe spaces, I want to be able to acknowledge my identity and femininity, and to present, physically and stylistically, how I feel best suits me. I already act and think of myself, socially, far more on the conventionally female side of things, so I feel like this just making more public what I've already (much-less-than-half-jokingly) acknowledged happily about myself, my personality, my style, my attitudes, my self.

Hi. I'm Erika. Nice to meet you.