YEJA, 20, HANOVER, NH
Gender Projected
How old are you, and where are you from?
20. Apple Valley, CA.
How would you identify your gender?
Genderqueer.
How does your gender identity connect to your sexuality?
It’s a hard question. Because theoretically everything is constructed. I think the two are very much linked - when I first came out, presenting as masculine was something I had to do to come out as queer. But now, the two are very separate in my mind but they do interact on a day to day basis in how I am read by other people.
How do you generally present?
Masculine of center.
Did you gain any perspective on gender identity/expression in other people during the project?Anybody can do any kind of gender.
Does the ease of a certain gender identity make you dress that way more?
I guess it is easy now that I present as masculine. High school was a struggle because I tried to present as feminine and it didn’t blend well with my feelings and my persona. But now it is okay.
Did you tell anyone you were participating and if so what was their response? Will you tell anyone? What do you expect their response to be?
Yes, I will tell people, and they will not be surprised. People know that I believe gender is a social construction and it can be formed in any way. Performativity of gender that is not the norm can destabilize the binary, and I think that is super important.
Do you dress a different way when you are trying to appeal to a different audience?
I pretty much dress however makes me comfortable. But it is also queered in a way. How I present has a label to it as being “queered,” so that tends to attract other queers.
In your life, was there another time you explored/experimented with gender identity/expression? If so, what type of experience was it?
I started to dress in masculine clothing during my senior year in high school. Now I only dress in masculine clothing. I used to sneak into my brother’s room and wear his clothes. It was a positive experience. I was so awkward when I was in feminine clothing so when I discovered masculine clothing, it spoke to me more.
What keeps you from presenting the way you feel most comfortable if anything?
Nothing. I have that privilege that Dartmouth is super liberal.
What words do you feel represent your identity?
Biracial, genderqueer, poor, student, lover, rugby player.
What do you feel is the most salient aspect of your identity (the part that shows the most on the outside despite the clothes you are wearing)? How do you feel that this part of your identity was represented and/or misrepresented in this project?
Definitely I think gender. I think we are doing a good job representing that.
What do you feel is the aspect of your identity that you think about the most? How do you feel that this part of your identity was represented and/or misrepresented in this project?
Queerness. It is very difficult in the sense that it is has a label. The project can’t detach the label from the way people read the photographs. [Queerness and gender identity] are not dependent on each other, but they are not mutually exclusive either.
How does your physical fitness or body weight play into your gender identity/expression, if at all?
I think since I fit into the socially acceptable ideas of a “normal” body (I am able-bodied and all that), I think it makes it easier to mess with gender than other individuals. I can wear clothes that make my body look good no matter what.