Over the years people have become more comfortable with who they are, both

mentally and physically. They aren’t worrying as much about what people think about them,

they are becoming free to be themselves. There are many people who will disagree, think that

with LGBTQ it could make everything worse. But if people are being more open with

themselves, how could it get worse? In How Do I Define My Gender if No One is Watching Me,

the author says, “How do I define my gender when I- accustomed to how visible my gender

usually makes me- am no longer being watched” The author explores how people feel about

themselves and their gender behind closed doors. This isn’t only for the LGBTQ either, what

about our people of color? Are people only really changing their appearance to suit what others

want? Or are they finally becoming themselves and others don’t like it? Will this pandemic

change peoples perspectives of others? To others being you is perspective but to you, it’s all

you know how to be.

1.(In this generation, liking the same gender or changing your own gender is starting to

become normal, almost natural.) I will say there are still people who are old school and

traditional about this kind of stuff like sex, marriage and who you should love based on your

sex. But if you find someone you love and they are someone who makes you happy, why does

others opinion matter? There are a lot of people who are starting to feel less judged by others.

2.(If you were to be gay 50 years ago. You would be outcasted, kicked out. But in the 21 st

century, it is starting to be normalized).3 (People understand more than its not a choice, you

don’t choose who you love as much as a lot of people believe that.)

4(When you start to feel more yourself you do become freer, in the sense that you don’t

need to hide anymore.) In the article “how do I define my gender if no one is watching me?” by
Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, it states, “I would have imagined this new expansiveness would be

freeing. Instead, it was at first disorienting. With the gender binary all but gone, what did it

mean to be nonbinary? How do I define my gender when I — accustomed to how visible my

gender usually makes me — am no longer being watched?”5( At first, Marzano-Lesnevich

wasn’t sure how to feel with this new freedom.) From behind a screen, you can be who you are.

In a pandemic and in quarantine, the only people around you are people who you want there,

usually people who let you be yourself and love you for you. “What’s really struck me,” she told

me, “Is that removing the peer gaze has allowed for more gender experimentation.”

Without the constant watching and judgment people are free to be able to try new things.

6(The article “What we believe about identity” by Julia Alvarez says, “The territory of

identity in later life needs to be explored and articulated.’ When talking about gender race,

there is one common ground.) Feeling comfortable in your own skin. People get bullied just as

much for their sexuality and they do race, both extremely messed up, but it does happen. “We

were vaguely of “Spanish origin,” which was better than the more deprecating slurs of the

playground: “spic,” “wetback,” “greaser.” (What we believe about identity). 7(People would say

awful things to people who weren’t white and its horrible, what people don’t always realize is

that it isn’t just the people of color who get the harsh words.) “I started taking testosterone, I

thought it would be easier not to see people for a while. Maybe they wouldn’t hear my voice go

scratchy or see up close the hormonal acne splattered across my face.” (How do I define my

gender if no one is watching me?).

8(This pandemic has done wonders for everyone. Before the pandemic Mx. Slarii, a black

performer in Minneapolis came out as female and people around her pressured her and expected her to
get “breast augmentation”. Later they decided they were nonbinary.) “When, during the pandemic,

Mx. Slarii pursued a second gender-affirming surgery, a Brazilian butt lift, it was an entirely

different emotional experience. This time, the surgery was no longer a means of selling a

narrative to be believed and seen; now Mx. Slarii’ s body was simply their own” (How do I

define my gender if no one is watching me?).9( This pandemic gave Mx. Slarii a chance to do

something to their body), not to impress anybody or because someone told them to do it.

Because it genuinely makes Mx. Slarii happy and gives them control on what they do. They are

starting to feel more comfortable in their own skin.

10(After this pandemic people start to worry about what comes after. What happens

after you have felt almost invisible for so long.) I rework the quote, “With the gender binary all

but gone, what did it mean to be nonbinary? How do I define my gender when I — accustomed

to how visible my gender usually makes me — am no longer being watched?” After not caring

about what people thought for so long,11(how to you go back to the judgement? Did the work

change while we were stuck indoors?) After quarantine ended and we were sent back to school,

we were all forced to wear masks. People covered most of their face when around people and

the only people who sees all of you is the people you want to.

12(This mask, face covering faze gives people a chance to get more comfortable in their

skin once again,) but this time around everyone. People have changed in the sense that they

just want to be around people now after so long of bring locked inside. This is a learning stage

for not just people of color or people who are learning and experimenting their very own

sexuality, 13(but this is also a learning point for people who were afraid to go back). Were
afraid of being judged because there is not one person who did not change over this pandemic,

it has been two years. Everyone have evolved.