Places Where Androgyny Seems to be Accepted, even the "Norm"

[Guest Juniper Blue]

Hi All,

I had a thought the other day ... it was kind of a spontaneous thought "Plant yourself where you can bloom."

It came to me when I was considering some volunteer work options. Next week, I will be starting at a Native Plant Garden with a permanent Outdoor Art Exhibit. I am also planning to help with a community construction project one day per week. I felt so at lease when I went to the garden and asked about volunteering. The gardener that organizes the volunteers was extremely androgynous and has a traditionally "male" name. When I looked around, I saw that many people were non-binary and very "down to earth" LOL ... appropriate for a garden .. I suppose. In contrast, when I went to the volunteer construction project for he orientaion I felt somehow "other" ... I felt more like I was interviewing and being Interviewed with a certain scrutiny that I had not felt at the Art Garden.

I felt this "scrutiny" when I was at a farm where I volunteered for two years (and am still a supporter of) .... After two years, the only person that I was able to really connect with was a lesbian who worked as the lead vegetable farmer. She too had felt this sense of "otherness." After 3 years, she had not once been invited to dinner or been included as more than a "worker". She eventauly quit. I stayed on for a while . This Farm group had daily Bible studies .. which I sometimes attended ... but even at Bilbe study I felt like an outsider and would be asked questions like "How do you know the songs??!!" (Uh what?? ... I learned them on my way out of Hades??) LOL.

Anyway .. my point is that there are places where I feel fully at ease ... welcomed, accepted and loved. And there are places where I feel like an outsider no matter how hard I try to fit in.

I thought I would write a list of a few places where I feel that my androgyny is fully accepted or even the "norm."

Most Botanic Gardens ( most gardeners seems very groovey and open and many gardeners seem gender variant or non-binary.)

The Arts community ... I have had very good experiences in the Art communities. Most people are open and many are non-binary.

Folk Music Musicians and Drummers ... (especially if the groups include men and women) they coudln't care a flying flea about gender "rules"

Pagan and Buddhist communities seem to be very cool with gender bending ... New Age Book Stores seem supportive as well.

Okay .. that is a start .. can anyone think of other places, groups or communties where you feel at ease and are fully included??

Hugs,

JB

[Charlize]

Not to be flippant but Laura's,

i also find my AA groups to be supportive of all people,

Hugs Charlie

[Guest Juniper Blue]

Oh yes ... LAURA'S!!! Thanks Charlie!

[Guest aleon515]

Sci-fi conventions. Sort of silly but there are so many aliens everybody fits in.

--Jay Jay

[Guest agfrommd]

At my board game club we have a gay couple (I'm assuming. They live together and arrive/leave together, but no one much talks about it) and an MTF transgender (again I'm assuming from the physical characteristics. We've never actually discussed it.) When you're sitting at the game table, you're just trying to win. Gender doesn't seem to enter into it.

[Guest Refusing to choose]

I have to second 'in the Pagan community'. Speaking as a pagan I've always found this crowd totally accepting in every way.

[Guest Juniper Blue]

So nice to hear all of this!

[Guest endlessummer]

In a concert crowd with everybody singing.

Botanic Gardens and parks seem very free for me too.

At my therapist's.

And of course Laura's :-)

[Guest Micha]

There was this "peoples' fair" last weekend I wanted to go to, feel that would have been a good place. CO's gender identity center had two booths there that apparently did very well. I so wanted to be there, but yeah, had obligations elsewhere (and this time not to my own household - seems I'm the keeper of everyone else's family too. . . --Censored Word--?). Missed out on the GIC as well as some wicked cool local jazz.

*pout*

Kinda curious about the reni-fest. I mean, everyone's freakin dressing up, but it still may be polarized. Wonder how it'd go over if I got myself a belly-dancer outfit (traditionally men did this dance as well. . . ).