By: Carter Hemion, Staff Writer and Genderfuck
With gender in the spotlight this Pride Month, music often reflects the experiences we have as gender-diverse and questioning people. These artists express their complicated relationships with gender, and sometimes that is just what we need to hear as we find our own gender identities and expressions.
“I / Me / Myself” by Will Wood
Do you ever get the feeling your gender is harmlessly but aggressively running in circles, like a little hamster in a wheel? Yeah, me too. Reflecting on his own experiences questioning his gender, Will Wood sings to us that “it’s been a point of contention between myself and this body that they stuck me in.” In an extravagant, avant-pop style, he declares: “you’d wish I could be your girlfriend, boyfriend.” Meanwhile, you just wish you knew what you wanted your identity to be.
Gender feeling like an emo throwback? Check out “Love, Me Normally” by Will Wood
“Gender Binary (Fuck You)” by Ryan Cassata
There should be no requirements to fit any gender, and stereotypes about any identity are frustrating. Ryan Cassata’s opening lines say it simply: “I’m gonna wear girls clothes when I want to / I’m gonna wear boys clothes when I please.” There’s no need for you to express yourself in any certain way to prove yourself. Hell, wear anything that fits your body. Just try to stay away from fedoras, please.
Gender feeling like a ghost? Check out “The Witches Made Me Do It” by Ryan Cassata
“Genderfuck!” by Elmo Sexwhistle
For anyone whose gender experience is far too vast for the binary, the feral energy of “Genderfuck!” is for you. Elmo Sexwhistle is an indie industrial rock artist with a queer touch. With lyrics as exasperated with gender as I am, the artist sings, “I am a genderfuck / I’m a boy, I’m a girl, I just make it up.” If that doesn’t describe the fight some of us have with gender labels, I don’t know what does. Have no gender! Collect genders like a crow collects shiny things! Nothing matters!
Gender feeling like a handful of sand? Check out “Boxes” by Elmo Sexwhistle
“I Think I Finally Love Myself” by She/Her/hers
Maybe you’ve been questioning for a while, or you’re questioning again. Let this song fill the air around you as She/Her/hers belts out, “I may always harbor some doubts / but mostly I feel fine / fuck that I feel fantastic.” Hold on to the parts of yourself that feel right. While “no one really gets to choose the person they are,” you are finding yourself and there is no timeline for learning about your gender. Besides, gender isn’t everything.
Gender feeling like a hunk of concrete? Check out “Gender Is Boring” by She/Her/hers
