The days of yore

The past may seem a way off, for present generations almost another country for the customs and way of life for present generations and yet for all that when I go back in time it seems just like yesterday.

A life where we spent most of our time out of doors and although it is fanciful to say "but you didn't have the online games to play we had" we did have the tv and music but we were strongly encouraged to leave that behind.

Thus it wasn't so surprising that summers were spent around the roses or in parks. 

The one negative of that era for me was the heavy handed gender expression policing that went on with boys who were like me being deliberately humiliated and insulted by other males not least teachers for the slightest breach of the then "real men and boys code" being called a "jessie" or a "big girls blouse" conflicting gender identity, sexuality with just being feminine but otherwise a "straight" male.

It said more about their failures and hang ups

Boys like me could and did do rough and tough play as did girls but while they might be teased a little called a "Tom Boy" it was tolerated more in them.

All we wanted was to wear a dress and skirt, playing and  following whatever interested us.

Today I call myself a little sissy gurl or a feminine boy cos while I don't feel a boy, you can't remove all your male sex stuff at birth no matter what.