Dace’s Story: Becoming An Elder Outside the Binary
By Emily Bowen
In this second installment of a four-part audio series by Emily Bowen, Dace shares fears of entering a nursing home as a person who identifies outside the gender binary.
“Its very hard for me to think of myself as becoming an old woman, but I also don’t think of myself as becoming an old man either,” Dace says in the clip.
As a 47-year-old, Dace admits to contemplating the idea of needing outside help to care for themselves in older age.
“How would I function if I had to go to a nursing home?” Dace asks. “That would be a living hell, to be forced to be female, that would be living hell. To be forced to be male, that would also be a living hell.”
Listen to the full clip below.
The audio was originally shared as the cornerstone piece to the Tucson Gender Identity Project that took place in June of 2011 at the Fluxx Studio and Gallery in Tucson. The intent was to provide the audience with no way to categorize these individuals except their voice and definition of gender and how said definition applied to their own identity, said Bowen.
The Tucson Gender Identity Project itself was a collaborative event that brought together local spoken word and visual artists to Tucson’s first queer art space to engage in open dialogue about gender: both its external societal implications and the role it plays on the internal identity. The audience was invited to view and interact with art pieces as well as discuss their own reactions at a post show open mic.
About the Author
Wild Gender is an online magazine and creative hub born out of gratitude for the gift of full expression. We are dedicated to creative practices that celebrate gender fluidity, identity and expression. Wild Gender prioritizes visual art, creative writing, and journalistic work by trans/gender-variant individuals who have never before been published in a public venue. Run entirely by volunteers,we are always in search of writers, thinkers, and creators hoping to participate in our growing community.
Related Posts
Time for Mainstream Non-Gendered Pronouns →
Man And His Dog →
What Now? Arizona “Bathroom Bill” Passes, Advances to the House →
