Showing posts with label Julia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Julia. Show all posts

February 12, 2011

Julia

Julia, age 6
Sydney, Australia (1988)

This is Christmas day, and my sisters and their "long lost brother". Luckily my parents were supportive of my rejection of gender roles in their gift-giving. And thanks to my nanna who made those awesome pajamas.


A year before this photo, my neighbors gave me a Barbie doll, which I proceeded to throw back over the fence into their yard. It was totally out of character for me, being so rude to people that weren't my family. But I was a bit pissed off.

Pissed off, because I played with their son quite often, and they should've known I wasn't into such "girly" toys. I still feel quite ashamed, because they were actually quite nice people. A big sorry to Mr. & Mrs. Lee, wherever you might be.

I started noticing that I was drawn to women and girls my own age a couple of years after this photo was taken. But it wasn't until I started high school at 12, that I fell absolutely in love with a girl in my class.

At that point, I knew for certain that I was a massive queer.

We had moved to a small regional coastal town when I was 8, and I was fairly quiet as a teenager so, I didn't feel confident enough to come out during high school. Despite having boyfriends until university, I was still getting into queer popular culture, and listening to Ani Difranco, Tori Amos, and Madonna.

When I finally came out, it amazed me that I had so many similar interests to other queers. Here I was thinking I was all unique, only to find out that I was just another stereotypical lezbot. Not that it bothers me, and it's great to finally be out.

The only regret I have is giving up skateboarding - I tried to have a go last year but had an unfortunate run in with a gum nut which put an end to that endeavour. Oh, to be a fearless tomboy again!

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Ani DiFranco: VersesTori Amos: MTV UnpluggedThe Rough Guide to Gay & Lesbian Australia (Rough Guide Travel Guides)Living Out Loud: A History of Gay and Lesbian Activism in Australia

January 25, 2011

Julia

Julia, age 5
Caracas, Venezuela (1990)

That's me on the far right in this pic. The interesting part about this picture is that it shows a very different part of me: I was very feminine as a child. Today, as a grown woman, I am a complete butch! Go figure!

"A feminine butch? You go girl!"

As a child I was always secretly admiring women, especially my preschool teachers who were all very feminine. Since very little, I knew there was something exotic about women - their sweetness, their affection and, their hugs!

I used to play with Barbies a lot, pretending they were girlfriends. Sometimes I even made them kiss! This made me feel I was doing something 'wrong'.

At around the age of 16, I discovered Mariah Carey and became fascinated by her beauty and voice. Time went on with me thinking it was wrong to dream of girls. Then I kind of didn't want to wear feminine clothing, but I had no choice.

I can't say what specific time age I consciously knew I was gay, but I can say that at 24 years old, when I officially came out to my parents, I knew my life began again. And this time, without shame, and without the pressure of being feminine.

My message for gay kids around the world is: Queerness is freedom.

Julia's first, famous-person same sex crushes:
Thalia, Mariah Carey, Ellen DeGeneres, & k.d. lang
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Thalia - Greatest Hits Mariah Carey - Around the World Ellen DeGeneres - The Beginning / Here and Now K.D. Lang - Live by Request