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That Time I Was the Guy Talking About Gender
Should I have kept quiet? You tell me.
I was at a networking event at a coffee shop, and I felt a little nervous.
I was new to the group, and wanted to make a good impression. I liked these people, and respected their work. Entrepreneurs, authors, business owners, philanthropists, all sat around the small table as we talked about various things.
I was chatting with the author about nonprofit fundraising (she also served on several boards) when we both heard another person start talking about being a parent of twins — another common experience I have.
I shared my own favorite aphorism about twin parenting, paraphrasing a standup comedian (Want to know what it’s like having twins? Imagine you’re drowning…and someone hands you twins.). Then, somehow, the conversation turned to how some of their kids’ friends in middle and high school were changing gender identity, and how it was confusing for them.
“Yeah, I don’t really understand it either,” one person said, and it was met with a lot of nodding and mmm-hmm’s across the table. “I wish someone could explain to me what ‘non-binary’ means…”
