Coming to terms with our country’s gender identity
With all of the hubbub in the news about gendered bathrooms, it seems that the U.S. public is finally starting to grapple with the realities of the transgender experience. And while it’s pretty terrifying that some states are trying to deny trans people the basic right to answer nature’s call in the restroom that feels best for them, other states are taking the opportunity to mandate that right.
Underlying both the desire to secure trans rights, as well as the hateful backlash against trans people, is an overall cultural movement towards gender neutrality that has its’ roots in the women’s and gay liberation movements of the ‘60s and ‘70s, and is being thrust forward by the work of powerful feminist and trans gender activism.
From gender-neutral to gender-fluid
It should be a no-brainer by now that gender roles are simply that – roles.
Adults and kids alike are insisting upon androgyny, and transgender kids are coming out earlier and earlier these days and getting the support they need.
The fashion industry has periodically returned to androgyny as a trendy stylistic touchstone, and there have, for a long time, been companies specializing in making gender-neutral or trans-friendly clothing. Now, thanks to actress Jaime King, kids can dress in genderfluid swag too.
The lion’s heart
In partnership with chic children’s clothing boutique Gardner and the Gang, King has released a kid’s clothing collection that, besides being adorable, is also completely gender-fluid. Garments are not separated or color-coded by gender, and models of all genders wear the same clothing. The promotional materials feature a boy with stars painted on his cheeks in a pink shirt hugging another boy wearing the collection’s signature “Love You” sweatshirt.
The collection is titled “The Lion’s Heart” for the bold colors and brave patterns – and let’s face it, with all the haters out there, it can take some guts to be an androgynous or transgender kid.
Said King in a tweet, “The designs and colors represent courage, joy, self-love & togetherness! Now is the time to shine & allow our kids/selves to live authentically. I am proud to have made the first #genderfluid collection – this is a dream come true.”
