Personal Narrative: Gender Identity

I am from South Texas meaning the farthest anyone can go without actually crossing the border with Mexico. Growing up in this place was a balancing act because you are living in a clash of two cultures that did not, particularly, think highly of women, but our house was a blend of traditional ways and more liberal thoughts. My parents are permanent residents that originally came from Mexico to the United States to work in the fields. It is important to understand that my parents finished high school in a time where attending past the second grade, in Mexico, was a luxury. For this reason, they are more open minded than other Mexican parents. Although they are more liberal, I did grow up surrounded by gender stereotypes imposed implicitly by
A female through and through, I was a girl and I never questioned it. Mostly because I was constantly being reminded by my mother, my teachers and most importantly my peers. My mother always called me, “su niña”, her little girl. So if sex was gender, like they taught us in grade school, then I was a girl without a doubt. As a child, I believed everything the adults told me as did all of my peers and they never let me forget I was a girl. There were always comments like “you can’t play with us, you’re a girl” or “you are such a girl”. Although I never questioned my gender, I did question my sexuality in middle school. This happened because one of my classmate pulled me aside asked me if I was a lesbian. How exactly she drew this conclusion was beyond me at the time. Now that I think about it, I was slightly different than the rest of the girls. I did not enjoy doing my make-up, dressing up nor did I engage in girl talk. The fact that I did not have the same habits as the majority made me conclude, that I was not a regular girl. My classmate was so convinced that I was a homosexual that a part of me started to question it; after some inner conflict, though, I concluded I was not a lesbian. Unfortunately, I still did not dwell on the topic of gender until much
I would like to think that no matter what I would still end up choosing psychology as my major and gender studies as my minor. It's a fascinating subject as is gender and women's studies. I love learning about the how the mind can affect an individual and how they can be helped. Since I choose my career path based on my passion, I do not see it as a decision influenced by my gender. On the other hand, I have a vague feeling that my gender identity would change my relationships. My family would most likely not change at all but my friends might. I do have moderate conservative friends who might end up feeling uncomfortable if I mention I am having troubles defining my gender identity. It is not that they are terrible people but it is the way they were raised and who they are. I do not have a significant other, but if I ever find someone I would hope they would understand and accept me for