Photo courtesy of Nellis Kennedy-Howard
“You girls are the talk of the ice-fishing derby!”
I get that a lot. When we’re out hunting or fishing, my wife Suzanne and I are frequently the only women (much less queer women) present. In this case, we were a group of five queer and non-binary friends, competing in an ice-fishing derby in rural Colorado. People were understandably curious about us.
I’ve been surprising people this way since I was a little girl. Suzanne and I were both more likely to be found climbing a tree or digging in the dirt than playing with Barbies. I always went hunting with dad and my brothers. And I learned a lot of things on my own that they couldn’t teach me – things like menstruating in the woods.
I grew up to be the person I am, regardless of the gendered socialization imposed on me by the world. But sometimes I wonder if I missed out on some really important stuff.
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