You Can Never Go Back, But Neither Can You Leave—Part 4
Whenever she would read an article, especially one written by someone that she respected, and they would start to talk about gender, it would make her tense. Her whole torso would clench, and it was like she was just waiting to be punched. And, sadly, she usually was..
In this case, the article was written by Sydney Desdemona, a neurobiologist from the University of Azza. Dr. Desdemona had, in the past, written of gender as a non-essential construct, one that is frequently used to prop up existing injustices and imbalances among peoples. But she had always skirted discussing androgynes and transpeople.
This article more or less said that she was running out of time, Dr. Desdemona, that soon she and all Azzines would have to face these ‘issues’ and make some kind of a collective decision for the common good.
The very thought of it made Emory want to crawl back into bed and die. She allowed herself to curl into a ball for a bit, but then forced herself to put the paper away and get up, take a shower, feed the bird, and get her day going.
Even though she hadn’t finished the article, she used the paper in Cornelius’s cage. It felt a bit foolish and child-like, but it also seemed like the best she could do with the information right now: turn it into something useful.
“You don’t care about gender, do you Cornelius?” Emory asked.
Cornelius squawked and chirped, then said, “I don’t know. I don’t know.”
“But you like me, right?”
“I do! I do!”
That made Emory smile. “Thanks, babe. You’re the best.”
“You’re the best!” he said.
Continue reading …
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