I had a conversation with my mom the other day that made me realize a few things. My mom was asking about how I got to be where I am currently. Granted the question was in the wrong direction, but it made think about what type of man I want to be.
I have lived here in Louisiana 23 of 25 years of my life. I call this place home for the most part. Being around here, means taking steps into the past. Men are still the bread winners (or considered to be). But with this old fashioned thought, is something else. An old fashioned southern gentleman. I don’t have an absurd idea women are beneath me or that they should be housewives. No, I mean the idea of the man taking care of the woman with small things.
Yes, I know I’m digging a hole, but hopefully I can explain myself. Things like opening doors, pulling out chairs, picking up heavy things and carrying it for them, and fixing things. I don’t want this to get off into a blog about male privilege or the equality of women. These are just things I like to do and it’s something I have seen done for a long time.
But it is not something I have seen up close and personally. My father was not necessarily this man. I have heard from my mother that at one time he did these things, but I never saw it. And my brother is far from this. This is something I have learned from just watching what is expected from men here.
Funny thing is when you pass here in the south, some of these things are automatically expected from you. I get all the time that I will be the last person to walk through a door when there is a lady walking up at the same time.
The man I want to be will be kind, gentle, and always respectful. Hopefully I can stay true to that.
My transition from Female to Male 