Community Stories: Phenomenal Woman
As we celebrate womxn this day, month, and all throughout our lives, we turned over the conversation to you, our Tomboys. Thank you to those who shared their story.
Becka Palter - @beckapalter
That’s you. I say to my friend who feels broken. That’s you. I say to a sister who’s confused. But when I look in the mirror, it never occurred to me, that phenomenally, it’s me. I felt pushed around by the definitions as a woman, I felt uncomfortable to make my own. Because, if I am a woman, then isn’t everything I do, exactly the way a woman should do it? I dressed in armor each day, whether to be camouflaged or to find allies. But armor doesn’t change sizes, and as my insides began to press on their limits, I needed to find a new garment. It begins as a whisper each morning as I get dressed. I wake up and stretch. I wake to a body that is asking to be experienced and expanded. Each day I decide which way I wish to present. Knowing, no matter denim or silk, I am exactly who I want to be. I hit days when I stumble. When I take myself out in the world and realize I’ve brought a purse overflowing with doubt, instead of remembering that I like to travel light. I wear the pants that have grown too tight and don’t allow me to move freely through the world. So when I return home at the end of the day, I look that woman in the eye and remind her. There is only one of you, you are trying your best, you are phenomenal. I am phenomenal. That’s me. That’s me. That’s me.
Rosalynne Montoya - @rosalynnemontoya
I am a woman
Not because the doctors told me so,
But because I am
Assigned male no more
Free from gender roles and expectations
Resilient, phenomenal, nasty
A Rose in full bloom
Euphoric state of mind
Mirrors begin to reflect my truth inside
Estrogen is injected into my thighs
Testosterone blocked
A life saving second puberty
I cannot bare children
Still, I may be a mother
My family is chosen
Hair grows on my face
My jaw and shoulders wide
Traits from ancestors passed down
Makeup gives me confidence I love looking feminine
Warrior paint not mask I live my truth thanks to
Miss Major, Silvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson who fought before me
Connected by a universal womanhood
Bound not by labels, appearance, oppression,
Nor time, culture, race
Attracted not to men or women,
But people, the heart
Bisexual, not indecisive, not gay, straight, or pan
I use the women’s restroom
Not to harm anyone around me
But to relieve myself of the waste of ignorance
Dresses, pants, heels, sneakers,
The clothing I wear does not define me
Only I define me
Dysphoria still haunts me
Self love is my focus
Thankful for this body
Society attempts to harm me
Governments try to erase me
Still I fight on, a survivor
My community is powerful
Trans rights are human rights
Not going anywhere but up
My pronouns are mandatory
She/her or they/them
A non-binary, gender queer, femme
Transgender
Not a man in a dress
I am a woman
Tiyana Taumanu - @t__manu
Woman are such beautiful creations. The power behind a woman. The love, the strength, the motive, the purpose, the drive. Woman are built off so much more than words can even come close to describing. There is no defining when it comes to the existence of a woman. Greatness unfolds into too many layers, directions, colors and intensities to be able to slightly define a woman. Simplicity does not exist.
As the great Maya Angelou said in 1978,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
‘Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Throughout my life I have been loved, loved, and in love with women. Ranging from my mother, to family, to my sisters to my partner. I have seen strength laid out in ways I didn’t know existed. I have seen a tight grip formed from scared hands around a rope, made out of self-love, faith, and raw bravery, being tugged on by a vulnerable woman, whom pulled herself out of life’s hardships time and time again. I take so much away from Maya Angelou’s words. As a woman myself I have only grown to see and feel the empowerment of being a woman and being surrounded by strong beautiful women. Every woman is phenomenal in their own aspects. We all deliver a different purpose to life. We are all deserving of love, understanding, support and to be seen and to be heard.
To be a woman and to love a woman is also a phenomenal feeling and beautiful way of human interaction. My oh my have I loved and studied the existence of a woman. Women are pure art. Simple as that. The art itself is not simple, in fact complete opposite. However, from the body structure to the complexion of their skin, to the way words roll of their tongue, to the feeling of their lips, to the way they dress, walk, live, love. It is art in human form. Not to mention that is just a small description of the outwards beauty, not even cutting close to the insides of a woman. Just know, to love and understand a woman, you must love and understand every crevice and hidden layer of her existence. Inside and out. Physically, emotionally and mentally. The levels of phenomenality is unmeasurable. You will be continuously astounded by the capabilities of women if you truly seek into the depths we offer. I am proud to be a phenomenal woman and I am proud to be a part of a phenomenal community that loves in all ways.