By 
We live in a world where in some countries it’s possible to identify as another gender although one’s biological sex is not of that gender for instance, a person with a penis may identify as a female later in their life although not assigned that gender at birth. And with medical treatment and procedures, one can even transition physically to the other gender.
Many persons genuinely believe that they were born in the wrong bodies or because of their sexual orientation they may feel more comfortable identifying or transitioning to the other gender/sex. However, for others due to gender norms and expectations, the ‘benefits’ that come with being male far outweigh that of being female.
Since my early childhood, I realised that I live in an environment where not only are people obsessed with the vagina but it is used as the primary excuse to oppress women and girls.
The vagina defines the female
I’ve been labelled all my life and grew up seeing girls and women being labelled by how ‘morally clean’ they were perceived to be. A good girl was one without interest in the opposite sex or socialising with peers; being housebound, antisocial and asexual were seen as ideal.
Because of the vagina females are limited
As an Indo-Guyanese female, I was born restricted and countless brown females are subjected to the same restrictions because they were ‘unfortunate’ to be born with vaginas. The patriarchal culture, traditional gender roles and norms are to be blamed but of course, the way females are treated differs from family to family and their experiences vary.
Growing up, I spent most of my free time in my room reading or in front of the television. As a ‘girl child’ I was not allowed the same level of freedom my brothers had. For instance, I had to ask in advance to go to the library and if given permission my brother(s) had to accompany me. Another time I sulked for weeks because I wasn’t allowed to go on a camping activity which was organised by the church. And extra-curricular activities were non-existent, the high school offered nothing apart from 1 hour of PE (Physical Education) per week in Grades 7-9 that was basically doing a few jumping jacks and ‘bend and touch your toes’. I was interested in learning Indian classical dance but going to dance classes was beyond the ‘freedom’ I was allowed.
Social interactions were limited; of course, talking to boys was frowned upon and even interactions between girls, with most little girls including myself, deemed ‘’whoring’ or ‘too wild’ for their daughters to play with by the ‘protective’ adults, particularly women. The ‘wise’ adults believed that a good girl was one who spent the majority of her time in the home learning to cook and clean; only leaving this haven for school or to visit a place of worship.
Females are vilified because of the vagina
Is a male ever called a whore or have his self-worth directly linked to how promiscuous he is perceived to be with being a virgin/asexual seen as ideal? While the penis is viewed as ‘clean’ and males glorified or called studs for being virile females on the other hand are conditioned to view their vaginas are inherently dirty and taboo; and are forced to suppress their sexuality. Countless brown girls are conditioned to believe that their worth, acceptance in society and ‘goodness’ are linked to their virginity or lack thereof. And if they’ve had one too many boyfriends or are perceived to be ‘loose’ girls or women they’re automatically supposed to feel guilty as if carrying a mountain of miasma on their backs and ‘know’ that they’re not marriage material.
Better to be a brown male?
For most people not saddled with the intricacies of human biology and psychology, the difference between a male and a female is the presence of a vagina or penis and this determines one’s faith from birth. In patriarchal societies, gender roles and norms along with level of freedom allowed are set in stone. Many brown females live a life of restrictions both physically and intellectually just because they were ‘unfortunately’ born with vaginas.
