Guest post by "Nestor Notabilis" I....well broadly speaking I agree: in the West. And I thought the same thing looking at the comic. I was never bullied or hit for my 'tom boy' tendencies but being a 'sissy' was a different story and it's an important point to make but-
I grew up in the Middle East, the kind of place where a man has a legal right to beat his wife. And yes anyone assigned male and expressing differently would be dead. But anyone assigned female and displaying such 'masculine' qualities as speaking their mind, going out alone, or even having a job, going to school can be beaten to death for it. Often by their families. Or just beaten until they don't do it anymore which is a longer slower death. That might seem off topic when the setting here is (I'm guessing) American but this comic makes me think about that a lot, think about home. And it makes me wonder how much my own masculinity my own gender-questioning is rooted in that background.
The West has a different sort of discrimination. Here....it's like being male is a plus rather than being female is a minus. So if a female assigned person starts acting different it's almost like 'oh well obviously she wants that plus' whereas when it's the other way around it's almost seen as throwing something away.
Sorry that was long, rambley and just one person's take. Damn writer does a good job that we're both getting all this thought from one strip.
