As a special boy, I have been labeled as "girly." 

I don't want to express my trauma because I don't think the word "girly" is pejorative. I want to say that I noticed that many people use the word "girl" or "girly" as negative words to slander others. This phenomenon is common. I don't want to "defile" the word, girl. Moreover, I found that gender inequality is deeply hidden in some mindsets.

I want to start with a piece of news. Billy Witz from The New York Times reports that the video from Sedona Princes makes the unfairness to women in the basketball game public. This report shows that women didn't receive the same treatment as male players. The news triggers my further reflection on real life.

Have you ever heard similar comments, especially in sports teams, such as "why do you play like girls" or "how can you lose to girls"? These judgments may be commonplace and not wrong. However, I don't think so. 

Do these words unconsciously underestimate women? 

We can see that it's easy to regard women as a weaker group than men. Like the news, the public doesn't think that women can play a male-dominated sport, which leads to this indifference and unequal treatment. I think gender stereotypes are outdated. In many fields, girls are very talented and hard-working. I don't want to regard women as the "bottom line" of being a man.

Thinking about our norm, it's easy to connect powerfulness with boys and connecting softness with girls. 

I don't think gender is related entirely to personalities. Each individual is unique. There are both soft boys and strong girls. They also exist in this world and make the world more vibrant. A particular personality cannot be synonymous with a specific gender.

Moreover, I am worried about the LGBTQ+ community, mental health, and school bullying issues. Madeleine Roberts from Human Right Campaign reports that LGBTQ+ and transgender students show higher exposure to bullying. 

I regard that LGBTQ + communities are brave enough to break gender prejudice and be themselves. I support everyone to develop their personality, but people with "opposite gender characteristics" or LGBTQ+ communities are particularly vulnerable to bullying.

But, what's wrong with being yourself?

I hope that everybody can realize the importance of respecting everyone's uniqueness. I don't want people to suppress others' individuality to force them in line with specific standards. The long-term suppression may lead to more school bullying and mental illnesses.

Girly is never a pejorative word for me.

I speak up this time to at least give some people the courage to be themselves and let people get rid of prejudices.