The Gender Tag Project

[Dutch Lock Down Day Three Hundred Twenty Nine]

The Gender Tag Project is a YouTube “tag” video that encourages individuals to answer a set of ten prompts relating to their experience with gender in the form of a YouTube video.

But first the news:

• Loneliness, lack of motivation are major problems for students
• Tens of thousands of Dutch still have Covid symptoms months later
• Coronavirus-proof concerts: 1.300 people in Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome

The Gender Tag is a project for everyone. Gender is a part of the human experience, and every single person experiences gender in a different way. The Gender Tag prompts cover topics that range from gender identity to gender expression and gender roles, and are aimed at creating conversation about each individual’s own understanding of gender.

The goal of The Gender Tag Project is to compile videos from trans and cis people, nonbinary people, queer and straight people, men and women and people of other genders, people from different cultures and classes, with different ability statuses, different romantic orientations and so on. The more different types of people that contribute to The Gender Tag Project, the more diverse and more complete the experience of viewing it will be. Everyone lives a gendered life, and not everyone is talking about how that affects their lives and informs their views – that needs to change.

The Gender Tag prompts are both general and broad, giving participants final authority over where they take the answers. For many people, the performance of gender is something they know and understand well, and think about every single day; for others, this might be their first time thinking about it in an active way. The Gender Tag project hopes to make conversation about gender more accessible, and to provide information and education for those who may not fully understand how others experience gender, or how gender affects the world we live in.

The Gender Tag Prompts

1. How do you self-identify your gender, and what does that definition mean to you?
2. What pronouns honor you?
3. Describe the style of clothing that you most often wear.
4. Talk about your choices with body hair. How do you style your hair? Do you have facial hair? What do you choose to shave, or choose not to shave?
5. Talk about cosmetics. Do you choose to wear makeup? Do you paint your nails? What types of soaps and perfumes do you use if any?
6. Have you experienced being misgendered? If so, how often?
7. Do you experience dysphoria? How does that affect you?
8. Talk about children. Are you interested in having children? Would you want to carry a child if that were an option for you? Do you want to be the primary caretaker for any children you may have?
9. Talk about money. Is it important to you to provide for a family financially if you choose to have one? Is it important to you that you earn more than any partner you may have? Do you prefer to pay for things like dates? Are you uncomfortable when others pay for you or offer to pay for you?
10. Anything else you want to share about your experience with gender?