Omake 5.5: Me and My Club Activities

ME AND ME AGAIN / BOKU TO BOKU

ME AND MY CLUB ACTIVITIES

OMAKE 5.5 OF THE FANON STORY

After Asou-chan had filed her application for becoming a transfer student, and after she had her initial inperson interview with a school administrator, for the next several days, Asou-chan was able to wear her female sailor suit public high school uniform to school without anyone saying anything to her. Seems no one of the student body, except Yuuki and Izumi, or most of the teachers and administrators, knew that she was a Trans Girl, and both of her friends were as silent as a dead corpse ! In a couple of days, the school would be having their annual Club Exhibition day on Friday. There would be classes for half a day, then after lunchtime, the students were free to roam the school campus to investigate the official school clubs, if they so desired. Out on the track and field area, and in other areas on campus, all of the school's officially recognized clubs were to set up tent and booth displays, so as to recruit any members of the student body who were not now affiliated with a school club. All manner of clubs were to be represented; sports clubs, tech clubs, music clubs, science and research clubs, art clubs, drama and acting clubs, anime and manga clubs, and so many more.

Since Izumi and Yuuki were not members of any club this year so far, the two friends planned on going around the various booths and taking a look at what the clubs had to offer. Izumi, and to a lesser degree, Yuuki, quietly wanted to see if any of the clubs would be receptive to having a club member who was Transgender or Gender Non-conforming. So far, the school administration had been somewhat recalcitrant in allowing students to embrace diversity within the regular high school curriculum. However, the after school clubs had a degree of semi-autonomous status, that may allow such diverse students to be full members, while presenting themselves openly as their authentic gendered selves.

After lunchtime, Izumi and Yuuki made their way to the track and field area. Yet, within less than a half hour of beginning to make their way through the rows of booths, Izumi and Yuuki come upon Asou-chan. Of course, she was dressed in the female school uniform. Asou was adamant about that. Trans Girls are real girls, and should be allowed to wear the female uniform, end of story ! Yet for this Friday afternoon, she reasoned, being outside on campus, none of the students would probably would take notice of her anyway, other than an occasional boy ogling at her, given her obvious and inherent cuteness. Asou said that she came because she wants to know if this public school has a "GSA Club **(\*)**", like the private school that she used to attend did. The three friends decided to roam the club exhibition together. They agreed among themselves that they would not outright reveal their personal secrets about themselves, given that they did not how that information would be received by the club members. When they interacted with the clubs, they spoke only in generic or hypothetical terms.

Toward the end of the event, the three sat down on the bleachers to review with one another what they had found out, and to compare each one's impression of the various clubs. Viturally all of the clubs showed little or no interest in having a transgender or gender non-conforming student in their membership. Plus, Asou came to understand that this public school did not now, nor ever did have, a GSA Club. That was a real disappointment for her. Yet, Asou was not one to give up so easily. She suggested to Izumi and Yuuki to consider forming, along with her, this school's first GSA Club. A club wherein a person's core identity would be respected, and that would be a 'safe space' for students to hang out presenting themselves as their own mind, heart, and spirit has determined the correct identity and expression for themselves. Plus, the club may be able to advocacy work on behalf of trans students and others. Genuine student allys would also be welcomed into the club, too. The club would need at least five students to join and committ to the club, and an accepting Sensei would have to be found to sponsor the club.

Three founding members were already here, namely Asou, Izumi, and Yuuki. All three liked the idea of such a school club. Another three that the group met with and talked to would be the best candidates to potentially be club members. Izumi, still having to wear the male uniform, had noticed a teenage 'boy' from another class, who was wearing the female sailor suit school uniform this afternoon. They were quite shy, and were only looking at the club booths, without speaking to anyone. Turns out, it was the very first time that 'he' appeared in public wearing girl's clothing, and gave the impression to the friends that 'he' was also a male to female transgender teenager. 'He' had "borrowed" the female school uniform from his younger sister. This new girl, who had just did a "Coming Out" was named was Rento, and although being emotionally guarded, they seemed to be at ease talking with Izumi. Later, Yuuki noticed a girl, who like herself, was presenting as noticeably masculine. She was born female, but grew up very much a tomboy. Now, she considers herself as Gender Non-conforming. She has to wear the female school uniform, but by choice wears boy clothes all the time. Today for the exhibition, she changed out of her school unform, and into boy clothes that she is more comfortable in. Her name was Aishi, and she was already a member of the Archery Club. For her part, Asou talked a long time to a member of the Anime and Manga Club, a boy who loves to cross-cosplay (a male who dresses and presents as female anime characters). His name was Tamaki, and today he was cross-cosplaying as a maid at the Anime and Manga club tent. He confided that he has for quite some time been questioning his gender assumptions about himself, and found that cross-cosplaying has helped him to understand his unorthodox attitude toward his gender expression. Tamaki says that they do not necessarily want to transition from male to female, but feels the need to regularly change back and forth between male and female presentations. Asou mentioned that the term for that is 'Bigender' **(#)**. He was unfamiliar with the term, but said that sounds like a good description of his inward feelings about himself. All three shared their "Line" (social media) information with Asou.

The next school day, the Monday after the Club Exhibition, Asou-chan was called to the administration office for her acceptance interview to become a Transfer Student. She wore her female uniform, as she always had been doing. The interview when well, more or less, and she was acceped into the public school. However, the administrator seemed to Asou to be sour and uncomfortable around her. Near the end of the interview, the administrator told Asou that {he} had to begin wearing the male school uniform, because someone in the office noticed that the new female transfer student had an "M" on {his} official school records. This did not sit well with Asou, and she skipped the next couple of days of school and stayed home. Not one to take rejection of her Gender Identity lightly, at home Asou reviewed and studied not only her application, but the school's administrative rules regarding the procedure of admitting transfer students. Happily, she found a reciprocity loophole that would allow her to continue to wear a female school uniform.

The next day, Asou was introduced to the homeroom class that she was assigned to as a new Transfer Student. Asou was wearing her female school uniform *from the private school that she used to attend*! The homeroom teacher said nothing in front of the class about that, or Asou's 'male' designation on her public school profile. However, at lunch break, Asou was called into the administrative office. There, she was repramanded by a transphobic school official for not wearing the male school uniform today, like she was told to do. She was threatened with revocation of her transfer permit and expulsion, until she pointed out in the school's own rules and official procedures that a new transfer student *would be allowed to wear **the school uniform of their former school for up to 60 days**, while they obtain a set of school uniforms for the present school that they had been admitted to and would be attending*! The private, exclusive school that Asou had attended allowed her to wear the female school uniform, a shirt and necktie, a jacket, a godet-style mini-skirt, and over-the-knee stockings. Vexed and fuming, the transphobic school official had to admit the rules would allow Asou to wear the female school uniform from the private school, at least for the time being.

That afternoon, Yuuki saw Asou in the hallway. Asou explained to Yuuki what had happened to her regarding her transfer to this school, and specifically the uniform issue. Curious, Yuuki wanted to know why she is going to such measures as staying away from school over the uniform issue ? Adamant, Asou explains that she was freely allowed to wear the female school uniform at her former private school. So why should she have to backpedal at this school, and wear the male uniform, just because she was born perceived as a male ? No can do ! Still smarting from the ordeal that the transphobic school official had put her through, Asou redoubled her plans and efforts to correct this discriminatory situation at this public school.

In the next couple of days, Asou had a charter drawn up for the proposed club, and a list of students would commit to the club, seven in all. When Josei found out about the proposed club, he asked if he could join as an ally ? Asou though about it for the rest of the day, then apporved his request. This, provided that he behaves himself when he becames a member, or she would kick him out pronto ! She submitted it to the homeroom Sensei (teacher) for consideration, as well as asking him if he would sponsor the club ? Unfortunately, he declined to sponsor, as he felt that there is no need for such a club, as there are no such persons as transgender persons. A setback, but that only made Asou all the more determined to work to establish the GSA Club. With the friends asking around the next few days, surprisingly, it was Josei who found that the assistant librarian was willing to sponsor, as she was favorable toward transgender students and their concerns. Next, Asou submitted the charter and sponsorship to the Student Counsel President, for review by the full Student Counsel Board. Another disappointment followed the voting of admission of the club by the Student Board. The vote went 5-4 in favor of rejecting the application and charter, with one student Board Member, spewing out misinformation about transgender people, and speaking outright transphobia. "Birth sex is immutable ! There is no such thing as a Gender Identity ! Your mind doesn't rule your body, your body rules your mind ! 'Confused' people about their gender need "conversion and raparative therapy" to change their gender !" It seemed that the GSA Club was 'dead in the water'.

It took a while for Asou, Isumi, Yuuki, and the others to regroup and try again to establish the club. At her home, Asou sat down with her Father, explaining about changing schools, and wanting to start up a GSA club, just like the club at the private school. He listened intently to all that Asou had to say, then promised that he would look into the matter to see if something could be done to facilitate the club. About two weeks later, a rather surprising and unexpected event happened regarding the Student Counsel Board. The transphobic student Board Member suddenly, without warning, resigned, and then transferred out of the public school. It all happened so fast, and very little was said by anyone as to why it had happened. The Student Counsel President immediately appointed another upperclassman to become the new Board Member. The President then told Asou to resubmit her request for the GSA Club.

The Board Members voted on the club petition the next day, with the Board meeting room packed with concerned students from the student body who felt the need for the GSA Club. Several students were allowed to speak before the Student Board, with all, except one dissenter from the Political Club, voicing approval of the GSA Club. The Board then took a vote and the club petition passed with a 5-4 vote in favor of admitting the new club into the high school. Hurray ! Also at the same Board Meeting, the Student Board voted 8-1 to disband the hard-core, right-wing Evangelical Political Club. Not only was the club, and the transphobic school official that was the sponsor, a high school and public health risk by proclaiming that the CIVID 19 virus was a shadowy hoax, the club was constantly disseminating fake news, disinformation, and outright transphobia and hate speech toward transgender students and others. Once the Evangelical Political Club had vacated their luxury 'penthouse' style clubroom, it was offered to the GSA Club to use as their official club headquarters.

One of the first projects of the new GSA Club was to request a variance to the school rules enforcement that males wear the male school uniform, and females wear the female school uniform based on "birth sex". The GSA Club submitted addmendments to the school rules, saying that transgender and non-conforming students, who were approved club members, and had been examined and designated as such by the University Gender Therapist, could wear the uniform that matches their correct Gender Identity or Gender Expression, instead of being forced to go by their so-called "birth sex". Plus, the school consession store would be allowed to sell the uniform that matches the GSA Club member student's Gender Identity and/or Gender Expression without restrictions. On the day of the vote on the new admendments, a Friday morning, the GSA Club brought in the Gender Therapist from the local University to make a presentation to the entire Student Board as to why such a variance was needed. When the school uniform proposals were voted on by the Board, it passed with a 7-2 majority. Asou, who never did consent to wearing the male school uniform, now could openly wear the public school's female sailor suit school unform, as long as she abided by the club's new school addmendments. Within a week, the club members saw the fruits of their advocacy. Izumi and Rento obtained female school uniforms, and began wearing them to school every day. Aishi could wear the male uniform if she wanted to, and probably would. Takuro, the Bigender student **(#)**, could wear either the male or the female uniform on a day to day basis, according to their conscience and good judgement.

That Friday afternoon, in the new GSA Clubroom, there was a celebration pizza party for all club members. Asou-chan had been agreed upon to be the President of the Club. Yuuki and Tamaki would be, along with the club President, an administrative board of three to handle the various functions of the club. Izumi was appointed the Treasurer. Aishi and Rento would form a membership committee, to vet prospective new members, and make recommendations to the University Gender Therapist. Josei was appointed the janitor amd procurment officer of the luxury clubroom. Talking and having fun with her club members, eating pizza, and enjoying the accomplishments of the last several weeks, Asou-chan silently told herself that she came to the public school to be near the person that she was romantically attracted to, namely Yuuki. However, another attraction engulfed her, the need to protect the rights of transgender students at this public high school, and the establishment of the GSA Club to do such a noble and righteous quest.

(End Omake 5.5)

**Omake Lookback, Commentary, and Opinion**

**(\*) GSA style clubs**

Variously known as,

Gay / Straight Alliance

Gender and Sexuality Alliance

And in this short story,

**Gender Self-identity Advocacy**

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**(#)**Bigender

**Bigender, bi-gender or dual gender** is a Gender Identity that includes any two gender identities and behaviors. Some bigender individuals express two distinct personas, which may be feminine, masculine, agender, androgyne, or other gender identities; others find that they identify as two genders simultaneously. It is recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA) as a subset of the transgender group. Identifying as bigender is typically understood to mean that one identifies as both male and female or *moves between a masculine gender expression and a feminine gender expression, with little or no middle ground*, or both.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigender

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Click on Chapter 8: Me and My Suspicions to be taken to the next chapter.

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