Now these days it is much more common for me to be misidentifed as male, as you can see in this list of things I am often mistaken for:
1. a man
2. a Canadian
3. a Canadian man*
which means that lately any issues with my national identity have been put on the backburner**. But when the hairdresser became one of the countless people in my life who have posed this question to me, I realized I needed to address the issue.
It baffles me. Hockey is my least favorite sport and I can't figure out where I would have picked up this subtle Northern North American accent. But I kind of like being Canadian. It makes me feel special. It lets me be different, but not in a way that causes awkward situations. I've never gotten looks that say, "Why are you, a Canadian, in the American bathroom?"
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*This is less common because most gender judgments are made before hearing my at least somewhat-feminine voice while most Canadian judgments are made after hearing my at least somewhat-feminine voice (with it's oddly Canadian pronunciation).
** Although I accidentally turned on the front burner instead when I went to boil them.
