Interview SK Smigiel

How have you experienced Femmephobia?

I have been told consistently throughout my gender journey that I am not nonbinary since I am so feminine. Each time I’m told this it becomes even more of a mission of mine to be femme representation for the non-binary community

What is your relationship with feminine expression?

I have always been inherently feminine, but it wasn't until I could house it in a neutral vessel that it felt comfortable for me to claim it Being in a body that was read as a woman made my femininity feel stifling Postop top surgery, my femininity is expansive and all encompassing I am lucky to have figured out that’s all I needed to do to harness my feminine power in a safe and comfortable way

How did your hate comment poetry start?

It started out as a therapeutic tool for me to work through the hatred I faced online I felt a sense of reclamation as I erased the hateful words and made beautiful messages out of them instead Once I started to share them with others, I realized how impactful the practice was from all of the amazing feedback I was getting I began opening up my hate comments to my followers so that they too could take part in this self and community care. Since then, I get thousands of weekly submissions and an endless amount of the same sentiment- this poem making is touching and moving!

What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?

People are always surprised to learn that I grew up with a Republican State Delegate as my dad Though our political views couldn’t have been any further apart, it taught me how to reason with and educate those with different belief systems than myself His career and my politically involved upbringing is a huge factor in the person I am today and why I choose to approach education in the way that I do. Not all folks think the same way, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t all come together to tolerate, accept, and love one another despite our differences

What's the best thing about your online community?

The safety it provides. I facilitated this community to provide others with the representation I couldn’t find online when I was first starting my gender journey I wanted to show someone out there who felt feminine but didn’t want the chest they were born with that it was valid and possible What I never anticipated was 40,000+ people joining me on that journey and providing me with a safe and loving community that I so desperately needed for myself, too.

How do you think the world would be different if genderpolicing did not exist?

There would be harmony that people don’t even know is lacking A world free of the binary (and all the expectations that come along with it) would be a much more equal one