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Hope the Gender Variant Chicken

from The Wonders of Female Strength by Bicycle Face

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about

Is Hope a boy? Is Hope a girl? Is Hope somewhere in between? Nobody knows! Not even Hope knows, because Hope is a chicken, and has more important things to do than think about gender, like scratch around and look for food, lay eggs, and defend other chickens. Hope was the first gender variant chicken that I ever met, but as I visited more farms I heard the same story over and over again. When a bunch of hens (female chickens) are in a roost together, one of them will take on more masculine characteristics, becoming more dominant and protective, and even growing a comb and spurs that look more like a rooster's than a hen's. However, they keep doing hen things too, like laying eggs. I write songs about gender variant animals to remind us that there is not any set standard of what it means to be a "boy" or "girl" in nature, that animals are totally OK with letting other animals express their gender in whatever way feels good for them, it's only humans that make other people (and sometimes animals) feel like their gender isn't "normal" or "natural." It's important to respect everyone, whether they are "he" or "she," "they" or "ze!"

lyrics

Well if you visit Santa Cruz you'll find Autumn working hard
Taking care of chickens in her own backyard
There's Dusty, Curtis, Chester, Birdy Girdy and Begonia
And Leslie, Logan, Cluckles, Andrea and Vidalia
But the most special one of all I have yet to mention
Their name is Hope, a gender variant chicken
Hope took the parts of gender that they liked best
And added some of this and that and took out all the rest

They've got a comb like a rooster
And some masculine spurs
But they lay eggs like a chicken
And nest like a girl
Some people think that gender's only blue or pink
But even barnyard creatures think that idea really stinks

You can wear a dress and play machines all day
Or wear Carhartts and boots
While ya do ballet
And if people don't like the clothes that you're pickin
Just tell em bout Hope, the gender variant chicken!

They've got a comb like a rooster
And some masculine spurs
But they lay eggs like a chicken
And nest like a girl
Hope took the parts of gender
That they liked best
And added some of this and that and took out all the rest
HEY!!

credits

from The Wonders of Female Strength, released March 15, 2016

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Bicycle Face Seattle, Washington

Back when bicycles were first invented, doctors told women that if they raced on their bicycles, their face would get stuck in a strained-looking, bulgy-eyed mess. Thankfully, we have disproved this theory, and our bicycle faces are all smiles!
Bicycle Face is a musical project by Lichen & Evan. We believe that it's important to teach history so that children know that they can change the future!
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