Eighth grade Global Civics class,
we were talking about gender.
I was in the chair in the corner.
The boys were being idiots,
and the girls were getting tired.
Adam said that boys were better,
and the rest of the boys agreed.
I was mostly quiet, but all the other
boys were talking. They thought
I was a boy, and I agreed.
I said: “it’s called human kind,
not huwoman kind.” Adam said,
“yeah! It’s called human kind,
not huwoman kind,”
and he gave me a fist bump.

I cried later that day in the bathroom,
and I wasn’t sure why.