When I talk with boys about things I like

I get laughs

because somewhere between Doctor Who

and the Marvel Universe

it became wrong for a girl to like these things.

A boy I knew from art class informed me that liking

Captain America's actor was not the same

as liking the comic book character

and that because girls had to love boys with abs

that had to be the only reason I liked him.

I shut my mouth and bit my lip

so as to not yell that I knew Steve Rogers

just as well as any other fan and that just because I identify as female

does not make my interests any less than his.

I never said this.

But I wanted to.

My words were my only weapon

My friends stayed silent beside me

the smirk on his face, victorious

as if he hadn't just spat in our faces

and laughed at our expense.

I said none of these things

because I was taught to be quiet

to never yell

and sure as the sun rises in the sky

don't curl your hands into fists and let them fly.

But I wanted to