One of the biggest downsides to being raised within a religion was being a girl. From a very young age I recognized that boys and girls were treated differently, and to my four year old mind, the most obvious evidence of this was in the way we were expected to dress. I was expected to wear a dress or skirt with a nice blouse, clothing of which I loathed, especially when accompanied by tights and headbands. I thought I was very clever at one point when I discovered the skort, which is a pair of shorts with a wrap around it to make the shorts appear as a skirt. I wore that thing every Sunday until I outgrew it. Boys could wear trousers, the occasion nice pair of shorts, and a pressed shirt. They weren’t really expected to wear ties until they turned 12. As I grew older, I began to recognize the differences in our church activities from those of my guy friends (i.e. Achievement Days versu...