Gender

In terms of his gender, Tyson is definitely male, but it’s not a strong part of his identity.

Tyson is Jewish. Getting him to admit it is like pulling blood from a stone, but Tyson is polyamorous, romantically bi, and sexually gay. Tyson is loyal to a fault.Tyson is a scholar in his heart of hearts, endlessly curious, and a mathematical prodigy. Tyson is Icarus. Tyson is too stubborn to die. Tyson is a walking contradiction.

Those are facts. Core tenants of his character. Male is very much an afterthought in his identity. It shaped who he is certainly, and events with Tyson’s father and The Colonel would have played out incredibly differently if he weren’t male, but equally, it’s not a part of Tyson that matters to him.

Masculinity verses Femininity

Though self-conscious about his appearance in not looking masculine enough, Tyson isn’t concerned about being too feminine. Tyson is often more concerned with what he should be, rather than what he shouldn’t be.

The idea that he shouldn’t be gay doesn’t get under Tyson’s skin and cause him guilt as much as the idea that he should be straight, and isn’t. He doesn’t care that he shouldn’t side with criminals, but Tyson does care that he should be a better role model for his nephew and - eventually - for his godson.

Tyson can barely tolerate shorts so the idea of getting him into a dress is a fool’s errand, but he has no problem with the idea of wearing women’s clothes. He is proud of how good he is at applying make-up and nail polish. He hates knitting, but that’s an objection to the clacking sound of the needles rather than crafts being too feminine, and he’s decent sewer.

His issues with his masculinity are more around his appearance rather than his hobbies. Tyson’s self-esteem issues around his appearance, his scars and looking like a carbon copy of his father, are complicated and difficult to separate into individual issues, but being smooth chested and not overly muscled has been a part of them since Tyson was a teenager.