I don’t think anybody should ever “perform” a gender!
“Perform” in a sociological sense doesn’t mean inauthentic. It simply means to fulfill a societal role. We perform constantly. I do. You do. The author does. We perform as spouses, parents, children, siblings, professionals, leaders, followers, etc.
I was hesitant to wear pink or purple in high school for the same reasons. In college, though, I stopped caring. And as you say, they were good colors for my social life. :)
I have no problem with wearing pink at any time. Even though I don’t hunt, I do hike and often share the trail with hunters. I’d still prefer orange simply because I’m mildly red-green colorblind, and I can see orange more easily than pink.
Honestly? Less stress than it used to. Spending time with those who matter and no longer feeling guilty about it. Looking forward to longer days and more light.
The only real reason I can think to move is if your current instance is regularly down for extended periods or if a lot of other instances defederate it.
Language changes with time, not with birth year. While someone born in 1972 certainly has much more life experience and context than someone born in 2002, the question today will mean approximately the same thing to both.