@b.u.o.y

Believe it or not, I have spent much of my life attempting to conform. Attempting to fit into one of the two categories that were set out before me. My own identity did not match it’s own expression. My outside did not match my inside. For a long, long time I learned to live with the dull ache of something being wrong. Living out my life in the wrong box. Being forced into mens changing rooms and mens toilets. A low hum of constant fear and dysphoria. No one should have to live this way. Now I realise that I actually have a choice. And I choose to be happy, to be authentically and unashamedly my self, to be proud of who I am and to express myself fully. Despite the fact that it is dangerous. Despite the risk of being heckled or misgendered, spat at, hit or abused. I choose to be me. To be free. To not live in fear. To live vibrantly. I choose not to hide. I choose joy. Because what is life without it? However, one thing I did not choose is my gender, or lack of it. I am not “Sir”. I am not “Madam”. I am non-binary. I am trans gender. I am neither and yet I am both. I am gender-fluid and gender-non-conforming. I am queer. My preferred pronouns are ‘they/them’. Despite how hard it is for you to remember. Despite how hard it is for you to comprehend. We all make mistakes but it really is the thought that counts. The effort. The acknowledgement. And the maybe getting it right next time. Whilst you might not understand why, these words make me feel, understood, accepted and acknowledged. Today is International Non-Binary People’s Day of Visibility I encourage you to celebrate your individuality. Let’s normalise the use of pronouns, gender neutral language and inclusivity 🏳️‍⚧️ Love yas x #NonBinaryPeoplesDay #nonbinary #nonbinarypride #🦞