A friend recently said not to take it personally. I love her brain and how she often finds hope where I don’t. In this case it was hard to capture how it is so integrally personal.

I am non-binary and pansexual, these parts of my identity colour my whole worldview. I knew from a young age ,to say the often made fun of phase, I wasn’t like other girls. I was different, and that difference meant questioning the rules I thought the world had set out for me including gender roles, what relationships are supposed to look like and how my life path might look different than the template I was expected to follow. This led to questioning everything else too. This became the frame for every moment.  It is intensely personal.

I know often the queerness is scary because if other accept that one deviation how do we define ourselves? How do we find safety with no template? Yet, we do. We find safety in uplifting, in having pride and showing it even when that is actually risky. I can feel more at home in my body because I am owning it. It is personal and scary for anyone who isn’t ready to question all the things. I get it but I’ll keep being scary in finding my own safety.