Gender identity is a subject that most people believe is best left alone. It’s what many call “the elephant in the room”; people know it exists but no one wants to acknowledge it. On a school campus, especially a high school one, things can become particularly frustrating. People don’t use correct pronouns or address you as the name you wish to be called. Some do those things accidentally, some on purpose.
Transgender, which means a person whose self identity does not conform to conventional notions of male or female, is a more commonly known as non binary gender identity. There are many other forms of gender identity, such as agender (meaning without gender) and gender fluid (meaning a gender identity best described as a mix of boy and girl). There is also bi-gender, which means a tendency to move between male and female genders, and androgynous, which is a person who is partly male and partly female.
There is a large amount of people that identify themselves as a non-binary gender and these individuals are afraid to come out because of how cruel society is towards them. Many people fear the questions “Why did you choose this?”, “Was I a bad parent?”, “Is someone making you do this?”. The answers are usually short and simple: “No I didn’t chose this” , “You didn’t cause this”, “This is who I am; no one is making me do this”. Coming out is hard to do even if your parents are very accepting. Even if you do come out, there are still people at school who won’t accept the LGBT community. People at school are the worst because you see them every weekday and they stare, call you names, and judge you.
The worst thing about a non-binary gender identity is the depression and anxiety that comes along with it. Not everyone who identifies as a non binary gender is depressed though. I asked ten students about their views on gender identity; eight out of ten said they support it. Eight out of ten also said that they would use preferred pronouns for those who wish to be addressed by pronouns in opposition to their birth gender. For female to male (FTM) transgender males, they would use male pronouns (he, him, and his); for male to female (MTF) transgender females they would use female pronouns (she, her, and hers). For people who identify as bi-gender, gender fluid or agender pronouns such as “they”, “them”, or “theirs” would be used, with an exception for those who are bi-gender or gender fluid who could chose to go by any pronouns they wish. When I asked if they would support a friend if they came out as any non-binary gender, seven out of ten said yes.
A person’s gender identity should not be judged or questioned. If someone identifies as male but they feel comfortable wearing “female” clothing, that’s their choice. No one should be judged on what they choose to wear or act. No matter a person’s gender or sexuality, they’re still human. Not only do some straight people not support the people who identify as a non-binary gender, but other people of the LGBT community don’t always support them either. It’s ridiculous. I believe that if people have nothing positive to say about a person’s lifestyle, then they shouldn’t say anything about it. The last thing we need in the world is more negative judgement.
