I Came Out as Nonbinary Too Soon
How I posted it on social media before I was ready and how it surprised even me
Note: I’d previously published this piece, but deleted it recently out of fear of the current political climate. I’ve decided I do not want to hide who I am anymore and so I am re-posting it now.
I’ve been thinking about gender identities for 25+ years. I had a friend in college who was transgender, and being around her got me thinking about gender and biological sex and how both of them are not binary like we are taught they are.
Over the years I’ve tried to be a trans ally, but I can’t say that I was because it’s not like I was doing any activism or advocacy. Gender was on my mind a lot and that’s about as far as it got.
I’m chronically ill, and autistic so I stay in a lot. I don’t get out much. “Nonbinary” as a gender umbrella term or as an identity wasn’t really on my radar until 7 years ago. I was in the midst of another partial hospital psychiatric program, this time due to being eating disordered (but I wasn’t ready to get help, that came later), and I met a young person who identified as nonbinary.
At the time I didn’t understand why someone would identify as such. Why would they feel that way? What did that feel like? I was intrigued, though…
