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Being Non-Binary Politicized Me
An urgency to speak out on behalf of my new LGBTQ+ community amid the real prospect of a second Trump presidency
Leaning left on the political spectrum, as an introvert I’ve usually kept my opinions to myself. The pandemic’s alone time allowed me to explore where I fit on a different spectrum: gender identity. After much thought and therapy, now I know why I’ve felt different since adolescence. I’m non-binary, and I have renounced my white cis male privilege.
At my mother’s funeral in 2017, an older cousin who I hadn’t seen in more than 40 years told me I could still be the hippie, something I admired about him and his brother during those long ago Thanksgivings. Then two years later at my dad’s funeral, a different cousin noted how much I looked like my mother, which turned out to be a eureka moment that resulted in my non-binary awakening.
Perhaps it was my hidden enby self that taught me empathy for those at a disadvantage or under attack. I now feel protective of my adopted LGBTQ+ community of like-minded individuals, instead of pretending to be someone I’m not. This political awakening goes far beyond sexual attraction or gender identity. The right has taken away fundamental reproductive and voting rights, and a national abortion ban could easily happen if the…
