I Don’t Have to Give You Anything

<![CDATA[<p style="text-align:auto"></p><figure><img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/84c03e_6b6708e126d6467e9604b6327cd8bd66~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_848,h_1272,al_c,q_80/file.png" width="848" height="1272" title="Image"></figure><p style="text-align:auto"></p><p style="text-align:auto">Everywhere I exist, online and in reality, escaping Gender Dysphoria and misgendering is nearly impossible. I actively place my pronouns in bios, comment sections, and even display names, but my efforts seem to be in vain.</p><p style="text-align:auto"></p><p style="text-align:auto">It’s tiring having to correct people on how to address me, especially when my pronouns are in all of my bios. I understand people don’t intentionally aim to hurt me, however, being called a man causes me to fixate on how I could surgically change my body to be more androgynous.</p><p style="text-align:auto">I fantasize about how I would feel without facial hair, broad shoulders, and without my deep voice. Would the world finally recognize me? Or would I continue to be viewed as a man? I know that my existence goes beyond a physical body. I still find myself with an intense desire to be seen as a non-binary person and not a man by those who look upon me.</p><p style="text-align:auto"></p><p style="text-align:auto">Every time I interact with people online and in real life, thoughts of discomfort and shame about how I present to them consume me.</p><p style="text-align:auto"></p><p style="text-align:auto">The discomfort I feel from being in this body is called Gender Dysphoria (An occurrence when there is a conflict between assigned gender at birth and the gender an individual identifies with). I feel this discomfort every day from friends, internet strangers, co-workers, and anyone else who chooses to speak to me. I feel shameful about my body, yet I don’t have to change it for anyone.</p><p style="text-align:auto"></p><p style="text-align:auto">The entire point of being non-binary is to exist without gender roles or binaries placed on gender. Having facial hair and hair anywhere else on my body does not invalidate how I identify. I deserve to feel liberated and not disgusted by my own body.</p><p style="text-align:auto">n</p><p style="text-align:auto"></p><p style="text-align:auto"></p>]]>