Language and defining ourselves Archives

“I talk to my mum a bit. My family I think are aware, but we don’t really talk about it much”
“I’ve chosen the clothes for a reason”
“I started out thinking I was cis and straight, like most people”
“I expect it to be respected the same as anyone else’s gender identity, no more, no less”
“The LGBTQ+ community is vibrant within my college, but is being drowned out when it comes to identity”
“A name isn’t everything”
“I’ve been through a lot and I think I’m pretty happy where I am”
“My name has changed over the years, because I felt I couldn’t identify as my birth name”
“It’s a joint venture between being non-binary and also being male”
“There was a time where I wasn’t at all comfortable with this and I was very sort of isolated”
“I’m still actually quite new, to be completely honest, it hasn’t been long”
“It’s hard, but generally person-to-person I’m accepted”
“Generally I identify as a girl, although some days I’m a little bit kind of not, so just like 97% girl or something”
“Some people don’t like labels, but for me being bi has been something that’s meant quite a lot to me”
“I’ve always kind of dressed like a tomboy since I was a kid. I hated girly things, but I’ve never really thought much of it”
“My school had a Stonewall award and I ended up running the LGBTQ+ group, so it was really great and really good fun. All of my teachers were completely supportive of me”
“If they know about it when they’re young, they won’t be horrible to people who are queer”
“Don’t worry if you don’t know, it might take you a while. It has taken me three years”
“I feel like there’s a lot of ‘It’s OK to be this, it’s OK to be whatever you want to be’ but they don’t say how”
“I think in this age and generation, nobody should be afraid to do anything”
“I do have a lot of transgender and gay friends. Sometimes I do talk to them about stuff like this, because I want to learn more. I want to make sure I understand it”
“I realised the things that made me identify as one or the other, were inherently really sexist“
“I don’t really mind what pronouns people use. I normally put ‘they’ on my sticker, because it’s easier than writing ‘whatever takes your fancy!”
“To show that solidarity is very important I think”
“I went to quite a religious school where it wasn’t really acceptable to talk about being gay”
“I feel happy with how I identify. I’ve got a lot of choice. That’s quite nice”
“I remember the one time I actually said to a group of people that I was straight and it was when I was really uncertain”
“I’d almost been out a year and so I wanted to feel like I was really part of the community and fully comfortable with my identity”
“I took a long time to figure out exactly what my gender was and I’d been questioning it for a very long time”
“It kind of changes how people think about you and how they act around you”
“I have to consider passing as male, so I don’t get horrifically mis-gendered everyday”
“I decided to come to Pride today because, number one, I am very rainbow”
“I’m getting kind of annoyed at the way that being a gay man is kind of seen as the most culturally valid form of being queer”
“I think we need to have, globally, acceptance of everyone and unknown identities, unknown genders”
“I feel like once I have chosen an identity, or found myself, I will be accepted”
“I want it to change that people don’t label people as soon as they see them”
“I thought I might try out male pronouns and that felt right”
“I was told by someone, well actually by a few people, that I am the most gay person they know”
“That’s just how they are, so I’m quite happy. It went as well as it could do I think”
“In Brighton, I think sexuality wise, it’s a lot more accepting ”
“Being part of this project has opened my mind to identities out there that I didn’t know existed. So I’m trying them on to see how they fit”
“This is just part of who I am and I should accept that. Everybody else should accept that and if they can’t, then that’s their problem”
“I guess it’s chill to realise that you can be androgynous and not just a stereotype of a girl”
“I feel super gay, but I like it.”