0:00:00.000,0:00:01.357 Even if you don’t understand, 0:00:01.357,0:00:03.351 you can still support us[br]and stand with us. 0:00:03.351,0:00:06.006 Our identity is valid and it exists. 0:00:06.006,0:00:09.092 [Testimonies:[br]Non-binary identity.] 0:00:09.092,0:00:11.282 My name is Cami[br]I’m 22 years old, non-binary, 0:00:11.282,0:00:13.191 and I’m here to speak [br]about non-binary identity. 0:00:13.191,0:00:14.961 Non-binary is an umbrella term 0:00:14.961,0:00:17.078 that encompasses all gender identities 0:00:17.078,0:00:20.575 that are neither totally masculine,[br]nor totally feminine. 0:00:20.575,0:00:24.392 It can include agender identity, [br]meaning “without gender” 0:00:24.392,0:00:27.409 which is neutral[br]or it can be all fluid identities. 0:00:27.409,0:00:30.841 Imagine if we placed gender[br]on a two-sided spectrum 0:00:30.841,0:00:34.402 the masculine and the feminine:[br]you can move across that spectrum. 0:00:34.402,0:00:37.845 These include individuals [br]identifying as gender fluid, demi-gender, 0:00:37.845,0:00:39.315 pangender, etc. 0:00:39.315,0:00:42.035 I’ve never identified with [br]a feminine identity. 0:00:42.035,0:00:47.544 At 18, I already started[br]questioning my gender identity 0:00:47.544,0:00:51.544 and I was in a relationship [br]with a trans man 0:00:51.544,0:00:54.796 and we were able to put [br]my identity into words, 0:00:54.796,0:00:56.534 which ended up being non-binary. 0:00:56.534,0:00:59.187 I think it’s because he had[br]more information than me 0:00:59.187,0:01:03.267 that he was able to help me [br]figure out my identity. 0:01:03.267,0:01:05.342 Gender identity is what we are. 0:01:05.342,0:01:09.089 It’s the gender we feel, [br]we live, and we experience. 0:01:09.089,0:01:13.169 Gender expression is[br]is how we show our identity to others. 0:01:13.169,0:01:15.876 It’s the way we express our identity. 0:01:15.876,0:01:19.484 For example, someone can have [br]a masculine identity: 0:01:19.484,0:01:22.832 they are a man, [br]and they can have a gender expression 0:01:22.832,0:01:26.313 that is feminine, with many traits[br]that society considers feminine. 0:01:26.313,0:01:30.563 For example, Bilal Hassani, is a man [br]with a feminine gender expression. 0:01:30.803,0:01:36.829 I told my parents that I was non-binary[br]and that I wanted to change my name. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I was 20 years old, [br]this was two years ago. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 My mom took it well. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 She was very well-informed [br]on matters of gender. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 She was pretty open and very safe. [br]I felt safe telling her. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 With my dad, things were more delicate. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I took longer to come out to him[br]and I didn’t do it in person. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I send him a text,[br]because it as easier for me to manage. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He reacted pretty well. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He told me that [br]he didn’t understand everything, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but that he was there to support me,[br]and that it changed nothing for him, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he loved me anyways. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 For my grandma, it was a little tricky,[br]because it was a foreign concept to her. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 She grew up in the countryside [br]and then moved to Paris. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 She lived with my grandpa for 50 years. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 She lived in a very [br]heteronormative society, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 where she never questioned her identity,[br]or that of others. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 When I told her, she was a bit lost, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but she always did her best[br]at being understanding with me. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 She makes a lot of effort and rarely[br]uses the wrong pronouns with me. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I applied to change my name in 2019. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I applied to my city hall. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I completed an application [br]with statements from my loved ones 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 who explained that they used the [br]name “Cami” when speaking to me. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I also asked my school [br]for a letter of support. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 After that, I submitted my application.[br]I waited a few months, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It depends on the city hall,[br]and then my name change was approved. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The concept of misgendering someone[br]is addressing a person 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and not using their preferred pronouns.[br]For example: 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Using masculine or feminine pronouns[br]when speaking to a non-binary individual 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 who had explicitly told you that [br]they preferred gender-neutral pronouns, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 such as “they/them.” 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I use feminine pronouns when speaking [br]and neutral ones when writing. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It’s true that, generally, [br]I have a tendency to tell everyone 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that I prefer them to use [br]feminine pronouns when they address me. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 If a person doesn’t do this and you want [br]to be sure to use to correct pronouns, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 you can always ask which ones they use[br]or wait for them to tell you, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in order to respect their identity. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 There have been many comments[br]on videos I’ve appeared in 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that invalidate our identities and negate[br]our gender expression and identity. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I read very few of these comments,[br]because I know that most of them 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 are written by people [br]who are malicious or very inconsiderate 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and they just do it to hurt me. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I’ve participated in a story in which [br]people said that my identity was a fad, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 appearing in the United States [br]in the last 10 years, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and that it really had to do with fashion,[br]such as unisex clothing. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 That’s totally false. I also thing that [br]it’s a very white 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and Eurocentric point of view,[br]because in many cultures, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 there are numerous gender identities[br]that have been totally erased 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 during colonization. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Often, we hear that it's problematic[br]and difficult to create 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 more and more categories[br]to identify or reidentify ourselves with, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but I think it’s very important to have[br]a way to identify ourselves with something 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in order to move away from the identity[br]that was assigned to us at birth. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I also think it’s necessary because [br]it enables people to find their community, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to create links, to know that we are[br]not alone, that there is support, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that there are others like us,[br]that will understand and listen to us. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 If I had one thing to say[br]it would be that, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 even if you don’t understand us[br]you can still support and stand with us. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 You can learn, you can undo[br]normative thinking. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 You can inform yourself and help 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 your loved ones, [br]even if you don’t understand 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 everything to do with [br]their gender identity. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Secondly is that non-binary people[br]express their identity in different ways. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 There are some who may[br]medically transition, take hormones, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or undergo operations, but others won’t. [br]Regardless of they way someone 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 transitions, or not, socially,[br]medically etc., 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 our identity is legitimate. It exists and[br]we are many.