Even if you don’t understand, you can still be there for us.
Our identity is valid.
It's real and it matters.
I'm Camille, I'm 22, non-binary.
I'm here to talk to you about non-binarity.
Non-binarity is an umbrella term for gender identities
beyond male/female.
That could mean being agender,
having no gender, being neutral.
Or identities that shift.
Imagine gender as a spectrum with male and female poles.
Some people move along the spectrum.
Like genderfluid, demigender, pangender people, and so on.
I never really felt connected to femininity.
At 18, I began questioning my gender identity.
I met a trans man I was with for a while,
and together we found the words to name my identity: non-binary.
He had more knowledge than I did,
so he helped me find the words.
Gender identity is who we are.
It’s how we feel and experience.
Gender expression is what we show to others.
It's how we express our gender identity.
Someone might identify as male,
but express their gender in a feminine way
with markers seen as feminine in society.
Like Bilal Hassani, a man with a feminine gender expression.
I told my parents I was non-binary.
I also said I wanted to change my name.
I was 20, so that was two years ago.
My mom took it really well,
as she was already aware of gender issues.
She was open-minded and supportive.
I felt really safe.
With my dad, it was a bit harder.
I took longer to talk to him about it.
I didn’t tell him in person.
I messaged him, it was easier that way.
He took it pretty well.
He didn’t get it all, but he’d still be there to support me.
It changed nothing for him, he still loved me.
It was tougher with my grandma
because this was all new to her.
She grew up rural and moved to Paris.
She lived with my grandfather for 50 years.
Her world was cis-heteronormative,
never questioning gender identities.
When I told her, she was a bit shocked.
But she always tried to treat me the best she could.
She’s made a huge effort.
She almost never gets my chosen name wrong now.
I requested a name change in 2019.
I applied at the town hall where I was living.
I picked up a form and filled it out
with testimonials from loved ones who used “Camille” for me.
I also got a supporting letter from my school.
Then I submitted everything and waited a few months.
It depends on the city, honestly.
But mine was eventually approved.
Misgendering someone means using the wrong pronouns to address them.