Hello everyone,

My name is Luz, and today I want to share with you a piece of my personal journey and the things that led me to better understand who I am and how I identify myself in this world. 

Since I was little, I always felt I did not belong to a single gender. Growing up, I started to realize “male” and “female” were just labels that simply did not manage to capture the complexity of my identity. I felt constricted by these rigid categories, and knew there was more to explore within me. 

I had to face many difficult questions, both my own and other people’s. “Why can’t you just choose a side?”, “What does it mean for you to not identify as either a male or  female?”; these are just a few of the questions I have been asked. 

So one afternoon, I decided to go online and I took a quiz on “Am I Gender Fluid?” ( and by the way I do not recommend this  way to find out your identity!). First test  I test got a NO, I was happy, second test I got a YES, I was disappointed! Of course I was still confused…  

That same day, just before going to bed, I went online researching articles about gender fluid. I read a lot about trans people, I wanted to understand  if I could identify with anything that was said  and posted there. Once more I did not relate to some of the content, which was  good, but to some I did, which was not good. (And again, by the way, I would not advise you to read about it just before bed time).

Today, a few years later, after talking, listening and becoming more mature, I am comfortable with my gender identity. I identify myself as non-binary, which means I don’t feel I exclusively belong to the male or female gender. I am a mix of both, and so much more.

 The awareness is something that goes beyond the narrow boundaries of conventional labels.It has been a difficult and often lonely journey. Finding my voice and the courage to be authentic has not been easy, but I have also felt supported and understood by some wonderful  friends who accepted me for who I am. 

Still, I am not yet always comfortable expressing myself, but I’m getting there. Little by little.