#androgynousmodel

As a black, trans masculine native of Harlem, New York, I am honored to be a part of the #Stonewall50 #WorldPrideNYC Campaign by @nycpride​. Visit their website www.worldpride.org!

Every time I travel and meet with hotel or resort employees, team members at workshops, or simply local people with whom I come into contact as a customer, guest or tourist, I can't but think about how they will accept me and what I’ll have to face.

After all, people are so different and many of them have never even heard of the existence of non-binary people. For almost all new people I meet on trips, I am the first androgyne in their life. Or at least the first one to introduce myself this way and speak openly on the topic. Each time, they ask lots of questions with genuine interest, without hostility and aggression, about what it means and how to treat me properly. They’re ordinary people who aren’t really passionate about gender issues. However, I’ve never seen any alarm or disgust in their faces. They can’t fully understand me. It’s easier for them to think that I’m a boy. But this is simply because they aren’t used to such concepts and it's still difficult for them to get a hang of the idea and settle into it.

So far, I've only traveled around Ukraine. And I’ve almost never met anyone who would treat me negatively or wouldn’t be ready to work together with me. Maybe I was lucky to only meet nice, calm, friendly people. Perhaps a lot depends on the way you present yourself: how open and self-confident you are, how ready you are to appear and be as friendly as possible, creating a positive image of a sociable person who feels at ease with other people and is not ashamed of being themselves.

I don’t know what they say behind my back. Many of the people I thought were my friends ended up spreading hurtful rumors and accusations once they’ve had a chance to sling mud at me. And seemingly upstanding LGBTIQ+ allies and even activists can do heinous things no matter how positive and nice you act. So, their studied friendliness is no guarantee of sincerity. Therefore, I don’t care so much about what people think or feel about me. They have the right to do this just like any other person. All that matters for me is that their prejudices don't affect affect our cooperation and its results. Let their smiles be fake. Let them get their head full of different ideas and information regarding non-binary people in a month or two. Yet let them not spoil my mood at the moment, let them fulfill their part of the deal, and let us part in good health and with possibly fond memories.