It is undeniable, despite the fact that some people prefer to ignore it, that in our world there is a large population that seeks to be heard and recognized. This diversity of individuals represents the multiplicity of voices that teaches us the importance of accepting that we are all diversity.
"Well, how to start with this? I'm pansexual, although with a bit more of a preference towards boys but it's still kind of complicated. On my family's side, my mother accepts me, supports me in any circumstance and it's not like we have a frequent fight about my sexuality or anything like that, on the other hand, with my father it's not like that, I don't have the possibility to be very open about sexuality, there are arguments in between and I can't count on a good relationship with him either.
My partner is trans so it is also complex dealing with the acceptance of my family and theirs, even so it is very nice to love someone for who they are and not for their gender, unfortunately there are very closed-minded people who come to judge us with their eyes for being together or make comments out of place, but just as there are so negative and closed people, there are also people who respect and support us, either for our relationship or individually.
The truth, I feel that it is complicated to describe sexuality and more for fear of what others think, but it is very comfortable to be with a person you love regardless of their gender,
and the truth is there will always be a point where you will think that the important thing is that you are well and comfortable with the person because in the end it is you who will be with her or him and not a relative or something like that."
ANONYMOUS
"As a trans masculine boy, my process over the years has been and will be difficult in many aspects, psychologically, socially and in some cases, economically. In my case and also in the case of many other people, in the psychological aspect, it is given by attacking the self-esteem which leads to dysphoria, when we do not feel masculine nor do we reflect that, being in complex situations like these, we do everything possible to want to look more masculine or that our breasts are not visible using bandages and all kinds of fabrics or clothes that at the end of the day only leave us without breathing, with marks on our body, ending us little by little physically; I can say that this is no longer a psychological situation, but also a physical one.
Social life also includes the psychological aspect, since both my psychologist and society have the idea that since I am not of legal age I am "confused" about what I am, making it seem that it is just a stage when clearly it is not. In my case, they always tell me that I'm confused because I haven't experimented with many guys, or that I have a misconception about sexual orientation, but what I don't understand is:
Why do they confuse sexual orientation with gender identity? if I say I'm bisexual and the next day I say I'm pansexual, it's valid, sexual orientations can vary according to the individual tastes of each person, tastes that change over time; on the other hand there is the gender identity, something that simply cannot be changed,
it is not like a sexual orientation which you can decide according to what you want and feel romantically, the identity is what we are, how we want to be seen before the world, and for me it is necessary to change my gender to find my conformity and happiness with myself and to love, value and respect myself for who I am making myself known and that in the future I will continue to be, because as I said, the identity is for life.
It is hard to be part of the lgbt community, not only for me, not only for people with an undervalued identity who just want to be happy, not only for people with hetero sexual orientations. Being part of the community is as difficult as accepting that someday we will be adults and our orientations and identities will remain the same."
ANONYMOUS
"The first time I heard about the LGBTQ+ community was when I was little, in my house we were always raised with the philosophy that love is free and I am very grateful to have grown up like that. Years later, specifically in 2019 I started to doubt about my sexuality, I didn't understand what was going on in my mind and why, out of nowhere, I had started to like one of my best friends at the time. Close to that date, a close friend had come out with me, I remember that day I looked for the typical tests on the internet to "know my sexuality", being honest, a canonical event.
With the arrival of the pandemic, I had time to get to know myself and describe that I liked women, and also to discover that not only do I identify as her, I also like neutral pronouns. In June 2020 I came out to my mom and some time later I came out to my dad. I have the privilege that most of my friends belong to the community, because of them (outside of school) I never felt judged, however, in school it was another story. When they talk about loving is a revolution, they mean the struggle for acceptance, a struggle that should not exist, and that is exactly what I did at my school. During my senior year I took it upon myself to leave a safer space than I had, a protective space.
Some time later, I had my first girlfriend, her family is homophobic and we saw each other once every month or every two months, however, that's when I understood what a lesbian relationship involves.
Now, what is my sexuality? I discovered it over the years, today, I can say for sure that I am bisexual and I am happy with my boyfriend, but before, I went through many questions before getting to feel comfortable with the "label" that often is not necessary at all.
In front of the community, it makes me happy to know that there is a safe space, not perfect, but an important space of identification, sexuality after all is part of who you are as a person, it is part of your identity. Although many people do not understand it, that flag (or specific flags) mark a person a lot, even with the security of their sexuality."
By Mariana García
"It is hard, and there is no reason to hide it, having to put up with those ignorant people who just want to have their "family member" back is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Being a transgender person is not the best experience in the world because from "family members" to strangers can invalidate you of who you are, they can completely ignore who you are and still tell you, "We just don't understand you, it's not easy for us." But do you think it's easy for me? Sometimes it feels like I'm talking to a stranger, seeing how these people who I'm forced to call "family" when they are anything but, treat me like they've known me all my life but don't even know how to identify me as a man is the worst thing that can happen to someone transgender, although there are worse situations, I'm not here to minimize my problems.
Any person of the trans community will do everything possible to defend their identity, and they do not do it so that a supposed "relative" comes to minimize and disrespect you and then claim why you are like that, but they do it because they want to be seen, to demonstrate that they are what they are and the security they have in themselves. Do you really think it is so easy to doubt a gender identity than to accept it? Well, no!
Personally, it's the opposite, I could never doubt who I am, I would never back down on my decision as a transgender man, never accept the fact that I was born as a woman and that I should be, I would never disrespect myself like other people do for the simple fact that society and those "relatives" want it, because their prejudice is that they want me to be a woman. How come they care so little about what I want and my happiness? Don't they love me? Because they always say, "We love you." And there you have them, trying to make you feel insecure and throwing "hints" at you so that in the end they end up being right and you do what they want.
But that's not so, in their fantasy world, I can be whatever they want me to be, but in this reality, I am what I want to be."
ANONYMOUS
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