Surviving the Holidays
It's not easy surviving the holidays as an LGBTQ+; especially as a non-binary person. Forget the fact that we are misunderstood a majority of the year anyway, but then add in a dose of family trauma and some dead naming, and you're likely to struggle to make it through the holiday. Unfortunately, I don't have a magic cure-all for these situations. I spent the better part of Christmas Eve and day being dead-named, when I haven't had that name legally in almost 15 years. I do, however, want to say a few things to those out there reading and navigating this difficult season: *Own who you are. No one on this Earth knows you better than yourself. Your gender is what you say it is. *If someone dead-names you, don't be afraid to correct them. People are allowed a certain amount of grace, but when it's been 15 years, the grace period is over. *Don't be afraid to excuse yourself from a party early or disappear to the bathroom, if you need a break from family. *