If all the world’s a stage, gender is part of the performance. Transgender individuals, those who do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth, have existed for millennia, only recently truly being able to express their most authentic selves.

     “Being alone this past year and recognizing myself, I realized I don’t fit this box of ‘female’ that people have always put me into. I don’t know how I’ll be in the future, but right now [using] they/them [pronouns] feels right,” junior Reagan McFarland said. 

     Many see transness as a simple transition across a spectrum: male to female and vice versa. However, transgender identities are all-encompassing, touching so many bases previously unthought of by cisgender (those who identify with their given gender) people. 

     “The idea that [gender] is binary is actually an extremely western concept,” college advisor Emelyn Schaeffer said.

     Nonbinary individuals are those who identify with a label outside of the dichotomy of man and woman. For some, this means androgynous fashion and presentation and for others this just means a lack of comfort in a singular binary label. 

     “People expressing themselves through their clothing is a big thing; people aren’t trying to hide behind hoodies and sweatshirts anymore,” senior Danika Sein said. 

     Other nonbinary identites include genderfluid individuals. “These identities can operate more as a dial, something that can shift any day,” Schaeffer said.

     Society assigns arbitrary stereotypes and assumptions to genitalia and general notions of presentation. In actuality, physical attributes, including clothing, have nothing to do with gender. 

     “Masculine and feminine… those words don’t really mean anything,” McFarland said.

     Trans individuals often face scrutiny because of the world’s perception of the validity of their identity. According to the American Psychological Association, “There is no single explanation as to why some people are transgender. The diversity of transgender expression and experiences argues against any simple or unitary explanation.” 

     Despite scrutiny, transgender individuals remain proud. “Your gender is what you feel; you don’t have to be one thing or another,” Sein said.

     Although, not all trans people (especially children) can celebrate their identities. According to the American Academy for Pediatrics, 27% of transgender teens live in unsafe homes or environments to express their identities freely, or “come out.”

     “Find friends that will quietly help you [come out]. Find a supportive community, it’s somewhere,” McFarland said. 

     Oftentimes the idea of gender is described as a spectrum: a 2D line with man on one side and woman on the other. However, gender belongs in the third dimension, a shape with depth, dimension, and complication.

     “[Your gender] should be a celebration,” Schaeffer said.