Whisper
Pride on the Page Day #4
Each of the mini-essays I’m publishing for the month of June are part of a creative challenge to share joy during Pride. You can find out more in the link below. You can even participate, if you’d like!
4. Whisper
The first time I met someone else who was nonbinary I felt a fluttering in my chest, a tiny bird’s wings beating, a kinship I didn’t know was possible. We saw each other, the recognition clear, and I wanted to whisper to them how magical it felt.
I didn’t.
The second time I met someone else who was nonbinary, I thought it was a fluke. I mean, come on, we’re not that common.
Are we?
The third time I met someone else who was nonbinary, it seemed like the best kind of conspiracy theory made real. Definitely not a fluke. Definitely not a coincidence. I smiled in a different way, in a way that said hello in a louder voice, not a whisper anymore.
Your trans friend,
Robin
@Robin Taylor (he/him),
I haven’t met many non-binary folks in person here yet—but I know we’re not rare. We’re just often not in the same room at the same time. And still: I’m here.
Germany may have taken its time, and it hasn’t been easy—but my gender is seen. Even formally. Even on paper. Even where once there was only code, now there’s space carved for who we are.
And even if I don’t always hear “me too” out loud, I see it in small gestures—in correct salutations at my bank, in the way my doctor’s assistant doesn’t hesitate, in forms rewritten from the ground up because we exist.
So here’s my whisper, back to yours:
You’re not a fluke. Neither am I.
We’re not exceptions.
We’re part of the story.
And I’m glad you’re writing it with me.
Thank you for participation in #PrideOnThePage Day 4 WHISPER with is non-binary whispering.
"Are we?" Those two little words were so arresting. I often wonder, if there were any way to ever know, how many trans folks there really are, how many nonbinary folks, how many queer folks. How many stars are there in the universe? I think our numbers probably match *that* number. 🌟