Non-binary isn't a real thing. Please stop trying to be "special" and "unique". You can't be neither male or female. Just because you think you lack specific traits identified as masculine or feminine doesn't mean you are a made-up gender. Kids will read crap that people like you come out with and will just be confused. Notice how no one over the age of 20 identifies themselves with these ridiculous made-up genders? I bet my life that you will look back on this in 30 years in embarrassment.
Hey anon, thank you so much for bringing this up! You’re right, there is an extremely saddening lack of focus on older nonbinary folks, and I think it is so, so important that kids like us are able to see themselves in their older role models. They are such wonderful, strong people who deserve recognition, so let me take this opportunity to tell you about some of the amazing older people I have in my life!
As I have mentioned in my introduction as a mod, I am a peer sex educator at a local youth program for LGBT teenagers. What I haven’t mentioned, however, is that this youth program is only one tiny part of a much larger organization thats spread alllllll around my state, and part of being a peer leader means that one of my duties is to attend bimonthly meetings with everyone involved with this organization. That means all the other youth peer leaders….and the adults they work with.
Its such an inspiring experience, honestly. In just my workplace alone, our program director is a genderfluid person in their 50s, who has been living in my town longer than I’ve been alive. They’ve been working in LGBT advocacy for the better part of thirty years now, and have been responsible for not only my town’s first pride parade, but our first LGBT prom and yearly tradition of hosting an intergenerational LGBT dinner with an elders group in the area. Our resident youth specialist, a nonbinary femme (and their super fantastic demiboy husband) are younger but still in their mid-30s, and have been doing an absolutely fantastic job so far in keeping our space safe and friendly. Both them and their husband, although he’s not technically an employee, have been adopted as the parents of the kids in our space who’s own aren’t doing their job well just because of how kind and understanding they are. Our previous youth advisor who recently moved was…Well, he was amazing. Bigender, in his 30s as well, he was such a huge influence on all our older group members and honestly such a driving force in my life. He’s helped me so much, personally, in finding my path - as unconventional as it is- and has helped me work though some really difficult times a few years ago and will forever hold a place in the hearts of everyone who worked with him.
Working in the greater organization can sometimes be a bit frustrating, because each youth group has their own kind of culture and ways and trying to translate that into a way we can work together can be a challenge, but such a worthy one. I have met so many hard working and inspiring older nonbinary folks, from all walks of life and with vastly different things to teach. The intergenerational dinner I previously mentioned? All the members of the elders group are between the ages of 60 and 100, and I have held some really interesting and informative discussions with the nonbinary members about their lives and growth as people! One notable experience is a transfeminine nonbinary woman who told me about how she came out to her wife when she was 57 years old. She began to formally transition a few years later, and explained to me how overjoyed she was to learn that not only was there a term to describe her experience as a person, but that she finally lived in an area in a time in her life where she could comfortably and freely live as she wants. She has three children and a grandchild, and has never been happier.
If you are a young nb and worried about your future, or worse, believe there is no future to worry about… I promise you, these amazing people are prime examples of how you can live happily well into adulthood without worrying about whether your identity is just something you picked up as a dumb kid. If you’re older, hey, you’re not the only one! Older nb folks exist everywhere you care to look, all it takes is a little time to find them. xx
Hi, there! I just wanted to chime in here that I’m over 20 and have ID’d as nonbinary for several years! As for your bet, thanks, but if you have nothing better to do with your life than harrassing and trying to police how other people identify, I don’t think we want it. Thanks, but no thanks. Have a nice day, and thanks for your message!
Didn’t even ID as nonbinary until I was over 20!