Nonbinary

I grew up in a place where the language was very gendered. The way I spoke about myself, like ‘I went to the shop’, or ‘I am tired’ was gendered too. This gendered language included verbs and adjectives, not only pronouns. For this reason I have not only heard people talking about me, but also talked about myself in a way that didn’t feel right. A few years ago I started communicating within my personal and professional environments that I find it essential to be referred to in a gender-neutral language. However with this switch in language use nonbinary gender was assumed. Sometimes I was asked for my motivation for using gender-neutral language. I would say that I do not identify as a man, or woman. I started using the term nonbinary as it felt convenient, comfortable, and straightforward. I took for granted that the notion of nonbinary went along with the practice of gender-neutral language, thus I embraced it back then, as this language felt essential for me. With this assumed gender I started questioning the term nonbinary, and continued to during the creation of this project. There is, however, a difference between identity and practice. Nonbinary is understood to be an identity, while gender-neutral language is a practice. Where I stand within this identity is still in motion, as much as nonbinary is in motion in this exploration. In dreams as a kid I saw myself writing a fictional autobiography book in a gender-neutral language. I truly wished that there would be something else out there. I initiated the creation of this map first of all for my inner child simply to say ‘yes’, there is something else out there.