Thursday 19 May 2016

Never Judge A Book By Its Cover, Never Judge A Person By Its Title


Opi is a young woman who is Gender Neutral.
Like many others she does not fit within the category of Male or Female, instead she is and as I quote "I am neither but closer to female"

Gender Neutral means a person sees themselves as both male and female, neither or a mixture of both.

Male, female, straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, transgender and so many more are "titles" but why are people looked upon as a "title"
When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

The Daily Mail newspaper recently did a story on Opi however some if what they stated is NOT FACTUAL therefore I'd like to correct this...
*Opi's breast size was stated which shouldn't have been.
*It stated that Opi wants a Bilateral Mastectomy, this is a lie.
*It stated "Opi no longer feels comfortable in the female body" this is a lie.
I personally believe The Daily Mail should reprint the story with ACTUAL FACTS and issue an apology to Opi.

Opi kindly agreed to an interview with me and every word stated below is the truth.

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The Interview:

What is your name and age?
Opi, aged nineteen.

You identify as Non Binary, please explain in detail?
I am Gender Neutral with a heavy female lean.
Meaning that, in the grey-spectrum towards 'male' and 'female', I am neither but closer to 'female'.

How was your childhood in relation to health, beauty, clothes etc?
My childhood, as a young child, had complications that are not relevant.
Being a teen (13 - 17/18), I heavily compensated with makeup, very feminine clothing and typical female habits.
All in all in made me severely unhappy.

At what age did you start puberty and why did you suddenly feel ashamed?
I started developing very young, around nine or ten.
It was awful.
Suddenly I was told I had to 'be a woman' due to physical changes.
The feelings of shame came with the feelings of hating my physical body; I knew I shouldn't hate myself because I was a 'girl' and that all of things I was experiencing were a sign of becoming a woman.
I know now this is why I experienced such distress.

You are hoping to raise £6,000 so as to have your size 30D breasts removed, why?
For the record, I don't know WHY the articles have listed my breast size like that.
It's a very poor estimate - either way...
I wish to reduce the size of my breasts dramatically in order to rid myself of gender dysphoria.
Having them causes me great distress.

You wear unisex clothes, why?
I just wear clothes.
I don't know why every article has specified 'unisex'.
A t-shirt is a t-shirt.

Everyday you "bind" your breasts, what is the process of this and why?
Depends.
Some days I will just apply a sports bra of varying degree.
Some days I will put on my heaviest sports bra then bind with bandages; this is is to make my chest flat, so I do not experience the dysphoria has heavily.

According to Daily Mail Online it states you "no longer feel comfortable in the female body" can you please explain this in more detail?
The Daily Mail online is a complete and utter disgrace.
That statement is their own addition.
I experience dysphoria with my chest, and some other functions that can easily be avoided.
That article was designed to get a response from the public - it did just that.

What is the process of a Bilateral Mastectomy?
I do not want a bilateral mastectomy. Again, lies from the papers.

You are in a Heterosexual Relationship with your partner Phill Abbott, how does he feel in relation to your decision to become Gender Neutral?
Correction.
I am in a relationship.
Being with a straight male does not make me in anyway heterosexual.
I am also not a woman and therefore 'straight' cannot be applied to me anyway. As for my other half, he has been wonderfully supportive as he always is. He stands by my decisions.

Do you friends/family support you in your decision?
Yes.

Have you ever been the victim of narrow-minded attitudes due to your lifestyle choice?
Of course; upon coming out to the public I was met with a barrage of insults and demands I should end my life - people are ignorant.

What advice can you give parents/guardians of children in similar situations?
Even if you don't understand, please support your children.
They will need your strength and your support; it is not wrong or strange, they are still your child, they are still your baby.

What advice can you give other people in your situation?
Keep your chin up!
You aren't wrong or broken, no matter what anybody tries to tell you - remember you are valid and that you matter, remember that ignorant people have no place in your life!
If you wish to be apart of a Non Binary community, I run a facebook group called the Non Binary Network - http://www.facebook.com/groups/NonBinaryNetwork - and we're always open for more members.

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Help & Support:

Facebook
(Page) https://m.facebook.com/thenonbinarynetwork/
(Group) https://www.Facebook.com/groups/NonBinaryNetwork

Website
http://nonbinary.co.uk/

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