#non-binary

#non-binary

I had a close male friend who is openly gay (I am non-binary, assigned female at birth). We had a lot in common, became close really quickly, and started spending a lot of time together. Slowly, I realized I was falling for him, and one evening after a party, I confessed. On the spot, he took it really well. He said his feelings are entirely platonic and that he likes me as a person.

For non-binary trans photographer Laurence Philomene, art, life and identity are intimately entwined. Though drawing from art history, their photographs strike a distinctive note with their pastel colours; capturing queer subjects, including Philomene themself, in restful poses, these portraits bloom in soft hues of pink, purple, blue the full rainbow. This style seems to seep into Catherine Legault's intimate documentary, which captures not only the artist's creative process but also their daily life with vibrancy.

"[Although] in the beginning, he was nice to me, he would say these extremely problematic things," Stause claimed. "I have a deep core issue with people who think that way, so it was upsetting. Even though he was being nice, he compared people being non-binary to mental illness."

"I realised that there would be people who had never met a single openly queer person in their life, reading this alongside people who would probably already feel quite shocked by all of the other revelations and my journey with gender identity."

The BTB community and transness has been life changing. The community I've met through BTB has shaped me as a human, solidifying my personal value system.

Ben moves in with their estranged older sister and her husband after being thrown out of their parents' home for coming out as non-binary. As Ben navigates young adulthood, they find support from an eccentric art teacher and a kind-hearted student.

"Read a book! Open a book. Read it and don't let it just be a picture book! Get a dictionary. Learn some words. Sorry, learn to read! Honestly, please."