Most of the time, people are brought up as a certain gender—as a man or a woman— within their family and community. Sometimes, it can seem as though you have to like and do a set of things to be a man or a woman. However, each person identifies as a man, woman, or even another category altogether in their own way.
If you think about school, just because your friend is a girl doesn’t mean she has to like pink, want to put on makeup, or wear skirts. And just because your friend is a guy doesn’t mean he has to like big trucks and action movies and play sports. At the end of the day, each person puts their own unique spin on gender and how they are part of their family and friend’s lives. We believe that there are as many ways people share their gender as there are people—there is no ‘one-way’ to be a girl, a guy, or someone with another identity.
More than anything, we support you and want you to find the strength to be who you are. What gender you identify as doesn’t matter. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable with who you are.
If you are having thoughts about your gender or concerns about who you are and who you want to be, talk to someone you trust—like an adult friend, a teacher, a doctor, a parent, or a psychologist— so you can share more about who you are. Also, if you are going through puberty right now and are concerned, check out this page about hormones and your body.